Mobile phones today are the symbols of the modern mobile digital lifestyle, of which memory cards are an increasingly important element. Memory cards have evolved from the early MMC and SD cards to the second-generation miniSD and RS-MMC specifications, growing smaller, lighter and thinner while providing ever increasing storage and flexibility for digital products. The third-generation microSD cards have taken this evolution to the next step: nearly the size of a fingernail (15mm×11mm×1mm), microSD cards are now the world's smallest memory card products.

In 2005, the SD association announced the microSD specification, the newest member of the SD family. microSD is 100% compatible with the earlier T-flash format, and due to its extremely small size, microSD has quickly gained popularity among mobile phone makers seeking a smaller storage medium. These factors have resulted in explosive growth in phone products that support the microSD specification. Major manufacturers including Motorola, Samsung and LG have all released microSD-compatible mobile phones, and according to the latest “2005 Mobile Storage Products Research Report,” microSD (including T-Flash) products accounted for 29.5% of the market share of mobile phones with memory card support. Compared to two other mini memory card formats – miniSD and RS-MMC – microSD's market share was 1.6 and 10.5 percentage points higher. The microSD format will clearly continue to take the mobile phone memory market by storm.

However, unlike larger cards such as SD or MMC cards, microSD's surface area restrictions make it impossible to use SMT production (the most common manufacturing method for flash memory cards). microSD cards must be produced using direct die packaging technology. Kingmax is one of the world's only memory manufacturers that possess IC packaging facilities, and Kingmax is also the world's leading manufacturer of PIP packaged memory products. When used with very small surface area memory cards, PIP packaging provides incomparable performance and value. In addition to water and dust resistance (as well as heat and pressure resistance), microSD's main advantage lies its tiny size. At the same time, the PIP packaging technology enables Kingmax to apply its distinctive red color, which allows consumers to know at first glance their products are genuine Kingmax memory products.

Stacking technology is another complication for manufacturing microSD products, especially high capacity products. Because of microSD's extremely small size, currently all microSD products are produced using stacking technology. Higher capacity cards such as the 512MB microSD cards are produced by stacking two 70-nanometer 256MB flash chips. Circuit paths are already quite complicated in such a small area, and stacking two ICs makes the process even more complicated. Therefore, memory makers lacking IC packaging technology face many difficulties producing this type of memory card, and it is precisely this technology that makes Kingmax one of the world's only companies who can provide a stable supply. With its patented PIP packaging technology and outstanding quality and compatibility, it is no wonder that Kingmax products are the most widely respected by electronics manufacturers and consumers alike.

Many of the world's major mobile phone manufacturers have taken notice of the Kingmax microSD cards and Kingmax has already begun receiving large orders and forming partnerships to supply microSD cards to mobile phone companies around the world. Through these partnerships, Kingmax will bring an all-new mobile multimedia experience to consumers the world over.

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