Birth of the Arkh Series
Achieving both "stable supply" and "environmental initiatives"
As a manufacturer, we must fulfill our responsibility to achieve both a “stable supply” and “environmental initiatives.” However, we must solve the difficult issue of CO2 emissions, which increase in line with the increase in production volume. This requires an approach based on an unconventional way of thinking.
The figure below shows the ideal product conditions to overcome this issue. To meet these conditions, we worked on product development and succeeded in the development of the Arkh series, which achieves both a "stable supply" and "environmental initiatives."
New product concept
Electronic components must meet the needs of miniaturization in line with the development of electronics technology. In general, the smaller the product size, the less the consumption of materials, leading to cost reduction. However, downsizing below a certain level results in a higher engineering difficulty, leading to higher costs. Regarding semiconductors, however, both miniaturization and cost reduction have been achieved. This is because the manufacturing process is achieved at the wafer level in line with the advancement of automation technology. Application of the same concept to quartz crystal devices would help overcome the abovementioned issue. We have developed novel wafer level packaging (WLP) technology for bonding quartz crystal wafers and realized the Arkh series. WLP technology can take full advantage of the increase in size of quartz crystal wafers, which is achieved by our core technology. This has led to the realization of small, lightweight, and inexpensive products, just like semiconductors.
Overview of the Arkh Series
We define the first generation of quartz crystal devices as lead-type products and the second generation as surface-mount products using ceramic packaging, which are currently in the mainstream. The products newly developed as the third generation are those of the Arkh series, based on the Arkh.3G, which has a completely novel structure.
The term “Arkh” is derived from arkhitekton, a Greek word which means a structural and design concept, idea, or strategy. It represents our vision to realize ideal products. Unlike a conventional structure in which a quartz crystal element is held in a ceramic package using a conductive adhesive, the Arkh.3G adopts WLP technology that allows three quartz crystal wafers to be bonded together. Using these technologies developed for the production of the Arkh series, we will work to create new value.
We are pleased to note that the Arkh.3G won the Good Design Award in 2019.
[Basic structure of the Arkh series]
[Differences in the manufacturing process]
