Before we all get too excited, I think it's important to remember where we're up to.
While Yuval and the team have used their excellent problem solving skills to tackle some of the critical technical issues, and there have been some exciting technical developments, Fred talking of roadshows, an elevated mood etc, we still don't have a working mass-production chip.
While a solution has been developed the key technical challenge of dissipating the charge build up and associated stiction, working mass-produced chips with this solution have yet to be produced. In discussions after the EGM, Yuval explained that in the next batch of wafers, (due end Jan I think) they are experimenting with a large range of different approaches in the hope that one of these methods will deliver workable, robust and repeatable chip production. Its not clear that this next batch will deliver this as yet.
Yuval explained some of the complexities of managing the mems production - in particular the thermal budget associated with different materials in the different layers of the mems production. He explained there are up to 15 layers of deposits required to build up the mems construction for the pixels. The first layer to be cooked in the furnace - up to 1000 degrees - needs be able to cope with being cooled to room temperature, and then heated to 1000 degrees in the furnace firing as the next layer is deposited, then cooled - and this process repeats another 13 times. He explained that part of the challenge here was finding materials for the different layers that had the desired resultant physical properties (eg flexibility to cope with pixel movement, conductivity etc) but could also cope with the thermal load of up to 15 furnace firings.
As I understand it, the aim of trying out a large range of approaches for the next round of wafers is to experiment with different approaches and hopefully find a combination that delivers the required results.
So while Fred talks of imminent roadshows and inviting key vendors to Israel, it's clear that none of this will occur until the mems production techniques are proven and we have working chip. While I hope that this next batch delivers the outcome we hope, I think its worth recognising the technical complexities and experimentation challenges that Yuval and the team are still facing in order to try to find the 'secret sauce' As he said 'its not over until the Thin Chip sings'.
That said, I'm confident in the expertise of this team to surmount the challenges that lie ahead. I'm just highlighting that it could be 1, 6, 12, 24 months or more until this occurs.
DYOR GLTAH.
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