May 8, 2009: The MEMS Industry Group and iSuppli Corp. are offering a free Webinar on MEMS and the automotive industry, presented by iSuppli’s Jérémie Bouchaud.
The Webinar, scheduled for May 22 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. PDT, is titled, “The Perfect Automotive Storm: How Will Sensor Makers Ride It Out?”
Bouchaud is principal analyst for MEMS with iSuppli. He will be introduced by Karen Lightman, MEMS Industry Group’s managing director.
April 27, 2009: Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI) and Infineon Technologies AG will collaborate on next-generation automotive airbag systems, the companies announced in a news release.
ADI is a developer of motion-sensing MEMS inertial accelerometers and gyroscopes for automotive safety systems. Infineon provides nearly all automotive application-specific components for an airbag system, such as microcontrollers, satellite sensor communication interface ICs, airbag deployment ICs, power supply components, CAN and LIN transceivers and pressure sensors. By combining the companies’ airbag-specific product portfolios, Infineon and ADI can offer customers a complete, interoperable, and validated airbag system platform, according to the companies.
The ADI-Infineon collaboration aims to ensure alignment of the companies’ respective product roadmaps and interoperability of their sensors and chipsets, accelerate the development of advanced airbag systems, and provide access for automotive safety system suppliers and OEMs to a complete design platform that will enable a reliable, cost-efficient and easy-to-use advanced airbag solution.
“In emerging car markets, such as Asia and South America, car manufacturers and system suppliers face the challenge of improving passenger safety while reducing cost. By aligning ADI’s and Infineon’s airbag-specific product roadmaps, we will trim interoperability risks, help cut system development costs, and enable carmakers and system suppliers to focus more of their development resources on crash algorithm development and product differentiation,” stated Claus Geisler, SVP in Infineon’s automotive division.
“In response to today’s safety mandates, automotive safety systems require ever increasing levels of system performance to ensure they work properly and reliably for a wide range of passengers and vehicles,” added Mark Martin, VP/GM of Analog Devices’ micromachined products division. “With over 15 years of experience in automotive MEMS and more than 500 million MEMS sensors shipped, ADI brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the design of safety systems.”
by Michael A. Fury, Techcet Group
April 17, 2009 – The second full day of the MRS Spring meeting included impressive talks about new technology in mobile phones; “DNA origami” self-assembly; hyperspectral imaging; single-crystal silicon ribbons; 3D patterned devices made with MEMS and self-assembly techniques; and the utility of “toys” based on electro-osmotic ionic flux.
Taponi Rayhänen of the Nokia Research Center showed some pretty amazing statistics about the proliferation of mobile communication devices. Throughout 2008, Nokia alone produced 13 new communication devices per second, 24/7. By 2010, he predicts 90% global coverage by mobile devices — that’s a 6.6 billion population base. It won’t all be covered by Nokia, of course. But if the Nokia Morph concept phone is any indication, a good portion of it may be. Several videos can be found on YouTube. The technology behind this device includes CNT transistors and circuitry; ZnO sensors, actuators, and photovoltaics for energy harvesting; and flexible, transparent batteries. While many components remain to be developed, Taponi indicated that these will be introduced incrementally in various devices as they become available, and he expects the whole device to be commercialized by 2012.
Paul Rothemund of CalTech demonstrated his DNA Origami technique. Instead of folding paper by hand, you fold DNA strands by spontaneous self-assembly. There may not seem to be much purpose in causing DNA strands to self-assemble into a smiley face, but it is impressive to see. The fact that an arbitrary shape can be fabricated is an essential step in designing the self-assembly of 2D structures. Current materials are not robust enough to be used to transfer images into other materials, but that work is getting underway. The design methodology has already been extended to enable fabrication of encoded DNA ribbons hundreds of microns long. Think of a beaded belt, and you’ll be visualizing one of the examples shown.
Hitoshi Tanaka of Fujitsu gave a prospective view of the FRAM market. It has been 10 years since the introduction of these nonvolatile ferroelectric memory devices, based on the shift between cubic and tetragonal phases; this is the age at which flash memory passed its growth inflexion point. FRAM devices are quite robust, capable of 1010 read and write cycles, equivalent to a transition 30×/sec nonstop for 10 years. The functional phase change materials today are PZT or SBT, with future devices anticipating BiFeO3 or BiTaO3 with gate electrodes evolving to IrO or SRO. FRAMs are fast enough to replace both ROM and RAM functions in several different applications. It is this speed that has positioned FRAM to be a successor to flash in selected markets.
Douglas Bell of the Jet Propulsion Lab demonstrated the concept of hyperspectral imaging, in which each pixel of a digital imaging device functions as an electronically tunable spectrometer. No diffraction grating or other moveable parts are required. Current devices are based on GaN, and can function in the visible range. The new devices employ other III-N compounds and alloys (III = Al, Ga, In). A demonstration device consisting of Au contact/AlGaN/GaN/Si substrate extended the functional range to the near-IR. Further optimization of the composition and configuration are expected to yield devices that span the entire UV-NIR range. Such devices are used extensively in satellite mapping and search missions. This work was done in collaboration with the U. Albany (New York)’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, which is co-located with Albany Nanotech.
John Rogers of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed several variations on a method for fabricating flexible ribbons of single-crystal silicon, to be used for flexible and printed electronics without sacrificing electron mobility. Ribbons 150μm thick can be used for TFT fabrication, with mobilities 1000× higher than organic semiconductors. The ribbons can be fabricated en masse on a silicon wafer; they are then lifted off the template wafer with a rubber stamp that adheres to the ribbon strongly enough to break it free at the tethering points and transfer and affix them to a polymer substrate. In a particular implementation for flexible silicon solar cells, p+ contact regions are defined at one end of an n+ ribbon array. The ribbons are then defined with an etch trench, undercut, and transferred to a polymer substrate. Contact metallization at each end of the ribbon pieces ties them all together into a single-crystal Si solar cell that can flex without the fracture. (An individual PV microcell is 15μm thick × 50μm wide × 1.5mm long.) The same concept can be applied to GaAs PV devices which, coupled with concentrator lenses, could result in affordable high-efficiency PV modules for field applications.
Jeong-Hyun Cho of Johns Hopkins University combined 2D lithographical patterning with MEMS and self-assembly techniques to fabricate 3D cubes at the sub-micron level. The sides of the cube are etched in a flat pattern as if ready to be folded. Special solders are deposited as a hinge glue over the edges to be joined, and the sides are then undercut and freed from the substrate. Upon heating, the solder melts and surface tension causes the sides to fold upward. Video of the self-assembly action made believers of any skeptics in the audience. Boxes ranging from 900nm to 100nm along an edge have been fabricated. Such devices are capable of containing attoliter volumes of reagents or pharmaceuticals.
Suk Tai Chang of NC State demonstrated the utility of the electro-osmotic ionic flux that is generated when an isolated diode is in contact with an ionic liquid. When floated on water and subject to an AC electric field across the liquid vessel, the diode will self-propel under the influence of the field with no moving parts. The velocity is proportional to the field strength, and is independent of the AC frequency and of the diode size (he used 1mm and 3.7mm diodes). If the diode happens to be an LED, it also will emit as it self-propels. If the device is a photodiode, its motion can be stopped by shining a light on it. The utility of these toys comes about by affixing the two diodes to the opposite sides of a microfluidic channel. If the diodes are oriented in the same direction, they function as a fluid pump with no moving parts. If they are oriented in opposing directions, they function as a vortex mixer — which, with appropriate channel design, was shown to be quite effective.
Registered attendance for the 2009 MRS Spring Meeting in San Francisco has been reported as 4120, not counting the exhibitors. That’s about the same as last year’s record attendance (for an MRS Spring Meeting) of around 4100, according to MRS.
Michael A. Fury, Ph.D, is senior technology analyst at Techcet Group, LLC, P.O. Box 29, Del Mar, CA 92014; email [email protected].
March 31, 2009: SiTime Corp., a developer of MEMS-based silicon timing solutions, has announced its entry into the $350M Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCXO) market with the introduction of SiT3701. According to a company news release, the product is the world’s smallest programmable voltage controlled MEMS oscillator (VCMO) with the best pull-range linearity.
The SiT3701 comes with an array of programmable features such as frequency, voltage, tolerance and pull range, enabling delivery of customized samples in 24 hours and production quantities in two weeks.
“SiTime continues to drive innovation in the $5 Billion timing market with our high performance MEMS and programmable analog technologies,” said Rajesh Vashist, SiTime’s CEO. “This VCMO offering also expands our product portfolio of programmable oscillators, clock generators and embedded resonators, enabling SiTime to become a complete timing solutions provider.”
The SiT3701 features 0.5% pull range linearity, which is an order of magnitude better than quartz based VCXOs, and translates into simpler design, higher performance and improved stability and reliability. It comes in four standard package sizes with the smallest being 2.5 × 2.0 mm, making it ideal for space-constrained applications, the company said.
March 30, 2009: Micralyne Inc., a MEMS developer and manufacturer, has announced plans to collaborate with SVTC Technologies LLC, an independent MEMS and CMOS commercialization company, to develop and manufacture MEMS devices using 8-in. fabrication technology.
This collaboration harnesses Micralyne’s skills in MEMS design, process and manufacturing integration and SVTC’s advanced technology development and engineering expertise to provide customer’s with a one-stop shop for design through manufacturing at a competitive cost, Micralyne said in a news release.
Through this endeavor Micralyne will obtain access to SVTC facilities in San Jose, CA., and Austin, TX, to undertake MEMS process development and volume manufacturing. SVTC brings together an extensive equipment set with a strong heritage of technology commercialization and engineering expertise. In addition, the SVTC fabs possess unique capabilities like atomic layer deposition and advanced lithography. Access to these capabilities will allow Micralyne to meet the growing demands of 8-in. MEMS development and manufacturing in a cost effective manner.
March 29, 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.
A notable casualty of the hurting auto sector are MEMS sensor suppliers, whose technology is used for applications such as vehicle stability control, airbags, and satellites. MEMS sensor companies saw sales decay more than the actual auto industry in 2008 (6%-15%). Systron Donner Automotive, the world’s second-largest supplier of car quartz MEMS gyroscopes (behind Bosch), was shut down by French parent Schneider Electric, laying off all engineers and leaving a skeleton crew to meet contractual commitments.
“This is major turnaround for a company that sold nearly $105 million worth of MEMS vehicle dynamics gyroscopes in 2008,” noted Richard Dixon, iSuppli senior analyst for MEMS, in a statement. “The company was under competitive siege and already was beginning to lose market share at its key long-time customer, Continental, to Panasonic, which is offering a cheaper product.”
Meanwhile, Infineon has said it wants to sell off its Norwegian unit Sensonor to private investors. “The recent downturn … has especially hit the market for tire pressure monitors sensors (TPMS),” Dixon said. Shedding the unit “will help balance Infineon’s books in the short term and has little impact on its market-leading position.” Some process steps done in SensoNor’s site in Horten, Norway, will be merged with Infineon’s TPMS production in Austria, simplifying the supply chain, he said. “But the major impact is to Infineon’s capability to innovate, as the SensoNor group represented an R&D team par excellence.”
MEMS market in US $M for automotive applications, 2006-2013. (Image source: iSuppli)
Overall, though, iSuppli is bullish on the auto MEMS sector, forecasting a return to “healthy” growth in 2010, and double-digit revenue growth in 2011. The firm points to government mandates for multiple MEMS-driven capabilities such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, and pressure sensors for tires and brakes — systems that will be mandatory on vehicles in the US starting in 2012, and in the EU starting 2014.
March 24, 2009: The MEMS research group Yole Développement has labeled 2008 a “year of unusual movement in the industry” and released what it is calling the 18 “winners” and 12 “losers” of the year.
Yole named its list of top 30 MEMS manufacturers with “winners” — or companies that have shown revenue growth — including Kionix, Measurement Specialties, STM, Panasonic, and Murata.
Yole’s list of “losers” — companies that have shown a decrease in sales — includes FormFactor, Silicon Sensing Systems, and Lexmark.
Overall sales of the top 30 MEMS manufacturers decreased by 2% compared to previous year.
Yole’s numbers come after iSuppli released its numbers for the MEMS auto supply chain, which also showed lower sales due to the recession.
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’s automotive practice.
Fewer cars means fewer sensors, and especially MEMS sensors, which are enabling in advanced systems, like vehicle stability control found in many mid-range and luxury vehicles and the ubiquitous airbag and its satellites found in more than 90% of all vehicles, according to iSuppli. The effects on the supply chain are already equally as dramatic. Most of these sensor companies have typically recorded revenue decreases ranging from 6%-15% in 2008.
According to iSuppli, the crunch is affecting the supply chain in several ways, highlighted by the closure of Systron Donner Automotive’s MEMS quartz gyroscope division before Christmas in 2008. Schneider Electric, the company’s French owner, laid off the entire engineering team (87 people), leaving a skeleton crew to meet the contractual commitments of the number two gyroscope supplier to vehicle dynamics behind Bosch. This is despite estimated sales of close to $105 million for gyroscopes last year.
A second shock reverberated through the chain as Infineon shed its Norwegian arm, SensoNor, iSuppli said.
Nonetheless, the group said, there are still some automotive application areas that will refuse to be contained, especially those driven by non-market forces like mandates for vehicle stability systems. These systems need on average of just over three MEMS sensors, including a gyro, accelerometer and pressure sensor(s). These systems are mandatory on all passenger vehicles in the United States from 2012 and the European Union from 2014.
Such developments mean that some companies are doing fine. For example, Sensata is a leader in high-pressure sensors used in electronic stability control (ESC) brake modulators, and recorded a slight increase of its automotive MEMS sensor revenue in 2008.
Overall, iSuppli’s latest automotive MEMS tracker forecasts that after the contractions of 2008 and 2009, the market for automotive MEMS will resume its earlier healthy growth from 2010 onwards, reaching double-digit growth again in 2011.
For more information, iSuppli said to refer to its forthcoming Automotive MEMS H1 2009 Market Tracker – Mandates Save Automotive Sensor Market from Tailspin.
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.
The group announced in a news release that the portal is designed for companies in the entire MEMS supply chain — from material suppliers to original equipment manufacturers. MEMS Marketplace also provides a networking forum for MEMS companies interested in collaborative or customer relationships.
Anyone can use MEMS Marketplace to search for specific products and services offered by MEMS device manufacturers, foundries, wafer suppliers, equipment suppliers, MEMS-specific software providers and market research analysts.
Information is broken down into four search options: by category, product, company, and industry.
Participating companies can manage their profiles, update product/service listings, and post recent press releases by logging in to the profile management area of MEMS Marketplace.
March 6, 2009: Harris & Harris Group (Nasdaq: TINY), a publicly traded venture capital company that invests in nanotechnology and MEMS, has released information regarding its financial health in response to questions of how the company is doing during the economic downturn.
“Given the current financial and economic environment, we have received a number of questions over the last few days,” according to a company news release. “These questions have focused on how this environment is affecting Harris & Harris Group’s financial position, its status as a financial institution, and more specifically its status as a business development company.”
The company said that as of Sept. 30, 2008, it had about $57.9 million in cash and US Treasury obligations, no outstanding debt, and operating expenses are expected to be about $6 million per year.
“We are not subject to credit agency downgrades, or risk of default or failure from these types of loans that could cause us to fail asset coverage tests or force a fire sale of assets,” the statement said.
As a business development company, the firm said, “our investment objective is long-term capital appreciation rather than current income.”