MEMS Industry Group (MIG)’s MEMS Executive Congress — held November 7-8, 2013 in Napa, CA — showed why the MEMS industry is outpacing the semiconductor industry, in both growth and innovation. With a ten percent increase in attendance over 2012 and market analysts such as IHS Inc.’s Jérémie Bouchaud predicting that the MEMS industry will grow twice as fast as the semiconductor industry — MEMS Executive Congress highlighted innovation through presentations, panels and awards.
Gregg Bartlett, chief technology officer, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, captured the buoyant mood during the opening keynote presentation. “MEMS is an innovation race, not an arms race. If you can dream it, it can be built,” said Bartlett. “That’s the beauty of MEMS. It is limited only by someone’s ability to conceive it.”
From market analysts such as Yole Développement’s Laurent Robin, who described a wider variety of MEMS in the smartphone of 2018, to HTC America’s Gary Yao, who predicted that watches, glasses and wearable patches will join smartphones in our connected world of 2020, event speakers cited the critical role of consumer and mobile markets in the growth of MEMS.
The Winners: MEMS Innovation Awards and MEMS Technology Showcase
MEMS Executive Congress also celebrated innovation through MIG’s first MEMS Innovation Awards. “We are delighted to recognize STMicroelectronics as a multiple award-winner in our MEMS Innovation Awards,” said Karen Lightman, executive director, MEMS Industry Group. “ST won device of the year for its 2×2 eCompass and MEMS Company of the Year as well as MEMS Executive of the Year for Benedetto Vigna.”
“We are also thrilled to announce that SPTS Technologies earned MEMS Supplier of the Year, Samsung won MEMS Integrator of the Year, and Maxim Integrated’s Demetre Kondylis was recognized for a Lifetime Achievement Award.”
MEMS Executive Congress attendees also had the chance to vote for the best live demo given during MIG’s third annual MEMS Technology Showcase. For the first time in its history, there was a tie: DigitalOptics’ mems|cam product and MicroGen’s BOLT Power Cell both shared the crown.
More Recognition: MIG’s Hall of Fame
MIG also used the forum to induct two new MIG members into its annual Hall of Fame: Alissa M. Fitzgerald, founder and managing member, A.M. Fitzgerald & Associates, and Michael Gaitan, group leader, NIST.
Read more on MEMS at MIG Managing Director Karen Lightman’s blog