Category Archives: MEMS

August 6, 2012 – Marketwire — Semiconductor and MEMS maker STMicroelectronics (ST, NYSE:STM) acquired the intellectual property (IP) of start-up bTendo, following a joint development effort with the laser technology company. ST hired the majority of bTendo’s staff, and will use the new assets to enhance its video-sharing technology offerings for smartphones and other portable consumer devices.

ST collaborated with bTendo to create micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) based projectors using bTendo’s Scanning Laser Projection engine. The resulting prototypes boasted small form factor and low power consumption for smartphone-, digital camera-, and laptop-based projection. Evaluation samples are now with potential customers.

Also read: Is the smartphone pico projector finally getting its big break?

The Scanning Laser Projection engine produces a focus-free high-resolution output that will allow users to display their video, pictures and presentations virtually anywhere. The module is smaller than 1.7cm2 and <5mm high, targeting use in thin smartphones and other portable devices.

Embedded projectors are emerging as a feature for next-gen portable consumer devices, and will open up new markets, said Benedetto Vigna, EVP and GM, ST’s Analog, MEMS and Sensors Group.

ST is a global leader in the semiconductor market serving customers across the spectrum of sense and power technologies and multimedia convergence applications. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com.

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August 2, 2012 — Pico projectors, projector modules that can be integrated into cell phones, have had huge market potential for many years. Other smartphone features have proven more popular, however, such as location-based services. Samsung has now begun shipping the Galaxy Beam projector phone in the UK, using Texas Instruments’ DLP Pico projector technology.

TI’s digital light projection technology uses micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) mirrors to project images up to 6 feet at 15 lumens. The phone will display images up to 50” in size on any surface, with up to 3 hours of continuous play off a 2,000mAh battery.

Also read: Texas Instruments: MEMS imaging for new markets

Analyst firm Semico has projected that MEMS pico projectors will see high growth in embedded solutions such as smartphones, and points to Samsung and TI’s collaboration as an example. "The addition of a pico projector to an already powerful phone opens up more innovation for content and applications," said Tony Massimini, chief of technology at Semico Research.

Semico Research has examined the market for MEMS display technology. In its report, "MEMS Displays: Projecting a Direct View of the Market" (Report Number MP102-12), Semico takes a close look at various MEMS display technologies and the applications that will drive growth.

Semico examines the key end use markets for MEMS in projection and display. The size and growth rates of end use markets and the MEMS penetration rates are presented. The unit and sales TAMs of MEMS for projection and display are shown. 

Semico is a semiconductor marketing & consulting research company. Access reports at www.semico.com.

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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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August 2, 2012 — Vectron International and Knowles Electronics entered into a strategic partnership with SiTime Corporation, aiming to grow micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) timing components in the frequency control products market.

Vectron and Knowles will make a cash investment in the partnership. The companies value frequency control products as a $4 billion market. Vectron International and Knowles will sell MEMS timing products through their own direct sales channels, as well as support SiTime with future product developments. Other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Knowles is known for MEMS microphones, and will look to bring this expertise to the SiTime family of MEMS timing products, said Knowles CEO Jeff Niew.

Vectron International, a timing device maker, has been tracking MEMS developments for several years, added Rick Hajec, president of Vectron International, saying that SiTime’s MEMS timing products could “enable new market growth.”

Vectron International makes frequency control, sensor, and hybrid product solutions. For more information, please visit www.vectron.com.

Knowles Electronics provides advanced micro-acoustic and human interface solutions, including hearing aid components, MEMS microphones as well as dynamic speakers and receivers. Website: www.knowles.com.

SiTime Corporation, an analog semiconductor company, offers MEMS-based silicon timing solutions that replace legacy quartz products. Learn more at http://www.sitime.com.

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July 30, 2012 — Microfluidics expert Dolomite has been awarded a SMART grant from the UK government to develop a plug-and-play microfluidic system, bringing microfluidics to a wider market and increasing research lab productivity.

Dolomite will prototype a suite of integrated tools for microfluidics users in research and education, aiming for intelligently coordinated capabilities, clear data visualization on a touchscreen user interface, and the ability to virtually reconfigure pumps and other connected hardware. The intuitive and easy to use connections to microfluidic devices will build on Dolomite’s existing range of microfluidic connectors, Multiflux.

The UK SMART funding awards are available to single, small- or medium-sized companies that operate in science, technology, or engineering. The program, previously known as the Grant for Research and Development, is run by the Technology Strategy Board’s Smart programme.

The “plug and play” microfluidic system is expected to launch during 2013. This project will benefit areas such as food science, pharma and petrochemical research.

Dolomite is pioneering the use of microfluidic devices for small-scale fluid control and analysis, enabling manufacturers to develop more compact, cost-effective and powerful instruments. By combining specialist glass, quartz and ceramic technologies with knowledge of high performance microfluidics, Dolomite is able to provide solutions for a broad range of application areas. Dolomite’s in-house micro-fabrication facilities include clean rooms and precision glass processing facilities. For more information please visit www.dolomite-microfluidics.com.

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July 27, 2012 — President Obama bestowed the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers upon 96 researchers. It is the highest honor from the US government for science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. 

“Discoveries in science and technology not only strengthen our economy, they inspire us as a people.” President Obama said. Awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach. Read about Obama’s trips to Intel and Albany Nano-Tech.

One such recipient, Frank W. DelRio, a mechanical engineer in the Material Measurement Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is being recognized for pioneering research in measuring the mechanical properties of microelectronic and micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS), and for volunteer work for local science fairs and for the Idaho Diabetes Youth Program.

The recipients are employed or funded by the following departments and agencies: Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of the Interior, Department of Veteran Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation.

The awards, established by President Clinton in 1996, are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President.

This year’s recipients are:

Department of Agriculture
Joseph E. Jakes, U.S. Forest Service
Ian Kaplan, Purdue University
Christina L. Swaggerty, Agricultural Research Service

Department of Commerce
Anthony Arguez, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Ian Coddington, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Frank W. DelRio, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Jayne Billmayer Morrow, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Kyle S. Van Houtan, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Rebecca Washenfelder, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Department of Defense
David M. Blei, Princeton University
Ania Bleszynski Jayich, University of California, Santa Barbara
Alejandro L. Briseno, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Lee R. Cambrea, Naval Air Research Intelligence
Vincent Conitzer, Duke University
Chiara Daraio, California Institute of Technology
Craig J. Fennie, Cornell University
Keith Edward Knipling, Naval Research Laboratory, Department of the Navy
Wen Li, Wayne State University
Timothy K. Lu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cindy Regal, University of Colorado Boulder
Matthew B. Squires, Air Force Research Laboratory, Department of the Air Force
Joseph E. Subotnik, University of Pennsylvania
Ao Tang, Cornell University
C. Shad Thaxton, Northwestern University
Maria Laina Urso, U.S. Army Research Institute for Environmental Medicine

Department of Education
Li Cai, University of California, Los Angeles

Department of Energy
Stanley Atcitty, Sandia National Laboratories
Jeffrey W. Banks, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Amy J. Clarke, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Derek R. Gaston, Idaho National Laboratory
Christopher Hirata, California Institute of Technology
Heileen Hsu-Kim, Duke University
Thomas Francisco Jaramillo, Stanford University
Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
John R. Kitchin, Carnegie Mellon University
Peter Mueller, Argonne National Laboratory
Daniel B. Sinars, Sandia National Laboratories
Jesse Thaler, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Heather Whitley, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Department of Health and Human Services
Erez Lieberman Aiden, Harvard University
Nihal Altan-Bonnet, Rutgers University
Peter D. Crompton, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Margherita R. Fontana, University of Michigan School of Dentistry
Ervin Ray Fox, University of Mississippi Medical Center
Valerie Horsley, Yale University
Steven T. Kosak, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Erica N. Larschan, Brown University
Daniel R. Larson, National Cancer Institute
Krista M. Lisdahl, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Emanual M. Maverakis, University of California, Davis
Biju Parekkadan, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Jay Zachary Parrish, University of Washington
Peter Philip Reese, University of Pennsylvania
Niels Ringstad, Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine
Pawan Sinha, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Georgios Skiniotis, University of Michigan
Beth Stevens, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital
Justin Taraska, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Jennifer Rabke Verani, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Brendan M. Walker, Washington State University
Lauren Bailey Zapata, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Department of the Interior
Joseph P. Colgan, U.S. Geological Survey
Karen R. Felzer, U.S. Geological Survey
Justin J. Hagerty, U.S. Geological Survey

Department of Veterans Affairs
Jeffrey R. Capadona, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veteran Affairs Medical Center
Charlesnika T. Evans, Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital
Amy M. Kilbourne, Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System
Kinh Luan Phan, Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Environmental Protection Agency
Adam P. Eisele, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Mehdi Saeed Hazari, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Morgan B. Abney, Marshall Space Flight Center
Ian Gauld Clark, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology
Temilola Fatoyinbo-Agueh, Goddard Space Flight Center
Jessica E. Koehne, Ames Research Center
Francis M. McCubbin, Institute of Meteoritics, University of New Mexico
Yuri Y. Shprits, University of California, Los Angeles

National Science Foundation
Baratunde Aole Cola, Georgia Institute of Technology
Brady R. Cox, University of Arkansas
Meghan A. Duffy, Georgia Institute of Technology
Joshua S. Figueroa, University of California, San Diego
Michael J. Freedman, Princeton University
Erin Marie Furtak, University of Colorado Boulder
B. Scott Gaudi, The Ohio State University
Curtis Huttenhower, Harvard University
Christopher A. Mattson, Brigham Young University
David C. Noone, University of Colorado Boulder
Parag A. Pathak, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Alice Louise Pawley, Purdue University
Amy Lucía Prieto, Colorado State University
Mayly C. Sanchez, Iowa State University and Argonne National Laboratory
Sridevi Vedula Sarma, Johns Hopkins University
Suzanne M. Shontz, Pennsylvania State University
Mariel Vázquez, San Francisco State University
Luis von Ahn, Carnegie Mellon University
Brent R. Waters, University of Texas, Austin
Jennifer Wortman Vaughan, University of California, Los Angeles

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July 25, 2012 — Wireless technology provider Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) will scale back its mirasol display technology, which uses interferometric modulation (IMOD); a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)-based technology capable of creating color from ambient reflected light. The technology offers low power consumption and is used in several e-reader products on the market.

During Qualcomm’s Q2 results investor conference call, Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm said they will scale Mirasol back into a limited set of products, and will look to license it to industry partners. Qualcomm “will directly commercialize only certain Mirasol products,” Jacobs said.

Mirasol displays took the silver award for Display of the Year at the Society for Information Display’s (SID’s) Display Week Awards in 2012.

Jacobs did not elaborate in the investor conference call as to why Mirasol is being limited and licensed out. However, QCOM did recently restructure its organization, moving substantially all of its R&D activities, its QCT semiconductor business, and other product and services businesses into a new wholly owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies Inc. (QTI).

In January 2011, Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, worked with Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to expand the manufacturing capacity of mirasol displays in Taiwan, building a fabrication facility in Longtan. The aim was to have the MEMS facility operational in 2012, with a US$975 million initial investment by Qualcomm.

Learn more about mirasol displays at http://www.mirasoldisplays.com.

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July 25, 2012 — In reporting its Q2 and H1 2012 results, STMicroelectronics (ST, NYSE:STM) said it will reduce its 2012 capital expenditures (capex) plan by about 25%, down to $500 million to $600 million.

ST said the “global economic environment has weakened” through the end of Q2, but expects new product momentum, particularly in micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), microcontrollers, and power MOSFETs & IGBTs, to drive sequential growth, said Carlo Bozotti, president and CEO.

Q2 results were sequentially higher for ST, although the company said it is managing expenditures and assets, looking for market share gains, and reforming ST-Ericsson in the near future to maintain positive operations through a weak market.

Get all the numbers from ST’s Q2 and H1 2012 report here.

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July 24, 2012 — Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) recently named Jalinous (Jay) Esfandyari, MEMS product marketing manager, STMicroelectronics, as its MEMS Working Group chairman and Ken Potts, group director of marketing, Strategic Planning, Cadence Design Systems, as the 3D IC Working Group chairman.

Micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS)

In June, the MEMS working group heard presentations on MEMS market directions for the next decade and discussed collaboration with other industry efforts, as well as a strong focus on setting impactful deliverables. The Working Group considered several possible areas of development during this inaugural meeting, including potential deliverables such as MEMS Product Design Kits, a MEMS Glossary of Terms, or providing a MEMS EDA Tools Workshop.

Esfandyari has more than 20 years of industry experience in semiconductor technology, integrated circuits fabrication processes, MEMS development and fabrication, and strategic MEMS market and business development. As the MEMS Product Marketing Manager at STMicroelectronics, he has developed new markets for MEMS products and achieved multi-million dollar business opportunities.

In his previous roles, Jay worked closely with customers to develop custom MEMS products, developed models to describe the physics of defect generation in silicon wafer during device fabrication processes, and created solutions to perform analysis and computer simulation to improve the quality of silicon wafers. Esfandyari holds a master

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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