Oct. 31, 2006 — Silicon Microstructures Inc. (SMI), a Milpitas, Calif., silicon sensor designer and manufacturer, announced it has achieved ISO/TS 16949:2002 certification for its new six-inch MEMS production line.

The company said the certification will let it continue supporting the stringent requirements of the automotive industry through standardized production processes. Silicon Microstructures has already met the requirements of ISO 9001:2000.

Silicon Microstructures said it has been in compliance with ISO/TS 16949 requirements for more than 12 months as it ramped up production to 40,000 pressure sensors per day. SMI says the improvements have helped it to offer advanced MEMS sensors at competitive prices while speeding turnaround times.

The certification ties into the microsystem strategy of SMI’s parent company the ELMOS Group, as automotive grade microsystems as well as stand-alone sensor solutions can now be provided on an ISO/TS 16949 certified level together with the other ELMOS Group companies ELMOS Advanced Packaging B.V. and ELMOS Semiconductor AG.

The company’s pressure sensors are used extensively in applications ranging from high-pressure automotive tire pressure monitoring systems to low pressure medical respiration equipment. Products include the SM 5108 ultra-small pressure sensor and the advanced SM 5872, a single-chip pressure sensor with co-integrated digital signal processing, in SOIC packages, both designed for high-volume OEM markets.