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This page is about the semiconductor manufacturer. For other uses, see Synaptic (disambiguation).
Synaptics
Company typePublic
Nasdaq: SYNA
S&P 400 Component
IndustryComputer hardware and software
Founded1986; 38 years ago (1986)
California, U.S.
FoundersFederico Faggin
Carver Mead
HeadquartersSan Jose, California, U.S.
Key people
Federico Faggin, Co-founder
Carver Mead, Co-founder
Rick Bergman, CEO
Wajid Ali, CFO
ProductsTouchPad trackpads
TouchStyk
ClearView display drivers
TouchView TDDI
ClearPad touch controllers
SentryPoint
PurePrint
Touchscreen Controllers
DDIC Display Drivers
Natural ID and Clear ID fingerprint sensors
AudioSmart DSPs and SOCs
VideoSmart processors
ImagingSmart processors
ForcePad
SecurePad
RevenueIncrease $1.72 billion USD (2017)[1]
Decrease $64.7 million USD (2017)[1]
Decrease $48.8 million USD (2017)[1]
Number of employees
1,763 (2016)[2]
SubsidiariesConexant
Websitewww.synaptics.com

Synaptics is a publicly owned San Jose, California-based developer of human interface (HMI) hardware and software, including touchpadstouch-pads for computer laptops, touch-screens, MP3 players, cellular phones and other devices. It describes itself as a human interface solution developer. touch, display driver, and fingerprint biometrics technology for smartphones; and touch, video and far-field voice technology for smart home devices and automotives. Synaptics primarily sells its products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and display manufacturers.

Since its founding in 1986, the company's notable innovations include the first ever computer touchpad, touch technology for the click wheel on the classic iPod, touch sensors used in numerous Android phones, Touch and Display Driver Integrated chips, and biometrics technology for fingerprint sensors. All touch and fingerprint technology was based on capacitive sensing up until the introduction of optical fingerprint sensing in late 2016.

History

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1986-1998: Founding and launch of first touchpad

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Synaptics was founded in 1986 by scientists and engineers Federico Faggin and Carver Mead founded Synaptics in 1986, inspired by their interest in neural networks and their applications in technologieshow technology might imitate neural networks.[3][4] Faggin and Mead applied their research and discoveries on neural networks and transistors on chips to build touch sensing solutionspattern recognition products.[5] The name of the company is a portmanteau, blending synapse and electronics.[6] In 1991, Synaptics patented a refined "winner take all" circuit for teaching neural networks how to recognize patterns and images, so called because it uses basic physics principles in order to select the strongest signal from the array of different processors.[7]

During Synaptics' early years, the laptop industry was struggling to make devices thinner because the spherical trackballs included in them required thicker device builds.[8] Synaptics' founders recognized this issue and in 1992, used the pattern recognition techniques it developed to build the world's first touchpad, which Apple adopted in 1995.[5] By 1994, Twinhead and Epson America had adopted Synaptics' touchpad for their computers,[9] followed by Apple in 1995 and later[10]The touchpad was subsequently adopted by other leading computer manufacturers of the time, including Compaq and Dell, launching Synaptics' growth as a company and establishing touchpads as a standard feature in notebook PCs.[11]

1999-2010: Continued growth and integration with mobile devices

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As integrationadoption of the touchpad grew, Synaptics continued to refine its technology, building a vision to integrate itsought to integrate the technology with other solutionsproducts and createexpand the company with a range of human interface technologies to expand the company. In 1999, Francis Lee took over as CEO.[3] The company had an initial public offering in 2002.[12] In 2004, Apple debuted the iPod Mini and fourth-generation iPod, both featuring a scrolling click wheel enabled by Synaptics' capacitive touch technology, and Synaptics also provided a similar, vertical solution for the click wheel of the Creative Zen Touch portable media player.[13]

Since then, Synaptics' solutions have been adopted in various markets beyond notebook computers. In 2005, Synaptics sensors were featured in the Samsung B310, the world's first mobile phone to use capacitive-touch technology[10] – and as of early 2017, Samsung and many other Android phone manufacturers continued to use Synaptics sensors in their phones.[14] In October 2006, Synaptics provided a live demonstration of the Onyx, a concept smartphone with a color touchscreen enabled by its ClearPad touch controller technology. The Onyx's touch sensor could also tell the difference between a finger and a cheek, preventing accidental inputs during calls.[15][16][17] In 2007, LG launched its Prada phone featuring Synaptics' touch sensors, marking, which was the world's first capacitive-touchscreen mobile phone with a capacitive touchscreen, featuring Synaptics' touch sensors.[10] Synaptics' touchscreen technology was also featured in Logitech's Harmony family line of universal remote controls with capacitive-touch capabilities, which debuted in 2008 and brought capacitive-touch capabilities to universal remote controls.[18]

In 2009, Synaptics revealed the Fuse concept smartphone, which included several features that are now standard in modern smartphones, and showcased it at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2010. The Fuse offered touch sensitivity on the back of the phone, the ability to interact with the phone by squeezing, animated icons, a user interface sensitive to the phone's orientation and tilt, and haptic gestures.[19][20][21]

2011-present: Touch and display integration, biometrics, and the Internet of things

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In 2011, current CEOthe company appointed Rick Bergman was appointedto succeed Francis Lee (CEO from 1999-2011) and drive Synaptics' expansion in to new marketsas CEO.[22]

In 2012, Synaptics introduced the world's first full-function capacitive-touch product to incorporatethat used pressure recognition (AKA i.e.force sensing), enablingto allow for multi-finger and variable-force input.[23] (Apple debuted Force Touch, a similar technology, in 2014.[24]) In late 2013,The following year, Synaptics acquired Validity Sensors, a fingerprint sensor vendor, adding biometrics and fingerprint sensingcapacitive fingerprint sensing to Synaptics' portfolio of solutions.[25][26]

Synaptics acquired Renesas SP Drivers Inc., a Japanese company specializing in chips that manage LCD displays, in 2014.[27] Synaptics purchased Renesas SP for approximately JPY ($475 million) for 100% of the company. The acquisition enabled Synaptics to establish an integrated portfolio integrate offerings of touch and display driver technologies into a single "TDDI" (Touch and Display Driver Integration) chip.[28][29]

The company has sinceWith its growing portfolio of touch, display, and fingerprint offerings, in 2015 the company expanded into additional markets, including automotive, wearables and PC peripherals in 2015.[30][31] In July 2015, Synaptics debuted a unique “match-in-sensor” fingerprint authenticator for laptops and other devices that authenticates the fingerprint within the chip itself for greater security.[32][33]Synaptics in 2015 had 1600+ granted and pending patents for human interface solutions.[34] In FY15, Synaptics reported $1.703 billion in revenue and cited a +46% compound annual growth rate.[34]

The company debuted the Clear ID FS9100, its first optical-based fingerprint sensor, in December 2016,[35] and after improving the technology, sent it into full production a year later.[36] In January 2018, the Chinese company Vivo announced the X20 Plus UD, a smartphone featuring Synaptics’ Clear ID optical fingerprint sensor. This was the world’s first full-production smartphone with fingerprint authentication directly in the OLED display.[37][38]

In JuneJuly 2017, Synaptics announced it was acquiringacquired Conexant Systems for $341 million and, an Amazon Alexa partner that creates voice and audio software and silicon products for smart homes, for $300 million in cash and 726,666 shares of stock.[39][40] At the same time, Synaptics acquired Marvell Technology Group's Multimedia Solutions unit, which creates video and audio processing technology, for $95 million. The two acquisitions were intended to aid Synaptics' expansion into the Internet of things market.[41]

Technology

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As of July 2017, Synaptics held more than 1,900 granted or pending patents for human interface technologies.[10] Many Synaptics products are based on capacitive sensing technology, sensing the electrical properties of the finger(s) touching the sensor, as opposed to resistive touchscreen technologies, which sense direct pressure and require an amount of force.Capacitive touch sensing works by sensing the electrical properties of the finger(s) touching the sensor; a resistive touchscreen senses direct pressure between two clear electrical layers that are separated by a small space, requiring an amount of force.[42] Capacitive touch sensing products are solid state, making them more robust than resistive solutions. Synaptics also offers products based on optical sensing technology,[35] which uses light, rather than electrical current, to obtain its readings.[43] Synaptics' optical sensing technology includes fingerprint sensing.[2]

Synaptics's human interface solutions are currently based upon the following key technologies:

  • Capacitive active pen
  • Capacitive force sensing
  • Capacitive position sensing
  • Display systems and circuit
  • Fingerprint sensing
  • Mixed-signal integrated circuit
  • Multi-touch
  • Pattern recognition
  • Proprietary microcontroller
  • ThinTouch
  • Transparent capacitive position sensing

Products

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Synaptics Clear ID fingerprint sensor

Synaptics' product offerings focus on human machine interface technologies, including touch, display and audio. The company also sells technologies through acquisitions, including fax/modem and imaging solutions.

  • TouchPad products: Touch-sensitive trackpads that sense the position and movement of one or more fingers on their surfaces. The TouchPad's core market is notebook PCs.[44][45]
  • ClearPad touch controllers: Capacitive-touch controllers with minimal size and low power requirements, tailored for compact displays and mobile devices.[46][47]
  • Natural ID (capacitive) and Clear ID (optical) fingerprint sensors: Fingerprint authentication sensors combining biometrics and advanced encryption. Synaptics' fingerprint ID sensors can also function within smartphone displays, making it possible to eliminate the home button and bezels around the screen.[48][14]
  • ClearView display drivers: Display driver integrated circuits for LCDs and OLED displays.[49][50]
  • TouchView integrated touch and display controllers: Single and two-chip products with both touch and display technology, which allows devices to be thinner and lighter at lower costs.[51][52]
  • AudioSmart far-field voice DSPs: Audio hardware and software for voice-enabled devices, including products with Alexa and Cortana.[53][54]
  • AudioSmart digital headset SoCs: Audio codecs for headsets and other accessories.[55][56]
  • VideoSmart multimedia processors: Technology for TVs, set-top boxes, and over-the-top streaming devices (including technology acquired through the purchase of Marvell Technology Group's Multimedia Solutions unit).[57][58][59][60]
  • ImagingSmart image processors: Silicon and software products for document and photo imaging controllers, digital video, fax, and modem, acquired with the purchase of Conexant.[61][62]

Industry alliances and partnerships

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Synaptics is a founding member of the FIDO (Fast ID Online) Alliance and the Universal Stylus Initiative (USI).,[63] The FIDO Alliance is an industry consortium that aims to make authentication stronger and simpler, and to reduce reliance on passwords.[64][65] Synaptics' Corporate Development Vice President, Adnan Raza, sits on the FIDO Alliance board, representing Synaptics. Other notable Board Members include Google, Microsoft, PayPal, Lenovo, Qualcomm, RSA, Samsung, Bank of America, Visa, Discover, American Express and MasterCard. USI is an organization of leading OEMs, stylus and touch controller manufacturers driving industry standards to promote interoperable active styluses with touch-enabled devices such as phones, tablets and computing and entertainment platforms.[66][67] Synaptics' Senior Director of Integrated Display and Touch Products, Jeff Lukanc, is Vice President of USI. Synaptics also partners with many global ecosystem market makers, including Google, Microsoft,[68] Baidu,[69] and Amazon.[70][71]

Manufacturing and supply chain

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Synaptics' manufacturing operations are based on a variable cost model in which it outsource all of its production requirements and generally drop ship its products directly to its customers from its contract manufacturers’ facilities. This eliminates the need for significant capital expenditures and allows the company to minimize its investment in inventories.

The company provides its contract manufacturers with six-month rolling forecasts and issue purchase orders based on anticipated requirements for the next 90 days. It uses two third-party wafer manufacturers to supply wafers and four third-party packaging manufacturers to package its proprietary ASICs.

In certain cases, it relies on a single source or a limited number of suppliers to provide other key components of its products.[72]


References

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  2. ^ a b "Annual Report 2016" (PDF). Investors.com. 2014-09-07. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
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