Category Archives: Packaging and Testing

Yole Développement will host a MEMS & Imaging Technology Seminar in Korea on January 16, 2014. Dedicated to MEMS devices & manufacturing technologies areas, followed by Imaging, the seminar is made up of Yole Développement presentations on the related market area, System Plus Consulting tools presentations (Reverse Costing and Cost Simulation). The French consulting company also invites industrials speakers to present their vision of the Industry: Bosch Sensortec, CMOSIS and GMEMS.

Discover below Yole Technology Seminar’s agenda and register now on www.i-micronews.com.

Yole Technology Seminar Agenda – January 16, 2014

  • 9:30 AM – Welcome breakfast
  • 10:00 AM – MEMS devices & manufacturing technologies: challenges for MEMS sensors in the next 5 years.

    Market & Technology focus – Jean-Christophe Eloy, President & CEO, Yole Développement , Sang-Chul Lee, Director at GMEMS
    Reverse & Costing analysis – Jean-Christophe Eloy, President & CEO, Yole Développement The MEMS Solution Challenge – Leopold Beer, Regional President AP, Bosch Sensortec

  • 2:00 PM – How Technology changes are reshaping the CMOS Image Sensor industry? Manufacturing technologies and Challenges in the next 5 years.
    Market & Technology focus – Jean-Christophe Eloy, President & CEO, Yole Développement , Guy Meynants, CTO and VP R&D, CMOSIS

    Reverse & Costing analysis – Jean-Christophe Eloy, President & CEO, Yole Développement, Jun Hwang, Director, Dongbu Hitek

  • 5:00 PM – Networking
  • At 6:00 PM – End of the seminar

    Registration is now open. Please go to www.i-micronews.com, MEMS section and register or click Here. Registration fees includes caterings, list of participants as well as the proceedings (paper version only).

Technology Seminar speakers

  • Jean-Christophe Eloy is CEO and Founder of Yole Développement. Since 1991, he has been involved in the analysis of the evolution of MEMS markets at device, equipment and also materials suppliers’ level. Jean-Christophe Eloy is also board member in several organisations in Europe and in North America.
  • Guy Meynants is CTO and VP R&D of CMOSIS. He co-founded CMOSIS in 2007 to develop advanced professional image sensors. He led the company through its incubation phase as CEO until June 2009 and then switched to the VP position. He started working on CMOS image sensors in 1994 at IMEC, Belgium through the development of active pixel sensors with 14 and 7 micron pixels. He was one of the co-founders of FillFactory NV in 2000, where he developed various CMOS image sensors for industrial, digital photography and space applications, and worked on technology development for low-noise high dynamic range pixels. From February 2006 up to October 2007 he has been working at IMEC-NL on research about ultra-low power analog circuits. He received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in electronics engineering from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium in 1994 and 1998 respectively. He invented 15 patents and patent applications in the field of image sensors and analog circuit design, and co-authored 5- publications.
  • Leopold Beer, Regional President AP, joined Bosch Sensortec shortly after its foundation in 2006 and has been working as a sales director and afterwards global marketing director. Since March 2013 he is the Regional President of Asia Pacific. Prior to joining Bosch Sensortec, Leopold Beer held various engineering and managerial positions in the semiconductor and the automotive industry.
  • Jun Hwang, Director at Dongbu Hitek
  • Sang-Chul Lee, Director at GMEMS

    This event is powered by Yole Développement and BizOcean. For more information, please contact:

  • Hailey Yang, Business Development, Yole Développement ([email protected])
  • Clotilde Fabre, Media & Communication Coordinator, MEMS & Imaging, Yole Développement

    ([email protected])

Oxford Instruments has just completed its second series of seminars in India following its first in Bangalore in 2012. Over 500 people registered overall during the two events, emphasising the intense interest in the nanotechnology sciences. With its key theme of “Tooling Nano,” the seminars took place first at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, followed by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Mumbai, and focused on cutting edge nanotechnology tools and their use in multiple fields.

At each venue, two parallel sessions focussed on fabrication and analysis methods, with scientific and technology papers on a wide range of topics within each technical area. These sessions included guest international speakers including speakers from the University of Cambridge and University of Bath, UK, and TU Delft in the Netherlands, TATA Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, IIT Bombay, and IISER Mohali. Technical experts from Oxford Instruments also presented. The events provided an excellent opportunity for networking and information sharing between all participants.

The fabrication sessions discussed latest etch and deposition technological advances, including: ALD, Magnetron Sputtering, ICP PECVD, Nanoscale Etch, MEMS, MBE and more. The Analysis sessions covered multiple topics and technologies including: Ultra high vacuum SPM, Cryo free low temperature solutions, XPS/ESCA, an introduction to atomic force microscopy and applications such as nanomechanics, In-situ heating and tensile characterisation using EBSD, measuring layer thicknesses and compositions using EDS, nanomanipulation and fabrication within the SEM / FIB.

“Oxford Instruments is a provider of high technology solutions, actively listening and engaging with our customers for mutual success, building long term relationships based on trust and respect”, comments Mark Sefton, Sector Head of Oxford Instruments Nanotechnology Tools, “Educational events such as these, coupled with our high technology tools and superior service, demonstrate our commitment to our customers, and encourage discussion and cross dissemination of ideas that  benefit us all.”

STMicroelectronics has revealed its most advanced module for 9-axis movement and position sensing in next-generation mobiles and tiny wearable devices.

Delivering enhanced performance with reduced power demand, in a 3.5mm x 3mm outline, which is almost 35 percent smaller than previous generations, the LSM9DS1 module supports the context awareness needed for features such as gesture controls, indoor navigation, and augmented reality. Its small size and battery efficiency, achieved by using ST’s latest low-noise sensor technology, enhance the usability and comfort of wearable devices by reducing bulk and extending battery life between charges. In addition, greater positional resolution enhances the stability and precision of applications such as smart-TV remotes, game controllers, and wearable sports or medical sensors.

“This tiny, high-performance 9-axis module leverages our latest MEMS technology to enable a wide variety of position-sensing and movement-tracking applications in next-generation mobile and wearable devices,” said Benedetto Vigna, Executive Vice President and General Manager Analog, MEMS & Sensors Group, STMicroelectronics. “With 30 percent higher magnetometer resolution, 20 percent lower power and a footprint more than one-third smaller than other devices, designers have extra freedom to establish new form factors and improve stability and performance.”

The LSM9DS1 contains a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis magnetometer, all fabricated using ST’s latest MEMS process technology. These sensors detect linear acceleration, angular rate and magnetic field to provide complete position- and movement-sensing data. Moreover, they are well integrated and synchronized to provide true 9-degree-of-freedom sensing rather than separate, uncoordinated data inputs. On the other hand, each sensor can be powered-down individually with automatic wake-up, allowing extra-smart power management.

Compatibility with ST’s LSM6 family of 6-axis IMUs (Inertial Measurement Units) simplifies upgrading or scaling of existing designs to add magnetic-field detection for functions such as e-compass and orientation sensing. Product developers can also upgrade current designs that combine a 6-axis LSM6 device with a discrete magnetometer to achieve a space-saving, simplified and reliable integrated solution based on the LSM9DS1.

Compared to earlier 9-axis sensor modules in the 4mm x 4mm LGA package, the LSM9DS1’s footprint of 3.5mm x 3mm saves over 5mm2 of pc-board space. This reduction in area, combined with the low package height of only 1mm, is valuable to designers seeking to add extra functionality in smartphones or create innovative new products in comfortable, wearable form factors, including glasses.

At the same time, the device has 30 percent higher magnetometer resolution, due to ST’s latest low-noise process technology, as well as 20 percent lower overall power consumption. ST’s advanced technology also delivers a significant reduction in accelerometer zero-g offset, to below 100 milli-g, and reduces typical gyroscope rate noise to 0.008 dps per square root of Hz at low full-scale. These improvements enable any mobile device such as a smartphone, tablet, controller or various wearables including smart glasses to support accurate motion tracking, efficient and reliable contextual awareness, and precise orientation and heading. ST’s latest MEMS process technology also contributes to power savings in combination with smart power-management modes which, together, reduce typical operating current to just 2mA.

Engineering samples of the LSM9DS1 are available now, in the 3.5mm x 3mm LGA leadless package, and budgetary unit pricing is $2.70 for orders over 1,000 pieces.

SPTS Technologies, a supplier of advanced wafer processing solutions for the global semiconductor industry and related markets, was named MEMS Supplier of the Year at the MEMS Executive Congress U.S. 2013 held in Napa last month. Senior executives from the micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) community came together to discuss latest market and technology developments, and to learn the results of the inaugural Best in MEMS Innovation Awards.

SPTS provides deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) equipment and technology, a key building block in MEMS fabrication. Across the vast array of MEMS devices such as sensors, accelerometers, life science and medical products, etching is the critical process step used to define these microscopic 3-dimensional structures. Delivering the industry’s highest etch rates and fine-tilt control profiles, SPTS’ equipment is the process tool of record used by 28 out of the world’s top 30 MEMS makers

“The fast-paced, growing, MEMS market is a key focus for SPTS, which makes this award especially meaningful for us,” said Kevin Crofton, executive vice president and chief operating officer for SPTS. “Our product and technical teams work tirelessly to contribute to our customers’ success.  This award is a reflection of the collaborative approach that we take to serve this sector of industry.”

“We are thrilled that SPTS Technologies won Supplier of the Year at our first ‘Best in MEMS Innovation Awards,’ which we conferred recently at MEMS Executive Congress US,” said Karen Lightman, executive director, MEMS Industry Group. “As one of the world’s leading providers of advanced wafer processing technologies for MEMS, they are an important contributor to the long-term vitality of our industry.”

STMicroelectronics announced that its 5.1 mega-pixel camera module and low-power digital image processor are being used in the revolutionary OrCam camera, a small device that clips on to eyeglasses and dramatically improves the mobility and ability of visually-impaired people to “read” signs, packaging and publications.

By pointing to an object, the wearer tells the OrCam camera what they need interpreted. The ST VX6953 camera module and STV0987 image processor work together to analyze and interpret the scene before the eye-glass-mounted device aurally describes it to the user. Using the ST technology and its own algorithms, the OrCam camera quickly reads a scene or text in different lighting conditions and on a variety of surfaces, including newspapers and signs. Moreover, while the camera comes with a pre-stored library of objects, the wearer can continue to teach OrCam new objects as they use it.

“The VX6953 from ST gave us the ability to deliver a very compact unit, in a short time frame. Its EDOF (Extended Depth Of Field) capability enabled us to work with a fixed-focus camera, and thus saved us space, power and the time it takes auto-focus modules to adjust to changing situations,” said Prof. Amnon Shashua, co-founder and chairman of OrCam Technologies.

“ST continues to look at opportunities where our products and technologies help make a positive difference to people’s lives,” said Paul Grimme, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Europe, Middle East, and Africa Region, STMicroelectronics. “Applying our camera module and image processor to help the visually impaired safely cross streets and read street signs, the newspaper, or a menu in a restaurant, is a real example of how ST makes life augmented.”

STMicroelectronics has unveiled its new high-performance MEMS accelerometer engineered to withstand increasingly challenging conditions inside the latest smartphones and other portable devices.

With today’s processing-intensive mobile apps and super-slim handset designs, portable electronics are more vulnerable to thermal variation and bending. As OEMs push to deliver new models supporting ever more precise, stable and responsive movement sensing for features such as inclinometer, gesture recognition, gaming, artificial horizon in cameras, indoor navigation, and augmented reality, ST’s new LIS2HH12 3-axis accelerometer introduces an innovative mechanical structure and dedicated processing to deliver consistent and stable high performance in thermally challenging conditions inside ever-slimmer portable applications.

“The innovative architecture of our new accelerometer represents a significant advance in the design of MEMS devices,” said Benedetto Vigna, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Analog, MEMS & Sensors Group. “This next-generation device addresses the need of the mobile industry for higher performance and stability in advanced motion-sensitive applications.”

The LIS2HH12 is housed in an ultra-small 2mm x 2mm x 1mm package, giving designers extra flexibility to meet pc-board layout rules for wireless handsets, and helping achieve a low overall handset profile. The accelerometer has selectable full-scale range of +/-2, +/-4 or +/-8 g and a 16-bit digital output, an integrated temperature sensor, industry-standard I2C and SPI interfaces, a wide analog supply-voltage range of 1.71V to 3.6V, and two programmable interrupt generators that help streamline system design. With typical Zero-g level change versus temperature of +/-0.25mg/C, the stability of the LIS2HH12 has improved twice compared with the previously announced devices. Also, the rejection versus bending with a typical offset accuracy of +/-30mg has improved by 25% over the existing solutions.

In addition, the LIS2HH12 is board- and software-compatible with ST’s recently announced LSM303C 2mm x 2mm MEMS eCompass module, enabling OEMs to create differentiated handset products economically by leveraging common hardware and software. Alternatively, the LIS2HH12 accelerometer can be used with ST’s LIS3MDL standalone magnetic sensor to create an eCompass using discrete components.

Engineering samples of the LIS2HH12, in the 2mm x 2mm x 1mm LGA-12 package, are available now. Volume production is expected to start in Q1 2014, with unit pricing at $0.90 for quantities of 1,000 pieces.

CEA-Leti today announced a development agreement that will utilize Leti’s MEMS expertise and leading-edge infrastructure with OMRON, a global leader in factory automation and control solutions for the transportation, healthcare and consumer-goods industries.

While Leti has a Tokyo office and has partnered with Japanese companies and research organizations for many years, the agreement is Leti’s first collaboration with a Japanese MEMS producer.

“OMRON is looking forward to this collaboration with Leti in the field of MEMS,” said Yoshio Sekiguchi, senior general manager at OMRON’s Micro Devices HQ. “We see true synergies between our MEMS division and Leti’s world-leading operations in this field.”

Leti has Europe’s largest MEMS R&D lab on one site, with more than 150 engineers, technicians, Ph.D. students and post-doc researchers working on projects for consumer applications and mobile phones, and for the automotive, space, defense and health markets. Its MEMS research domains include actuators, sensors, RF MEMS and passives, packaging and associated design kits, and characterization and reliability testing.

“We are excited about working with OMRON’s MEMS division, which is a worldwide leader in this technology,” said Julien Arcamone, MEMS business development manager at Leti. “This agreement underscores the quality of Leti’s advanced offerings for the global MEMS market, as well as its growing portfolio of international partners.”

In addition to this collaboration, Yoshio Sekiguchi was a keynote speaker at Leti Day in Tokyo in early October.

Slide 13-1 Slide 13-2

Hiroyuki Fujita of University of Tokyo will describe the use of MEMS technology on the molecular scale to conduct studies of DNA degradation and protein mutation related to Alzheimer’s disease. In one study, MEMS tweezers with tips ~10µm apart were used to trap bundles of DNA molecules via dielectrophoresis to study them for stiffness and viscosity, which are markers of DNA degradation.

Figure (a) is a drawing of the silicon nanotweezers, with a close-up photograph of a DNA bundle trapped by dielectrophoresis; (b) is an electron microscope image of a DNA molecular bundle between the tips.

(Paper #31.1, “Bio-MEMS Towards Single-Molecule Characterization,” H. Fujita, University of Tokyo)

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Slide 11

Intelligent vehicle systems, particularly for autonomous self-driving applications, must be able to handle many different types of data – and a lot of it – very quickly. 3D hetero-integration technology opens up the possibility to assemble various functional blocks such as processors, memory, sensors, logic, analog, photonic, and power ICs into one stacked chip.

Tohoku University researchers continue to drive the state-of-the-art in this work. Having previously developed a 3D stacking technique for high-speed image sensors, they will take things further by detailing at the IEDM how they fabricated four stacked processors next to two stacked cache memories on a silicon interposer wafer, using reconfigured multichip-on-wafer 3D integration and backside through-silicon-via (TSV) technologies. They successfully evaluated and will discuss the essential requirements for this work, such as boundary scan, built-in self-test and self-repair functions in the stacked chips.

The images above are X-ray CT scans of TSV arrays in the four-layer stacked multicore processor chip (left) and the two-layer stacked cache memory chip (right).

(Paper #28.6, “Highly Dependable 3-D Stacked Multicore Processor System Module Fabricated Using Reconfigured Multichip-on-Wafer 3-D Integration Technology,” K.-W. Lee et al, Tohoku University)

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STMicroelectronics announced that it is launching its new ISO8200B, an innovative isolated power switch that enables smaller, more robust and energy-efficient controllers for industrial automation equipment.

A wide variety of industrial-automation equipment, as well as general programmable logic controller (PLC) applications, will benefit from the enhanced space savings, user safety, noise immunity, reliability and energy efficiency offered by this new device.

Industrial switches require physical separation, or galvanic isolation, to protect the logic-controlled circuitry from disturbances on the power side, and to ensure user safety. Conventional, discrete optical isolators (opto-couplers) used for this purpose occupy additional pc-board space and are subject to aging and temperature-related degradation driving up ownership costs.

“The ISO8200B isolated high-side switch is the first integrated device from ST to combine galvanically isolated power and logic circuitry in the same package, allowing smaller controllers and lower cost of ownership,” said Matteo Lo Presti, Group Vice President and General Manager, Industrial and Power Conversion Division, STMicroelectronics.”Moreover, as the industry’s first such device to utilize a pure RF link enabling communication through the isolation layer, the ISO8200B provides superior noise immunity for ultra-robust and reliable operation.”

Inside the ISO8200B, separate logic and power chips are stacked with the layer interposer that provides very high isolation. The inputs are connected directly to a microcontroller or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and the device can drive eight output channels connected to any kind of load connected to ground, whether inductive, capacitive or resistive. The ISO8200B meets the RF immunity standard IEC 61000-4-3.

The design of the IC also ensures low quiescent operating current, reducing power dissipation and saving energy compared to a traditional, opto-coupler based solution. In addition, the ISO8200B integrated power switch has very low on-state resistance, which minimizes system energy losses and ensures superior thermal performance for enhanced reliability.

The ISO8200B integrates circuitry for fast demagnetization of inductive loads such as motors or heaters, which delivers further space and cost savings. Built-in protection features guard against over-temperature, short circuit, under-voltage, over-voltage, loss-of-ground or loss-of-supply voltage. In addition a fault output allows direct monitoring of correct operation.