11/09/2009 

HP execs David Erickson and Grant Pease give Small Times the skinny on the company's new MEMS sensor technology they say is 1000× more sensitive than current products -- and why applications like bridge monitoring are particularly ripe for implementation.

11/05/2009 

Hewlett-Packard says it has developed a new inertial sensing technology that can be used for digital MEMS accelerometers that are up to 1000× more sensitive than other high-volume products, leading to more effective sensor networks for applications such as infrastructure/geophysical mapping and monitoring.

09/29/2009 

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have come up with a way to use microfluidics to generate microdroplets containing single molecules, which could ultimately offer insights into the structure and function of organic materials such as proteins, enzymes, and DNA.

09/12/2009 

September 11, 2009:  Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) say they have a new method to improve temperature calibration for microfluidic systems.

08/21/2009  August 21, 2009: In what seems to be a bid to expand beyond its auto position into an increasingly crowded (and promising) consumer sphere, Robert Bosch's US division is acquiring MEMS microphone maker Akustica.

07/22/2009  July 22, 2009: Scientists at the U. of Michigan have devised a microfluidic device incorporating a pneumatic system that requires no electromechanical valves, instead powered by sound waves. And they show how it works using the school's fight song.

07/16/2009  July 16, 2009: In sharp contrast to the lousy near-term outlook for the broad electronics industry, particularly semiconductors and wireless, the market for MEMS used in consumer electronics is actually seen growing more than 6% this year, according to statistics from iSuppli.

07/10/2009  July 9, 2009: Spurred by the two hottest devices -- Apple's iPhone and the Palm Pre -- accelerometers will be shipped in one out of every three phones in 2010, up from out of five phones this year and just one out of 10 phones in 2008, according to a new analysis from iSuppli Corp.

07/06/2009  SEMICON WEST PREVIEW: Despite a lousy 2008 and very limited visibility for 2009, suppliers of MEMS equipment see potential in offering new approaches to improve tricky MEMS yields in manufacturing faster, and at lower cost, with solutions for quicker simulation, more practical dry etch, and smarter package inspection.

07/01/2009  July 1, 2009: Researchers at the U. of Michigan have developed a microfluidic device that helps analyze the mechanical behavior of biofilms, colonies of bacteria behind most human infectious diseases.

06/30/2009  June 30, 2009: MEMS device demand has held steadier than the overall semiconductor market, but the market for equipment to make MEMS devices has struggled like the overall chip tools sector -- but now it's poised to surge ahead of the broader sector, according to an industry analyst.

03/31/2009  March 31, 2009: SiTime Corp. claims its new SiT3701 is the world's smallest programmable voltage-controlled MEMS oscillator (VCMO) with the best pull-range linearity.

03/30/2009  As the economy slogs along, big-ticket consumer purchases such as cars have dried up -- car shipments slipped 8% in 2008 and are expected to sink 19% in 2009. And that's bad news for, among others, suppliers of automotive electronics, notes iSuppli in a recent report.

03/23/2009  March 23, 2009: The current economic crisis is affecting many parts of the global economy - perhaps none more than the automotive sector, where shipments were down by 6% in 2008 and are forecasted to be slashed by 19% in 2009, according to iSuppli.

03/18/2009  March 18, 2009: The MEMS Industry Group, a trade association representing the MEMS and microstructures industries, has launched a MEMS Marketplace online "matchmaking" portal that enables MEMS companies to connect with prospective customers and partners.

01/27/2009  January 27, 2009: MEMS switches and varicap products are finding their way into commercial products despite the economic downturn, thanks to increased interest from cell phone companies, according to >a report from research group Yole Développement.

01/26/2009  January 26, 2009: SiTime Corp., which develops MEMS-based silicon timing solutions, has introduced a new family of programmable oscillators that are designed to extend battery life in portable and consumer electronics by delivering what the company called the industry's lowest power consumption and fastest start-up time.

01/20/2009  January 20, 2009: Scientists have always wanted to take a closer look at biological systems and materials. From the magnifying glass to the electron microscope, they have developed ever-increasingly sophisticated imaging devices.

01/08/2009  January 8, 2009: DALSA Semiconductor says it has launched the first phase of a 200mm MEMS manufacturing line at its semiconductor wafer foundry in Bromont, Quebec, Canada, following several new MEMS supply contracts the company has recently received for delivery of product in 2009 and for new product development.

12/17/2008  In his daily blog from IEDM, Chipworks' Dick James looks at a number of interesting papers presented on SRAM, image sensors, and radiation soft errors in flash memories.