Category Archives: MEMS

November 3, 2008: Freescale Semiconductor has introduced two advanced 3-axis digital accelerometers to help mobile device developers meet the demand for sleeker, more sophisticated portable electronics products. Based on Freescale’s proven micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) technology, the MMA7455L and MMA7456L accelerometers enable low power consumption and motion sensing within a small form factor, making them ideal for cell phones and portable media players. The MEMS devices also can be used as drop-in replacements for customer designs already in production.

The MMA745xL 3-axis accelerometers provide digital output, a key capability that eliminates the need for an extra analog-to-digital (A/D) converter and enables flexible board layout options. The accelerometers also can be integrated directly to system processors for communication simplicity and flexibility. In addition, the sensors offer motion signature detection and pulse detection controlling device inputs and responses that are highly sensitive to natural human movement.

The MMA745xL accelerometers enable a variety of motion-sensing functions, such as tilt scrolling in all directions, gaming control, gesture recognition and tap to mute. Supported functions include theft protection, freefall detection, and back-up GPS, as well as myriad other motion-based applications.

“As developers continue to add more sophisticated motion-based user interfaces to cell phones, cameras, MP3 players and other handheld devices, the demand for cost-effective MEMS-based accelerometers such as MMA745xL sensors is expected to grow,” said Demetre Kondylis, VP/GM of Freescale’s sensor & actuator solutions division. “Portable electronics developers also are looking for platform solutions to help them accelerate the design process and speed their products to market. Freescale’s latest ZSTAR3 demonstration board makes it fast and easy for developers to incorporate MEMS sensors and wireless technology into their next-generation designs.”

October 28, 2008: Microfluidic pioneer Dolomite is celebrating both the opening of its Japanese office and sales growth of over 200% during the past year. Dolomite is becoming a leader in the development and manufacture of the microfluidic chips and connectors that are used in such industries as drug discovery, drug delivery, forensics, and clinical diagnostics.

Microfluidics, a technology also known as ‘lab on a chip’, enables very small-scale fluid control and analysis, allowing instrument manufacturers to develop smaller, more cost-effective, and more powerful systems. With lab-on-a-chip technology, entire complex chemical management and analysis systems are created in a microfluidic chip and interfaced with, for example, electronic and optical detection systems.

“We are delighted with these achievements,” said Mark Gilligan, managing director of Dolomite. “Most of this increase is due to more sales from commercial customers, particularly in the field of heathcare. In this area, microfluidics has the potential to enable smaller instruments and smaller fluid samples to be used, allowing more frequent testing to be carried out and hence potentially greater control of a patient’s condition.” The company also has seen an increase in sales from academic organizations for research work, he added.

Over the past year Dolomite has broken new ground with the development of quartz based microfluidic devices, a new generation of complex multi-layer microfluidic devices, droplet generation and management technology, a range of microfluidic connectors and advances in pumping technology for microfluidic systems. They have been working on projects ranging from mobile environmental analysis systems to DNA analysis.

Dolomite’s new Japanese sales office will be headed by Kozo Hori. Hori-san has extensive experience of selling into the scientific instrument sector and is a graduate of Osaka Institute of Technology, having majored in Industrial Management. Dolomite’s capabilities have received considerable interest from the Asia region. The establishment of the Japanese office is intended to bring the company closer to its customers within this market and to open up new opportunities within the region.

October 28, 2008:The University of Utah has announced that the Sorenson Legacy Foundation has made the lead donation of $15 million to begin constructing a 193,000-sq. ft. biomedical and neurosciences building designed to help create and develop the next wave of health sciences technology.

Named the James L. Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building in honour of Utah’s renowned medical device inventor and entrepreneur, the facility will become the heart of the state’s $500 million Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR), and will anchor the university’s new “Interdisciplinary Quadrangle” on 11 acres bridging upper and lower campus.

“The Sorenson family has shown extraordinary foresight and vision with this gift,” said U. of Utah president Michael Young. “Because of their generosity, USTAR will invest $100 million in this state-of-the-art facility and promote a new generation of discovery and economic development in the health sciences. James LeVoy Sorenson’s interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial approach to finding creative solutions for challenging medical problems endures in the vision for this facility.”

As a hub for USTAR’s research and development, the building will be home to advanced imaging and nanotechnology laboratories, including a 20,000-square-foot nanofabrication area designed to create and develop new bioengineered materials and devices, as well as MEMS, circuits, memory, and sensors, among others. Funds for operations come from USTAR, a $500 million 20-year commitment by the Utah legislature to propel the state to the forefront of the global knowledge economy by building intellectual assets and developing innovative products.

“With Utah’s combination of higher education, research and innovation, we can lead the world in biomedical development,” said James Lee Sorenson, oldest son of James LeVoy Sorenson. “And we honor my father’s legacy by helping advance healthcare technologies that also create entrepreneurial opportunities for our community.”

Groundbreaking at the site, near Federal Way and Wasatch Drive on what is now the university golf course, is scheduled for early summer with completion in spring 2012. Total cost is $130 million.

October 21, 2008: Wolfson Microelectronics has launched the first devices in its new family of silicon microphones due for release over the next 12 months. The WM7110 and WM7120 are compact, high signal/noise ratio (SNR) analogue microphones for use in consumer applications requiring low power consumption and excellent signal quality.

Using Wolfson’s proprietary CMOS/MEMS membrane technology the new devices deliver high reliability and performance in a miniature low profile package. Wolfson is also offering enhanced WM7110E and WM7120E versions of the two devices, which deliver a sensitivity tolerance of ±1dB. As well as removing the need for costly production line testing and calibration software algorithms, the tighter ±1dB sensitivity tolerance give the microphones better matching — a crucial element in the design of microphone arrays for beam-steering. Noise cancellation design can also be substantially improved with closer matched microphones.

These new devices are the first results from Wolfson’s acquisition of Oligon in January 2007 and the first deployment of Wolfson’s AudioPlus True Mics technology. Wolfson’s technology is based on its unique MEMS transducer IP which uses standard CMOS foundries to deliver greater reliability, repeatability and scalable production capacity, enabling cost and flexibility benefits to be passed on to the end customer. MEMS microphones can withstand the temperatures used in surface mount reflow soldering techniques and can be used with automated pick and place technology. This removes the need for manual insertion of the microphone and reduces time and cost of assembly.

The compact WM7110 (4.72 × 3.76 × 1.25mm package size) and ultra compact WM7120 (3.76 × 2.95 × 1.10mm package size) devices typically consume 160μA making them ideal for use in portable applications, such as mobile phones, portable media players, digital still cameras, video cameras, navigation devices, and noise-canceling headphones.

Peter Frith, CTO at Wolfson, said in a statement that the new True Mics products “bring Wolfson quality sound recording to a wide range of consumer applications. Through our proprietary CMOS/MEMS membrane technology and ±1dB sensitivity tolerance we’re bringing innovative multiple microphone applications into cost-effective reach for OEMs/ODMs.”


Wolfson: World’s highest-performing ultra-compact MEMS microphones

October 21, 2008: Micralyne Inc., an independent MEMS foundry, has been named one of Alberta’s Top 40 Employers for 2009 by Mediacorp Canada, for the third year in a row.

The Edmonton-based MEMS manufacturer was recognized for its unique working environment and perks offered to its employees such as: profit sharing plans; RSP contribution matching; flexible hours; and “Extra Day Off” program.

One of the more unique things about Micralyne is the outdoor hockey rink built in the wintertime to play hockey, and the large field in the back used to play soccer in the summer time at lunch.

“Micralyne has done a great job at encouraging employees to participate in activities beyond our regular work. I recently submitted some of my own artwork for a company calendar that will be given to clients and employees. It was great to be included in such a fun activity,” said Jitsu Patel, Micralyne employee.

Automatic Wafer Inspection


October 14, 2008

Viscom AG has broadened its platform into the semiconductor market with the introduction of the MX20000IR fully automatic wafer inspection system. The application scope of the system includes MEMS, wafer bonds, flip chip and photovoltaics. Wafers can be composed of various materials including silicon, gallium arsenide, aluminum oxide or III-IV composites, and others. The tool can accommodate 150, 200 and 300mm wafers, robot-loaded either from cassette (150 and 200mm) or FOUP(300mm). Wafer identification and pre-alignment are done parallel to inspection, making the system suited to medium and large lot size inspection.

The product series platform is based on Viscom’s patented Si-Thru technology, whose light sources generate illumination in the near-infrared range. Doped silicon is transparent to light within this range, allowing for easy inspection of even subsurface defects. Additional features include scalability, high-performance capability, and high-resolution light sources. Evaluation is based on specialized inspection algorithms which positively locate defects such as voids, seam widths, etc. Statistical process control and integrated process control allow each wafer to be directly identified. Viscom, AG Hanover, Germany; www.viscom.com

Oct. 6, 2008 – Suss MicroTec has replaced board member and CEO Stefan Schneidewind with Christian Schubert effective immediately, citing “differing views regarding the future strategy of the company.” A search for a new permanent CEO will take place.

Schubert has held senior executive positions at high-tech companies Kontron, cognatec, and Intica Systems, Suss noted in a brief statement posted on the company’s Web site. A lengthier statement posted to general newswires notes that Shubert’s role will essentially be that of a COO, focusing on operations, structures, and processes; in the medium-term a new board member with a more technical background will be appointed.

While short-term goals are to “intensify our operations” and “examine all of the processes within the company and make them significantly more dynamic,” according to Schubert, the company’s basic strategic orientation will be unchanged focusing on “presumably” high-growth markets in sluggish general industry and macroeconomic environments: MEMS, advanced packaging, 3D integration, and compound semiconductors (LED).

October 6, 2008: EV Group (EVG), a supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, announced that three European universities — Southampton U., the U. of Ulster, and Technische Universitat Braunschweig — have placed orders for multiple EVG systems. These follow-on order wins for leading-edge MEMS research are for next-generation EVG systems, totaling in excess of US$2.9 million.

Notably, Southampton U. purchased the largest photolithography/MEMS equipment order by a university in the UK for its Nanofabrication Centre, a new state-of-the art cleanroom set to open this fall, equipping the organization with the most comprehensive manufacturing capability in the MEMS field of any UK educational institution. Tools purchased include several of EVG’s systems for photolithography and MEMS manufacturing ideal for a research environment: the 150 coater with spin and spray coat capability; the 6200TR automatic topside microscope aligner; the 620T microscope aligner for training students in aligner techniques and processes; the 620TB manual load top and bottom-side microscope aligner for MEMS applications, such as creating microchannels by photo techniques and aligning wafers prior to bonding; and the 501 bonder for laminating dry film on to substrates prior to processing and wafer bonding.

Shipment and installation of the tools will take place upon the completion of the clean room construction scheduled for this fall.

The U. of Ulster and the Institute for Microtechnology at Technische Universitat Braunschweig each purchased an EVG620T manual load topside microscope aligner for their respective MEMS R&D efforts; both systems have been shipped and installed. The EVG620 is EV Group’s leading precision mask and bond aligner system from its EVG600 series; the versatile system is highly flexible enabling users to scale from R&D to high-volume production, and to adjust the tool for various application requirements.

“These universities are engaging in leading-edge MEMS research efforts, and to be a part of enabling continued innovation in this field is very exciting for EVG,” said Paul Lindner, executive technology director of EV Group. “The potential for knowledge transfer from R&D to high-volume production is tremendous, which fuels EVG’s own ongoing commitment to R&D, so that we continue to deliver the most versatile and flexible solutions needed to perpetuate the cycle of innovation.”

October 3, 2008: Asylum Research, a maker of atomic force and scanning probe microscopy (AFM/SPM) for materials and bioscience applications, has named small-tech veteran Monteith Heaton as EVP of marketing and business development for the company’s line of atomic force and scanning probe microscopes (AFM/SPM). Heaton joins Asylum with over 25 years of marketing, sales, business, and technical management experience, most recently as VP sales and marketing for MEMS foundry Innovative Micro Technology (IMT).

“Monte’s long experience in AFM and SPM and his breadth of leadership in business development, strategic marketing, sales and communications for high technology products will be a major asset to Asylum as we navigate this high-growth period for our company,” commented Jason Cleveland, Asylum’s CEO.

Added Heaton, “I’m excited to join Asylum Research, a stable and growing company in the nanotech field. Asylum’s people and products are widely recognized as the technological leaders in AFM/SPM. And, of course, Asylum’s focus on product and applications support is legendary in an industry where this is often not the case. I look forward to helping to grow Asylum to an even stronger market leadership position.”

October 3, 2008: Reacting to strong customer demand, Michelson Diagnostics Ltd. (MDL) is broadening the commercial application of its ‘multibeam’ optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology into markets outside its core target of cancer diagnosis, such as industrial metrology, product inspection, tissue engineering, and developmental biology.

“We are reacting to customers who have realised that the superior image definition provided by our patented multi-beam OCT technology is advantageous in their applications”, said MDL CEO Jon Holmes, in a statement. “For a given depth-of-focus, you get twice the resolution, (or, for a given resolution, four times the focal depth), compared with single beam OCT systems — which means crisper, clearer images.”

He cited applications such as MEMS metrology, inspection of ceramic composite materials and industrial coatings, fine art conservation, gemstone quality, stem cell research, and dentistry as examples.

The company currently markets the EX1301 OCT microscope with <10μm lateral resolution, by virtue of its multi-beam optical design.


EX1301 OCT microscope in use.