Nemotek Technologie, the Rabat, Morocco-based company readying production of wafer level lenses and cameras, has qualified the first parts at its newly built manufacturing and packaging facility, and expects to start shipping devices in the fourth quarter of this year.

Producing thousands of lenses simultaneously on a single wafer using technology licensed from Tessera Technologies, Nemotek streamlines the manufacturing process delivering a more cost effective and miniaturized wafer level based on reflow compatible materials.

"This is a major milestone for the company, notably ensuring that the process is reflow compatible and meets stringent quality standards", said Jacky Perdrigeat, chief executive officer of Nemotek. Nemotek has to date invested about $40 million in a dedicated facility in Rabat, and Perdrigeat said the total proposed value of the investment over the next three years is $100 million, to reach capacities of about 150,000 wafers a year by 2012.

Initially, the capacity is about 17,000 wafer line cameras a year from the 10,000 m2 facility, which includes a certified Class 10 clean room that is said to be the first in Africa located in the Rabat Technopolis Park, a hub for technology development in Morocco. Perdrigeat added that with the completion of several stringent tests for wafer-level lenses, "we believe our products are now of the highest quality at less cost while featuring a superior manufacturing process than other offerings. The market is ready for wafer-level technology and we are pleased to be one of the first to manufacture these high-demand wafer offerings."

The reflow compatible materials are used to build the optical elements of the camera module, which are then mounted directly to a board for camera phone or other mobile device assembly. Nemotek says that because this is the same solder reflow process used for assembling other electronics, customers save time by using the same procedure throughout the production cycle.

Several of the stress tests included a reflow test to verify all the materials used to build the lenses are reflow compatible. Other qualifications included industry-level high temperature and solar radiation tests. All the completed tests were in compliance with the Standard Mobile Imaging Architecture (SMIA). Established in May 2008, Nemotek is funded by Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion (CDG), a Moroccan conglomerate that has holdings in numerous industrial and real estate related developments