Category Archives: Packaging and Testing

September 27, 2012 – A device that measures very thin quantities of liquid, such as the synovial fluid in knee joints, and a device that measures change in mass when a microdevice adsorbs small amounts of material earned top honors in Sandia National Labs’ annual student design contest for microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices.

Texas Tech took top "novel design" honors with a micro-rheometer device that can measure the behavior of very thin quantities of liquid, such as the synovial fluid in knee joints. The method requires much smaller samples compared to macro-scale rheometers. "It is much easier, and usually less painful, to obtain small quantities of bodily fluids from patients," according to the students’ submission.


Texas Tech proposes to create a micro-rheometer to measure very thin quantities
of liquid, like that found in knee joints. (Image courtesy of Texas Tech U.)

Carnegie Mellon students won in the education category, for a device that measures the (relatively large) change in mass with a microdevice material adsorbtion, which alters the vibrational frequencies of the system. This could identify surface changes in the structure — e.g., water vapor on MEMS devices may reduce the fatigue strength of polysilicon MEMS, while hydrocarbons adsorb onto microrelay contacts and increase their electrical resistance.

Both schools were repeat winners from Sandia’s 2011 MEMS competition. Last year Texas Tech showed off an ingenious, dust-sized dragonfly with surveillance possibilities, while Carnegie Mellon won acclaim for an ultrasensitive microvalve to control very small fluid flows.

Carnegie Mellon students made use of the relatively large change in mass that occurs when a microdevice adsorbs even a small amount of material. (Image courtesy of Carnegie Mellon U.)

The nine-month-long University Alliance Design Competition is a program geared around MEMS design, fabrication and test, with one category emphasizing novel design concepts, and another category emphasizing unique structure design and its use as an educational tool for MEMS or science education. Students developed ideas for a device, created and analyzed a design model, and submitted the design to be judged by Sandia’s MEMS experts and university professors. The designs were fabbed at Sandia’s Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications (MESA) facility using its "Summit V" (Ultra-planar, Multi-level MEMS Technology 5) — a five-layer polycrystalline silicon surface micromachining process (one ground plane/electrical interconnect layer and four mechanical layers). Designs were then shipped back to the university students to test whether the final product matches the purpose of the original computer simulation.

This year’s event attracted nine universities, up from five in 2011, partly due to added participation from Mexican universities: the Air Force Institute of Technology, Arizona State U., Central New Mexico Community College, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional of Mexico City, Carnegie Mellon U., Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, Texas Tech U., Universidad de Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez, Universidad de Guadalajara, Universidad de Guanajuato, U. of Oklahoma, U. of Utah, and Universidad Veracruzana. (The two winners, plus Arizona, Oklahoma, and the AFIT, were the 2011 participants.)

For more information regarding the University Alliance and the design competition, contact Stephanie Johnson at [email protected].

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The 58th annual International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) will take place December 10-12, 2012 at the San Francisco Hilton Union Square, preceded by a full day of Short Courses on Sunday, Dec. 9 and by a program of 90-minute afternoon tutorial sessions on Saturday, Dec. 8.

Highlights of the IEDM 2012 technical program, which comprises some 220 presentations, include Intel’s unveiling of its industry-leading trigate manufacturing technology; a plethora of advances in memory technologies from numerous companies; IBM’s demonstration of high-performance logic technology on flexible plastic substrates; continuing advances in the scaling of transistors to vanishingly small sizes, and breakthroughs in many other areas that will continue to move electronics technology forward.

“The IEDM can be a crystal ball looking into the future of technology evolution. Leading-edge technologies and novel devices reported at the conference will shine light on the industrial mainstream in the next three-to-five years,” said Tzu-Ning Fang, IEDM 2012 Publicity Chair and Senior Member, Technical Staff, at Spansion, Inc. “This year’s program shows a tremendous amount of work being done in emerging technologies, including novel materials such as molybdenum sulfide, new structures, 3D NAND memories, wider use of III-V materials, MRAM, nanowires and more.”

Besides the IEDM technical program, attendees will enjoy evening panel sessions, Short Courses, award presentations and other events, as follows:

90-Minute Tutorials — Saturday, Dec. 8

Back by popular demand for the second year, the IEDM will hold 90-minute tutorial sessions on emerging topics presented by experts in the fields. They are meant to bridge the gap between established textbook-level knowledge and the leading-edge research as presented during the conference. The tutorial sessions will be presented in parallel in two time slots. Advance registration is required.

2:45-4 p.m.

High Mobility Channel CMOS Transistors – Beyond Silicon by Shinichi Takagi, University of Tokyo

Fundamentals of GaN Based High Frequency Power Electronics by Tomas Palacios, M.I.T.

Spintronics for Embedded Non-Volatile Electronics by Tetsuo Endoh/Tohoku University and Arijit Roychowdhury/Intel

4:30-6:00

2D semiconductors – Fundamental Science and Device Physics by Ali Javey, University of California, Berkeley

Scaling Challenges of Analog Electronics at 32nm and Beyond by Mustafa Badaroglu/IMEC and Bram Nauta/University of Twente

Beyond Charge-Based Computing by Kaushik Roy, Purdue University

Short Courses — Sunday, Dec. 9

The IEDM offers two day-long short courses on Sunday, prior to the technical sessions. They provide the opportunity to learn about emerging areas and important developments, and to benefit from direct contact with expert lecturers. Advance registration is required. This year’s courses are:

Emerging Technologies for Post-14nm CMOS

Circuit and Technology Interaction

Plenary Presentations — Monday, Dec. 10

IEDM 2012 will open on Monday, Dec. 10 at 9 a.m. with three plenary talks:

Flexible Bio-Integrated Electronics by John A. Rogers, University of Illinois

State of the Art and Future Prospects in Display Technologies by Joo-Tae Moon, Senior VP, Director R&D Center, Samsung Display Company

Ultimate Transistor and Memory Technologies: Core of a Sustainable Society by Luc Van den hove, CEO and President IMEC

Emerging Technologies Session — Tuesday morning, Dec. 11

This year’s Emerging Technologies session is on the topic Spintronics: Magnetic Materials and Device Applications, organized by Stefan De Gendt of IMEC. Invited speakers from academia and industry will discuss the challenges, prospects and recent advances in spin-based technology, devices and systems. Following the discovery of the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect more than a decade ago, this field has witnessed a veritable revolution encompassing materials and physical phenomena. Electronic devices based on spin transport are expected to play a major role in future information and communication technologies, as spintronic devices will use the spin degree of freedom to store, transport and process information. Papers in this session are:

Spin Transport in Graphene: Fundamental Concepts and Practical Implications by Abdelmadjid Anane et al, Unité Mixte de Physique CNRS/Thales

Thermal Spin Transport and Applications by S. Y. Huang et al, Johns Hopkins/National Tsing Hua University/Academia Sinica

Progress of STT-MRAM Technology and the Effect on Normally-Off Computing Systems, by H. Yoda et al, Toshiba

 Spin Transport in Metal and Oxide Devices at the Nanoscale, by Subir Parui et al, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials

Error Immunity Techniques for Nanomagnetic Logic, Brian Lambson et al, University of California, Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Boolean and Non-Boolean Computation With Spin Devices, Mrigank Sharad et al, Purdue University

Luncheon Presentation — Tuesday, Dec. 11

The IEDM Luncheon presentation will be given by Ajit Manocha, CEO of GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Inc., on the topic Is the Fabless/Foundry Model Dead? We Don’t Think So. Long Live Foundry 2.0!

Evening Panel Sessions — Tuesday evening, Dec. 11

The IEDM will offer attendees two evening panel discussions. Audience participation is encouraged, with the goal of fostering an open and vigorous exchange of ideas. The panel topics are:

"Will Future Non-Volatile-Memory Contenders Disrupt NAND?" moderated by Al Fazio, Intel

 “The Mighty Little Transistor: FinFETs to the Finish or Another Radical Shift?” moderated by Suresh Venkatesan, GLOBALFOUNDRIES.

Entrepreneurs Lunch — Wednesday noon, Dec. 12

New for 2012 is an entrepreneurs lunch. The speaker will be Weili Dai, cofounder of Marvell Technology Group and Vice President and General Manager of Marvell’s Communications and Consumer Business. One of the most successful women entrepreneurs in the world, she was named No. 89 on the Forbes list of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” earlier this year.

Further information

For registration and other information, interested persons should visit the IEDM 2012 home page at www.ieee-iedm.org.

August 21, 2012 — Heptagon, wafer-level optics maker, ordered an advanced DWL 2000 maskless lithography system from Heidelberg Instruments. The tool has sophisticated Gray Scale Exposure capability. 

Heptagon will use the system for production of micro optical components for applications in smart phones, mobile devices, gaming consoles, telecoms equipment and supercomputers.

“Gray Scale lithography technology can produce complicated, random, and smoothly or discontinuously contoured material surfaces with a variety of applications in modern optical systems. This order is a significant step to solidify our position as a global leader in production of direct write systems for applications in Gray Scale Lithography,” said Alexander Forozan, head of global sales and business development, Heidelberg Instruments

Heptagon is a developer and manufacturer of advanced micro-optics solutions, making wafer-level micro optics in large volumes for sophisticated applications in smart phones, mobile devices, gaming consoles, telecoms equipment and supercomputers.  

Heidelberg Instruments GmbH produces high-precision maskless lithography systems for direct writing and photomask production in the areas of MEMS, BioMEMS, Nano Technology, ASICS, TFT, Plasma Displays, Micro Optics, and many other related applications. Internet: www.himt.de.

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August 20, 2012 – Marketwire — The second annual SensorsCon 2013, the conference for Sensors Technology, Design and Applications, March 6, 2013, Techmart Center, Santa Clara, CA, is accepting applications for exhibitors, sponsors and speakers.

The event is an important forum for presenting and showcasing the latest research, development, application, and business opportunities in sensors technology and applications. The conference attracts researchers, developers, industry stakeholders and practitioners from many diverse fields active in this arena.

SensorsCon focuses on micro and nano electro mechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), semiconductor and other technologies for sensor design and integration for optical, magnetic, magneto inductive, electronic and inertial applications.

Additional topics include sensor apps for mobile devices, medicine, biology, smart grid, chemical and gas, motion, position, control, entertainment, gaming, biometrics, power management, energy, environmental monitoring, consumer, military, automotive, robotics, data acquisition, integrated systems, interfaces, intelligent sensing, integrated actuator systems, remote sensing, telemetry, communications, wireless sensor networks (WSN), oceanographic & nautical, aeronautical and space.

The conference on Sensors – Technology, Design, and Applications (SensorsCon) is the forum to present, highlight and discuss the latest research, development, application, and business opportunities in sensors technology and applications in various fields.

Applications for SensorsCon sponsors and exhibits are located at  http://www.sensorscon.org/English/For_Sponsors/Sponsor_Opportunities.html.

Speakers are invited to send inquiries to [email protected].

Suggested topics are at http://www.sensorscon.org/English/Conference/About.html.

To register, please visit www.sensorscon.org.

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August 20, 2012 — With growing demands from smart phones, tablets and other applications, combined with the Taiwan’s developing foundry and device industry, the region has become the center of many important developments in micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. To meet the needs of the booming MEMS market, Taiwan has built a comprehensive supply chain and plays a critical role in the MEMS industry. SEMICON Taiwan 2012, held September 5-7 at the Nangang Exhibition Hall, will feature both Taiwan MEMS suppliers and global MEMS elites — including Asia Pacific Microsystems, Freescale, InvenSense, and STMicroelectronics — who will discuss innovation in MEMS design, manufacture, packaging, testing and equipment.

More on SEMICON Taiwan: SEMICON Taiwan to spotlight growing market opps in Taiwan and Second annual SiP Global Summit

The latest Yole Développement market research report pointed out MEMS reached a size of US$ 10 billion in 2011, a growth of 17 percent. The industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13 percent over the next few years to reach $20 billion by 2017. Market research firm IC Insights reported that embedded applications including accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetic sensors and other IC-based sensors will see CAGR of 18 percent before 2016, indicating a bright future for the MEMS industry.

"In addition to the demands from the consumer market, MEMS has applications in other arenas including manufacturing, medicine, energy, optic communications and air defense," said Terry Tsao, president of SEMI Taiwan and Southeast Asia. "To meet these niche markets mentioned above, this year SEMICON Taiwan, along with related local and international companies, will showcase MEMS Pavilion, MEMS Forum, MEMS Innovative Technology Center, and University MEMS Research. The goal is to boost Taiwan’s MEMS industry, make inroads into the international market, and capitalize on the technology’s growth."

The SEMICON Taiwan 2012 MEMS Pavilion, organized by SEMI and the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and co-organized by the Nanotechnology and Micro System Association, will feature Asia Pacific Microsystems, Ardic Instruments and Keyence, among others, and display the most advanced MEMS technology and solutions. In addition, to strengthen industry-academic collaboration, SEMI is organizing a University MEMS Research area showcasing the latest from academic institutions.

The MEMS Forum held on September 6 will be co-hosted by Min-Shyong Lin, honorary chairman and founder of Asia Pacific Microsystems; Chih-Kung Lee, president of Institute for Information Industry; and Robert Tsai, director of TSMC MEMS Program.  In the morning session, Jean-Christophe Eloy, president and CEO of Yole Développement, will speak on MEMS industry trends and outlook; Steve Nasiri, chairman, CEO and founder of InvenSense, will address tracking systems; Benedetto Vigna, MEMS group executive vice president and general manager of STMicroelectronics, will speak on mobile applications; Stéphane Gervais-Ducouret, Global Marketing director for Sensors at Freescale, will talk about MEMS at all levels; and Heinz Ru, vice president of Marketing and Innovation at Tong Hsing Electronic Industries, will focus on MEMS packaging.

In the afternoon session, Yii-Tay Chiou, Cloud Service Application Center executive assistant at  ITRI, will introduce MEMS applications in personal care; Chii-Wann Lin, professor of National Taiwan University, will discuss MEMS applications in biotech; Markus Wimplinger, Technology Development and IP director at EVG will speak on mobile applications from a manufacturing perspective; Michael Hornung, technical marketing manager of SUSS MicroTec and Andreas Bursian, product manager of Multitest, will address challenges in MEMS production and testing respectively.

Register SEMICON Taiwan 2012 at: www.semicontaiwan.org. SEMI is a global industry association serving the nano- and microelectronics manufacturing supply chains. For more information on SEMI, visit www.semi.org.

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August 15, 2012 — The MEMS Industry Group (MIG) is planning webinars on micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) from packaging challenges to how MEMS can benefit healthcare.

MEMS Packaging — Transforming the Challenges into Solutions will take place August 21 with Charles Richardson, director of roadmapping, iNEMI and Bill Bottoms, 3MTS and International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative/International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (iNEMI/ITRS) & Packaging TWG Chair. Register today!

Learn more about MEMS in the ITRS in these articles:

2012 ITRS update: Back-end packaging and MEMS

Roadmapping More than Moore: When the application matters

Health Care is Brimming with Opportunities for MEMS will take place September 11, with Mehran Mehregany, Ph.D., director of the Wireless Health Program & Goodrich Professor of Engineering Innovation at Case Western Reserve University. Register today!

MIG will also present 2012 Status of the MEMS Industry on October 3. Eric Mounier, Ph.D., senior analyst, MEMS Devices & Technologies, Yole Développement will speak, with moderators Jeff Perkins, president of Yole Inc. and Karen Lightman, managing director, MEMS Industry Group. Details on this webinar will be released shortly.

Read Karen Lightman’s blog!

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August 13, 2012 — MEMS Industry Group (MIG) will host MEMS Executive Congress 2012, the annual business conference and networking event for the MEMS industry, November 7-8, 2012 in Scottsdale, AZ. Keynote speakers include: Ajith Amerasekera, TI Fellow, IEEE Fellow, in Texas Instruments’ Kilby Labs, who will discuss how immersive intelligent systems will change the management of our cities, buildings, personal life, health, transportation, safety and security; and Robert Brunner, founder, creative director and partner, Ammunition. Brunner, who first made his name as director of industrial design at Apple Computer, will explore the critical connection between brand identity and connection to consumers — going far beyond the typical form-and-function paradigm of classic industrial design. Industry panels and the MEMS Technology Showcase, featuring MEMS applications, complete the MEMS Executive Congress 2012 program.

Read Karen Lightman’s MEMS blog here!

“MEMS is everywhere. From smartphones, tablets and video games to automotive stability control systems, airbag crash sensors and blood-pressure monitors, we are using MEMS to improve our everyday lives in ways that we could have scarcely imagined just a few years ago,” said Karen Lightman, managing director, MIG. “At MEMS Executive Congress 2012, we will take a collective look beyond the mainstream applications of MEMS. Will smartphones become intelligent aids for people with Alzheimer’s or autism? Will we still ‘drive’ or will MEMS-enabled automobiles safely guide us to and from our destinations on MEMS-enabled roads? And where is my MEMS-enabled personal robotic assistant? At MEMS Executive Congress, we will tap some of the most influential, innovative minds in the industry to examine the most pressing business issues affecting the future of MEMS. We will also get up close to some of the best examples of the MEMS inside the machine during our popular MEMS Technology Showcase.”

MEMS EXECUTIVE CONGRESS KEYNOTES

Ajith Amerasekera, TI Fellow, IEEE Fellow, Kilby Labs, Texas Instruments, will address how electronics technology innovation is driving a shift toward more intelligent systems that enable immersive environments. Small in size and deployed in vast numbers, these new systems will dramatically change how our cities, buildings, personal life, health, transportation, safety and security are managed in the future.

Robert Brunner, founder, creative director and partner, Ammunition, will share his philosophy behind positive user experience, one based not on a set of features, advertising or a company logo — but on an emotional affinity for a product that makes the whole far greater than the sum of its parts. Brunner will explore the connection between consumer product design and the user experience, considering the role of technology in consumer satisfaction and market success.

MEMS EXECUTIVE CONGRESS PANELS

MEMS Market — analysts from leading research firms will present their outlook for future growth and trends in MEMS, addressing factors affecting MEMS in specific market segments. Moderated by Jeffrey Hilbert, president and founder, WiSpry, with panelists:

Jérémie Bouchaud, director and senior principal analyst, MEMS & Sensors, IHS iSuppli

Jean-Christophe Eloy, president and CEO, Yole Développement

Tony Massimini, chief of technology, Semico Research

Steve Ohr, analog and power semiconductors, Gartner, Technology and Service Provider Research

MEMS in Medical/Quality of Life — sponsored by Tronics, this panel will examine ways in which MEMS is promoting better health/quality of life (QoL) in the medical sciences, exploring technologies and commercial opportunities in clinical care, patient monitoring, management, personal fitness, rehab, replacement and drug delivery. Moderated by Jeanette F. Wilson, product line manager, Sensor and Actuator Solution Division (SASD)/AISG, Freescale Semiconductor, with panelists:

Robert Farra, president and COO, MicroCHIPS

Paul Gerrish, senior director, technology and design, Implantable Microsystems Technology, Medtronic

Ivo Stivoric, CTO and vice president of new products, BodyMedia

MEMS in Consumer Products — if it seems like we have an iPad in every house, that’s because a massive proliferation of consumer electronics — enabled by MEMS — is filling our homes, schools, places of work and places of recreation with hundreds of millions of interactive mobile devices. Panelists will offer an insider’s look at what’s next on the horizon. Moderated by Evgeni Gousev, senior director, Technology R&D, Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, with panelists:

Dragan Mladenovic, director of business management, Maxim Integrated Products, Sensor Division

Will Turnage, vice president, Technology and Invention, R/GA

MEMS in Emerging Technologies — sponsored by OEM Group, this panel will examine new areas in which MEMS has either bridged the divide from R&D to commercialization — or is close to doing so. Moderated by Stephen Whalley, director, Sensors, Intel Architecture Group, Intel Corporation, with panelists:

Steve Arms, president and CEO, MicroStrain

Hughes Metras, vice president, strategic partnerships, North America, CEA-LETI

Todd Miller, lab manager, MicroSystems and MicroFluidics, GE Global Research

MIG will host the second annual MEMS Technology Showcase at this year’s Congress. Sponsored by SVTC Technologies, the MEMS Technology Showcase will give Congress attendees an intimate look at some of the most unique MEMS-enabled products ever invented. Attendees will vote on the best product, and Moderator Shawn G. DuBravac, chief economist and senior director of research, Consumer Electronics Association, will “crown” the winner.

MEMS Executive Congress is an annual event that brings together business leaders from a broad spectrum of industries: automotive, consumer goods, energy/environmental, industrial, medical and telecom. It is a unique professional forum at which executives from companies designing and manufacturing MEMS technology sit side-by-side with their end-user customers in panel discussions and networking events to exchange ideas and information about the use of MEMS in commercial applications. For more information, visit MEMS Executive Congress at: www.memscongress.com.

Premier sponsors of MEMS Executive Congress 2012 include: Platinum Sponsor EV Group; Gold Sponsors Applied Materials and SPTS Technologies; and Silver Sponsors Analog Devices, Freescale Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics and SUSS MicroTec.

Event sponsors include: ACUTRONIC, Akustica, A.M. Fitzgerald & Associates, Bosch Automotive Electronics, Bosch Sensortec, Coventor, Fries Research & Technology (FRT), Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA), IHS iSuppli, Maxim, MEMS Journal, MEMS and Nanotechnology Exchange, OEM Group, Okmetic, Plan Optik, Silex Microsystems, SVTC Technologies, Teledyne DALSA, Tronics and Yole Développement.

MEMS Executive Congress 2012 will be held November 7-8, 2012 at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, Scottsdale, AZ, with a group golf outing on November 9.

MEMS Industry Group (MIG) is the trade association advancing MEMS across global markets. More than 150 companies comprise MIG, including Analog Devices, Applied Materials, Bosch, Freescale Semiconductor, GE, Honeywell, HP, Intel, InvenSense, Murata Electronics Oy, OMRON Electronic Components, Qualcomm, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments. For more information, visit: www.memsindustrygroup.org.

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August 8, 2012 — Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices are micro-chip-sized systems that prepare and analyze very small volumes of fluids — from a few ml to sub-nl. They hold promise for disease diagnostics and forensic evidence investigation. These devices are fabricated by microfluidics makers, a segment of the micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) industry.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) believes that before LOC technology can be fully commercialized, testing standards need to be developed and implemented. These will define the procedures used to determine if a lab on a chip device, and the materials from which it is made, conform to specifications, said Samuel Stavis, NIST physical scientist.

Standardized testing and measurement methods, Stavis said, will enable MEMS LOC manufacturers to accurately determine important physical characteristics of LOC devices such as dimensions, electrical surface properties, and fluid flow rates and temperatures. These must be calculable at all stages of production, from processing of raw materials to final rollout of products.

Figure. A microfluidic lab on a chip device sitting on a polystyrene dish. Stainless steel needles inserted into the device serve as access points for fluids into small channels within the device, which are about the size of a human hair. Credit: Cooksey/NIST.

Stavis focuses on autofluorescence, the background fluorescent glow of an LOC device that can interfere with sample analysis. Multiple factors must be considered in the development of a testing standard for autofluorescence, including: the materials used in the device, the measurement methods used to test the device, and how the measurements are interpreted. For meaningful sample analysis, all autofluorescence factors must be controlled for or excluded from the measurements.

Quality control during LOC device manufacturing, Stavis says, may require different tests of autofluorescence throughout the process. The raw block of plastic may be measured for autofluorescence, then the substrate the block has been fabricated into, then the final device with functional microfluidics and substrate, Stavis said.

Stavis also emphasizes that it is important not to confuse testing standards with product standards, and to understand how the former facilitates the latter. "A product standard specifies the technical requirements for a lab on a chip device to be rated as top quality," he says. "A testing standard is needed to measure those specifications, as well as to make fair comparisons between competing products."

The argument for testing standards is proposed in a paper in Lab on a Chip: Stavis, S.M. A glowing future for lab on a chip testing standards. Lab on a Chip (2012), DOI: 10.1039/c2lc40511c

Learn more at www.nist.gov.

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August 2, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Movea, motion processing and data fusion technology developer, raised EUR6.5 million in a funding round led by Intel Capital, with existing investors iSource and GIMV.

Movea will use the funds to develop new motion sensing and data fusion technologies, enhancing its current offerings and advancing its roadmap, particularly for consumer electronics, sports and fitness, and eHealth categories. Sam Guilaumé, CEO of Movea, said the company is receiving material support for its “vision of convergence from mobile devices — such as tablets, smartphones and Ultrabooks — to Set Top Boxes, Activity Monitoring and Car Infotainment, etc.”

Movea’s technologies enrich user experiences a “main differentiators in consumer devices,” said Marcos Battisti, managing director, Intel Capital Western Europe and Israel. Intel Capital is increasing its involvement in the micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) sector in general, added Erik Jorgensen, investment director, Intel Capital. “We believe the role MEMS plays in technology, particularly on the mobile side, is going to continue to increase at a rapid pace and that Movea is in a position to be a key player to help drive and enable this important evolution.”

Movea provides motion sensing and data fusion software, firmware, and IP for the consumer electronics, particularly smart phones and tablets, sports and fitness and eHealth industries. For more information, visit www.movea.com.

Intel Capital, Intel’s global investment and M&A organization, makes equity investments in innovative technology start-ups and companies worldwide. Intel Capital invests in a broad range of companies offering hardware, software, and services targeting enterprise, mobility, health, consumer Internet, digital media, semiconductor manufacturing and cleantech. For more information on Intel Capital and its differentiated advantages, visit www.intelcapital.com

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July 24, 2012 — Yole Développement updated its micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) industry database, World MEMS Players 2012. The product includes contact information for MEMS players, geographical breakdown of the industry, and various MEMS device categories.

Figure. MEMS players’ business models breakdown. SOURCE: Yole, July 2012.

World MEMS Players 2012 database provides an overview of the worldwide MEMS market with an easy access to the MEMS players. World MEMS Players 2012 database gives a complete overview of the worldwide MEMS fabs. It includes contacts, business models, MEMS products, wafer size and production status. Each entry includes: organization name, business model, MEMS manager/MEMS marketing/MEMS technical contacts, company mail address, staff in MEMS activity, clean room size, MEMS product portfolio, real production and MEMS sales.

Yole Développement’s database also provides geographical statistics data on company breakdown by business model, breakdown by MEMS product, breakdown by production capacity. It describes worldwide area, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, Japan and China.

MEMS devices covered in this database: inkjet heads, pressure sensors, microphones, magnetometers, accelerometers, gyroscopes, combos, optical MEMS, microbolometers, thermopiles/pyro sensors, microdisplays, micro actuators, RF MEMS, microtips, micro fuel cells, flow meters, bioMEMS, microspeakers, oscillators, energy harvesting, and microfluidics.

Dr. Eric Mounier co-authored the report. He has a PhD in microelectronics from the INPG in Grenoble and is a co-founder of Yole Développement, leading market analysis for MEMS, equipment & material. Antoine Bonnabel, co-author, is a market analyst for MEMS devices and technologies at Yole Développement.

Yole Développement is a group of companies providing market research, technology analysis, strategy consulting, media in addition to finance services. Learn more at www.yole.fr.

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