Category Archives: MEMS

by Debra Vogler, senior technical editor, Solid State Technology

August 31, 2009 – Russell Stapleton, senior staff scientist at Lord Corp., gave SST a summary of his Aug. 26 presentation at the Arizona chapter of IMAPS (International Microelectronics and Packaging Society), about the company’s first-generation passivation layer solution for wafer-level chipscale packaging (WLCSP), expected to be commercialized in 1Q10.

Because WLCSP is often used for mobile devices and consumer products, cost is a major driver. Underfill, meanwhile, improves mechanical reliability, but sometimes is cost-prohibitive, Stapleton explained. Ideally, then, “anything [else] you can do to improve reliability without adding cost is a big advantage.”

The new material, branded as “SolderBrace,” is being presented as an alternative to underfill that increases the reliability of the package without added cost, Stapleton told SST. It is a photo-imagable frontside molding compound with a low CTE that will improve mechanical reliability without adding cost; it’s targeted at, for example, solder joints and 3D packaging and MEMS devices.

More specifically, the SolderBrace technology is a partial underfill in which a thick coating is deposited on the underside of the die; this is done at the wafer level using the same back-end tools that would normally be used for polyimide processing. As a final passivation, it would be used instead of a final polyimide coating. “It is not an adhesive; it does not bond the die to the substrate or the die to the board,” so it is a reworkable solution, Stapleton noted. The structural layer can be 40-75μm thick, or more, depending on the pitch, “and that thick layer is adding mechanical robustness to the die,” he added.


Cross-section of a WLCSP 250μm solder bump supported by the thick front-side passivation SolderBrace. (Source: Lord Corp.)

The current generation of SolderBrace commercialization is targeted to CSP pitches — i.e., 0.3mm up to 1mm pitch devices. Because the material is photosensitive, certain mask dimensions cannot be photoimaged, so the company is developing a second-generation material that will improve the resolution by changing the curative formulation and material chemistry to reduce the amount of scattering that normally would take place in a thick coating. There is no set date for commercialization of the second generation, but it is expected to be before 2011. — D.V.

August 28, 2009: mPhase Technologies says that work with a MEMS foundry partner has determined that a recently-discovered polymer coating for its Smart NanoBattery “appear[s] to be able to be replicated in a foundry manufacturing environment.”

The coating was previously found to prevent short circuiting and provide electrical isolation on conductive surfaces of the battery’s porous membrane while providing better activation control, the company explained in a statement. The coated membrane physically separates the liquid electrolyte and solid electrodes, enabling a potentially infinite shelf life. Next step is for mPhase and its (unnamed) foundry partner to transfer technical testing results with additional dielectric coating materials and processing methods into a production environment, which should allow for more consistent and uniform development of the membrane structure to which the coating is applied.

Earlier this year the company said it had improved a manufacturing technique to maximize the number of usable silicon based electrowettable membranes in its Smart NanoBattery, leading to higher yields, greater cost efficiency, and ultimately profitability.

The electrowettable reserve battery is being developed under a US Army research grant as a long-term continuous power supply for computer memory backup and potential wireless sensor applications.

by Dr. Paula Doe, contributing editor, SEMI

MEMS-based systems were a $46 billion business in 2008, and despite the recession should still see 12% compound average annual growth (CAGR) through 2012, burgeoning to an $83 billion industry. That will mean a $13 billion market for MEMS devices and the equipment and materials needed to produce them, according to this year’s annual report on the MEMS supply chain from SEMI and Yole Développement.

Despite the downturn, production continues to move to 8-in. wafers, and to MEMS foundries. Though there’s currently an excess of installed 8-in. capacity, investors and customers are now insisting that even companies with initially relatively small volume products must have a roadmap to 8-in. production from the beginning. Any application aimed at high volume consumer markets has to look at 8-in. production going forward. And any device that needs to integrate with sophisticated ASICs made with even semi-current CMOS processes has to look at 8-in. production now.

Yole projects 8-in. wafer usage will jump 31% next year to some 14% of total wafer starts and maintain 24% CAGR through 2012, while 6-in. usage averages only 7% annual growth; the sector should be using 8-in. wafers for 19% of its total wafer starts by 2012. Though most volume products will move some production to 8-in., major demand will come from the established large-volume consumer products, inkjet heads, and digital light processors, as well as from the emerging but potentially large and cost-driven market for RF MEMS for handsets.

MEMS production also continues to move steadily to foundries, as some major MEMS manufacturers start outsourcing production, and fabless companies continue to startup and expand their business. What will this look like in the future? Yole estimates the roughly 13% compound annual growth for the MEMS market for the decade 2006-2016 will generate about a $20 billion business in 2016. If foundries gain the same 10% share of production that they have in the more mature semiconductor market, that would mean a $2 billion MEMS foundry business.

Big IDMs STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments currently dominate the MEMS foundry business with their contracted production for select customers, accounting for slightly more than half of the total ~$400 million in production of the top 20 foundries last year. Both these producers saw double-digit declines in their foundry revenues last year because of their particular customer base. But the crowd of open MEMS foundries with revenues clustered in the $15M-$30M range managed healthy double-digit growth making newer devices.


Figure 1. Annual growth rate 2008 vs. 2007, on US $ basis. (Source: SEMI, Yole))
CLICK HERE to view larger image

MEMS systems used some $6.9 billion worth of MEMS devices last year, and will likely maintain a similar level of demand this year, before a sharp recovery in 2011 and 2012 expands the market to some $12.4 billion, generating average 12% CAGR for the period.

Demand for materials for MEMS should generally continue to increase in line with increasing unit volumes, but the relentless drive to reduce die size to squeeze into handsets and portable gear, and to reduce costs, is limiting growth in materials consumption. Total MEMS materials demand should maintain relatively stable 8.8% CAGR through the next five years, rising from $309 million in 2008 to some $470 million in 2012.

On the equipment side, however, existing overcapacity in the face of the recession continues to limit capital expenditures. Tool demand dropped to $142 million in 2008, but should jump back up to $510 million by 2012.

SEMI puts together this market study each year with Yole Développement to meet members’ expressed need for better information on how developments across the diverse range of MEMS applications impact manufacturing technology, and what that means for MEMS equipment and materials suppliers. The report is available to SEMI members as a complimentary benefit of membership to help them grow their business, at www.semi.org/mems. Others can purchase it directly from Yole Développement by contacting David Jourdan ([email protected]”).


Figure 2. The MEMS supply chain size, 2008-2012. (Source: SEMI, Yole)

by Dr. Paula Doe, contributing editor, SEMI

MEMS-based systems were a $46 billion business in 2008, and despite the recession should still see 12% compound average annual growth (CAGR) through 2012, burgeoning to an $83 billion industry. That will mean a $13 billion market for MEMS devices and the equipment and materials needed to produce them, according to this year’s annual report on the MEMS supply chain from SEMI and Yole Développement.

Despite the downturn, production continues to move to 8-in. wafers, and to MEMS foundries. Though there’s currently an excess of installed 8-in. capacity, investors and customers are now insisting that even companies with initially relatively small volume products must have a roadmap to 8-in. production from the beginning. Any application aimed at high volume consumer markets has to look at 8-in. production going forward. And any device that needs to integrate with sophisticated ASICs made with even semi-current CMOS processes has to look at 8-in. production now.

Yole projects 8-in. wafer usage will jump 31% next year to some 14% of total wafer starts and maintain 24% CAGR through 2012, while 6-in. usage averages only 7% annual growth; the sector should be using 8-in. wafers for 19% of its total wafer starts by 2012. Though most volume products will move some production to 8-in., major demand will come from the established large-volume consumer products, inkjet heads, and digital light processors, as well as from the emerging but potentially large and cost-driven market for RF MEMS for handsets.

MEMS production also continues to move steadily to foundries, as some major MEMS manufacturers start outsourcing production, and fabless companies continue to startup and expand their business. What will this look like in the future? Yole estimates the roughly 13% compound annual growth for the MEMS market for the decade 2006-2016 will generate about a $20 billion business in 2016. If foundries gain the same 10% share of production that they have in the more mature semiconductor market, that would mean a $2 billion MEMS foundry business.

Big IDMs STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments currently dominate the MEMS foundry business with their contracted production for select customers, accounting for slightly more than half of the total ~$400 million in production of the top 20 foundries last year. Both these producers saw double-digit declines in their foundry revenues last year because of their particular customer base. But the crowd of open MEMS foundries with revenues clustered in the $15M-$30M range managed healthy double-digit growth making newer devices.


Figure 1. Annual growth rate 2008 vs. 2007, on US $ basis. (Source: SEMI, Yole))
CLICK HERE to view larger image

MEMS systems used some $6.9 billion worth of MEMS devices last year, and will likely maintain a similar level of demand this year, before a sharp recovery in 2011 and 2012 expands the market to some $12.4 billion, generating average 12% CAGR for the period.

Demand for materials for MEMS should generally continue to increase in line with increasing unit volumes, but the relentless drive to reduce die size to squeeze into handsets and portable gear, and to reduce costs, is limiting growth in materials consumption. Total MEMS materials demand should maintain relatively stable 8.8% CAGR through the next five years, rising from $309 million in 2008 to some $470 million in 2012.

On the equipment side, however, existing overcapacity in the face of the recession continues to limit capital expenditures. Tool demand dropped to $142 million in 2008, but should jump back up to $510 million by 2012.

SEMI puts together this market study each year with Yole Développement to meet members’ expressed need for better information on how developments across the diverse range of MEMS applications impact manufacturing technology, and what that means for MEMS equipment and materials suppliers. The report is available to SEMI members as a complimentary benefit of membership to help them grow their business, at www.semi.org/mems. Others can purchase it directly from Yole Développement by contacting David Jourdan ([email protected]”).


Figure 2. The MEMS supply chain size, 2008-2012. (Source: SEMI, Yole)

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 for an undisclosed amount.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, though the companies said all Akustica employees (totaling 36 in Pittsburgh, PA) will be folded into Bosch’s Sensortec unit, but operate as an independent subsidiary.

Akustica’s technology centers on digital and analog microelectromechanical microphones featuring CMOS technology, which allows integration of transducer elements and associated ICs on a single silicon chip. This complements Bosch’s MEMS activities and also its “growing” semiconductor business, noted Stefan Kampmann, EVP of Bosch Automotive Electronics, in a statement.

The two firms cite Lux Research statistics touting the promise of the MEMS microphones sector: 30% CAGR, and by 2012 $2.5B sales and 1B unit shipments, much of this coming from inertial sensors and microphones.

August 6, 2009: Jean Christophe (J.C.) Eloy, president and CEO of Yole Développement, talks with Small Times‘ Pete Singer at SEMICON West, about the MEMS market and notable trends.

Eloy forecasts a flat MEMS market in 2009 — though that’s good news compared with the lousy performance of the semiconductor industry. He expects 15% growth in 2010 as new applications continue to emerge, e.g., in medical and industrial.

Growth is particularly good in areas such as accelerometers and gyroscopes, and this is linked to their expanding use in offering key added value in consumer electronics, for everything ranging from mobile phones to pointing devices to navigation systems.

Another big boost is in what he calls “intertial measurement units,” which spawns from the aerospace/defense sector, which requires particularly advanced motion sensing. Just a few years ago (5-10), motion sensing on the order of six or nine degrees of freedom cost anywhere from $1K-$10K — but thanks to the evolution of MEMS technology, it can now be had for <$10.

As for MEMS equipment, it’s faring not much better than the suppliers for the semiconductor industry. Investments in the past year were sufficient to support production for the next couple of years, he notes. 2010 will be somewhat improved but flat; the true “restart” for equipment purchases will happen in 2011, he says.

Robert Rhoades, CTO, Entrepix, describes the nontraditional technology behind TFT-dual gate memory and how CMP enables that innovation among others (e.g., TSVs, 3D packaging, MEMS, and engineered substrates).

(July 22, 2009) MINNEAPOLIS &#151 The SMTA and Chip Scale Review magazine finalized the program for the 6th Annual International Wafer-Level Packaging Conference (IWLPC). The conference will be held October 27-30, 2009, at the Santa Clara Marriott Hotel in Santa Clara, CA. Registration is now being processed on-line.

The program includes five tutorials, expert panel discussions, distinguished keynote speaker, Advanced Packaging Editorial Advisory Board member Dr. Rao Tummala, and 18 tech sessions featuring a new track on MEMS WL and WLP.

IWLPC explores cutting edge topics in wafer-level packaging and IC/MEMS/MOEMS packaging, including 3D/Stacked/CSP/SiP/SoP and mixed technology packages. The event is sponsored by Dow Electronic Materials, Pac Tech USA, and Technic Inc. Read about last year’s IWLPC, with commentary from Terence Q. Collier, contributing editor.

For more information, visit www.iwlpc.com.

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.

Global and consumer wireless MEMS revenue will total $1.24B, up from $1.17B last year. By comparison, semiconductor sales are expected to plunge -23% this year; wireless equipment will be down -13.1%; and the overall consumer electronics sector will dip -8.2%.

Poking around the numbers, MEMS gyroscopes are seen rising 18% CAGR over the next five years (2008-2013), finding demand in products like controllers for video game consoles, notes Jérémie Bouchaud, iSuppli’s director and principal analyst for MEMS, in a statement. “As the market for multi-axis gyroscopes develops and these components hit target insertion prices, the market will accelerate for gaming and will pick up for cell phone camera image stabilization as early as 2010.”


Consumer and mobile MEMS market by application. (Source: iSuppli)
CLICK HERE to view larger image

On the wireless side, MEMS accelerometers for mobile phones are the growth drivers, due to their role in user interfaces for “smart phones” — though 1/3 of all mobile phones shipped in 2010 will have them, up from 1/5 this year. Features they support include screen-orientation adjustment (i.e. turn the handset to the side and the screen reorients to proper display angles), which are spreading to other handsets as well. Also seeing fast growth are bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filters, used in CDMA and UMTS phones that saw >50% unit growth in 1H09.

Also notable, reports iSuppli, is the first annual drop in sales for MEMS microphones market which will happen this year, though sales will bounce back to double-digit growth in 2010. Other MEMS devices they deem worthy of note include RF MEMS switches and varactors, which should go into production for cell phones by 1Q10.

The sparkling growth has a downside, though — rapid price erosion. Accelerometers in cell phones currently sell for 25%-30% less than they did a year ago, and those suppliers who are most aggressive on pricing are taking market share.

From the report abstract:

While MEMS products like DLP chips that were already identified as losing ground continue in this fashion, the MEMS domain has been more than compensated by the ascendancy of accelerometers, microphones, and even gyroscopes.
A number of factors drive the success of MEMS sensors — not least of which is the desire for intuitive motion-based interfaces in mobile devices.
In addition, MEMS sensors earn plaudits for enabling the practical requirement of taking blur-free pictures in cameras and camera phones that — through no fault of their own — suffer from the pixel “one-upmanship” of the manufacturers; and finally, for providing rich and realistic gaming experiences.


Global revenues for consumer, mobile MEMS devices, 2006-2013. (Source: iSuppli)
CLICK HERE to view larger image

July 15, 2009: Semiconductors are at the heart of what is deemed “nanotech” in the electronics manufacturing world, having been working at the submicron level for years. Some areas in this sector are right in Small Times‘ wheelhouse: MEMS is a prime example, and analytical equipment also is a broad area of overlap. We generally tend to let sister publication Solid State Technology do the technical heavy-lifting for leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing discussions, though.

But a presentation from lithography tool supplier ASML yesterday at the annual SEMICON West in San Francisco, CA, caught our ear, because it crosses both areas. The company’s concept of “holistic lithography” is taking shape with two new products and a heavily customized package, one of which is a new illumination technology that uses a programmable array of thousands of micromirrors (instead of the traditional illuminator and diffraction optical element) to condition and shape the light with greater flexibility to create increasingly complex patterns. The result is a much more flexible and powerful way to shape light in multiple different complex ways to improve device patterning, improve process windows, and extend use of immersion lithography tools as far as possible until the long-awaited extreme ultraviolet (EUV) tools are ready for volume manufacturing.

So there you have it — extending the current leading-edge semiconductor technology capabilities, brought to you by MEMS devices. — J.M.