October 26, 2009 – Microstaq, a developer of silicon MEMS-based fluid control technology, has qualified its Ventilum MEMS-based chip at Chinese foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC).

Microstaq says its "silicon expansion valve" (SEV) using the Ventilum chip tech allows for fluid movement measured in liters (vs. nanoliters as with most MEMS devices), and uses less energy than traditional valves. Combined with sensing and controls it can reduce energy consumption in air conditioning systems by up to 25%. "We have received die and run internal testing against our performance specification," noted Mark Luckevich, VP of engineering, in a statement.

For SMIC, the qualification further supports its MEMS foundry offerings, which it launched in 2Q08 and now runs the gamut from optical MEMS to microphones, accelerometers, RF MEMS, and microdisplays. "We are now working with technical partners on monolithic CMOS-MEMS integration, as well as wafer-level packaging," stated Daniel Fu, SMIC associate VP of MEMS technology development, adding that the foundry also is coordinating with "several China universities and institutes to develop MEMS platform process."