December 30, 2004 – Toppan Printing Co. has formed a joint venture with Chinese chip foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) to make on-chip color filters and micro lenses for image sensors, according to Jiji Press Ltd.
The new company, Toppan SMIC Electronics (Shanghai) Co., is owned 70% by Toppan and 30% by SMIC. It is located within SMIC’s premises in Pudong, Shanghai.
The company has yet to fix its sales targets and other details of its operation. Currently, image sensors, such as charge-coupled devices, have been produced mainly by Japanese chipmakers and Taiwanese foundries.