Category Archives: MEMS

February 21, 2012 — CEA-Leti unveiled a 40Gbit/s optical modulator in silicon with a record extinction ratio of 10dB, developed by the HELIOS Project members.

An ultra-high-speed 325µm2 optical modulator enhanced via slow light propagation has been demonstrated. Slow light propagation is when light travels significantly slower in a modulator than it does through air or in a vacuum. Slow light propagation in a nanostructured 1D periodic waveguide, together with a high-speed semiconductor pn diode, demonstrated a highly efficient 500µm-long silicon electro-optical modulator device with modulation rate capabilities of 40Gbit/s.

Using a dual-drive modulation scheme would enable integration of the developed optical modulator with electronic BiCMOS logic circuitry.

Also read: Developing new processes to support silicon photonics

The device, built in a CMOS-compatible process by the CEA-Leti, is the result of a collaboration between the Valencia Nanophotonics Technology Center at Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (Spain) and the Silicon Photonics Group at the Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey (UK).

HELIOS partners have unveiled these results in Optics Express, Vol. 19, Issue 21 and during the 8th International Conference on Group IV Photonics in London, at the post-deadline session.

CEA-Leti is coordinator of the European HELIOS project to accelerate commercialization of silicon photonics. The research aims to bridge the mismatch in size and power requirements between advanced CMOS-electronics and current silicon optical modulators. For more information on HELIOS, visit www.helios-project.eu/.

CEA is a French research and technology organization, with activities in four main areas: energy, information technologies, healthcare technologies and defence and security. Within CEA, the Laboratory for Electronics & Information Technology (CEA-Leti) works with companies in order to increase their competitiveness through technological innovation and transfers. CEA-Leti is focused on micro and nanotechnologies and their applications, from wireless devices and systems, to biology and healthcare or photonics. Nanoelectronics and microsystems (MEMS) are at the core of its activities. Visit www.leti.fr.

View recent issues of the MEMS Direct newsletter

February 20, 2012 — At International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC, February 19-23 in San Francisco, CA), imec and Holst Centre are presenting 14 papers on low-power design for wireless communication and wireless sensor networks, and organic electronics.

Presentations:
Imec and Holst Centre’s biomedical chip for fast and accurate diagnosis has been announced by the European subcommittee of the ISSCC 2012 organization as one of the hot items of the conference: 6.5- A 160µA Biopotential Acquisition ASIC with Fully Integrated IA and Motion-Artifact Suppression. (Session 6: Medical, display and imagers). The demo is presented in the industry demonstration session (IDS).  

In "Diagnostic and therapeutic technologies for health," imec and Holst Centre present paper 17.1 – An 8-Channel Scalable EEG Acquisition SoC with Fully Integrated Patient-Specific Seizure Classification and Recording Processor.

In the data converters techniques session, imec presents three papers concerning innovative ADC architectures, targeting reconfigurable radios with increased integration and improved power efficiency for future wireless communication systems such as LTE-advanced and the emerging generation of Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11ac) and wireless sensor networks. In the mm-wave and THz techniques session, imec presents a 60GHz transceiver chip in 40nm digital low-power CMOS, obtaining sufficient error vector management (EVM -17dB at 7Gb/s) for modulations as complex as QAM16 in the 4 channels specified by IEEE802.15.3c.

Papers:
27.5 – A 1.7mW 11b 250MS/s 2× Interleaved Fully Dynamic Pipelined SAR ADC in 40nm Digital CMOS
27.7 – A 70dB DR 10b 0-to-80MS/s Current-Integrating SAR ADC with Adaptive Dynamic Range
27.8 A 7-to-10b 0-to-4MS/s Flexible SAR ADC with 6.5-to-16fJ/conversion-step
15.9 – A Low-Power 57-to-66GHz Transceiver in 40nm LP CMOS with -17dB EVM at 7Gb/s

In "Innovative circuits in emerging technologies," imec is involved in three presentations about thin-film transistors (TFTs) made up of organic or metal-oxide molecules. TFTs have the potential to be produced very inexpensively, with print-like processes on thin plastic sheets. One paper concerns a milestone achievement in bidirectional communication for thin-film RFIDs, enabling item-level RFID tags on the packaging of retail consumer goods. Together with Holst Centre, imec also presents a low-power readout circuit for a miniaturized electronic nose.

Papers:
18.2 – 1D and 2D Analog 1.5kHz Air-Stable Organic Capacitive Touch Sensors on Plastic Foil
18.3 – Bidirectional Communication in an HF Hybrid Organic/Solution-Processed Metal-Oxide RFID Tag
18.4 – A 6b 10MS/s Current-Steering DAC Manufactured with Amorphous Gallium-Indium-Zinc-Oxide thin-film transistors Achieving SFDR > 30dB up to 300kHz
18.6 – Power-Efficient Readout Circuit for Miniaturized Electronic Nose

imec and Holst Centre present 3 papers on short-range wireless transceivers. One presentation concerns a new record low-power multi-standard transceiver for sensor networks, another one is about the first integrated impulse radio ultra wideband (IR-UWB) solution for high-quality, low-power mobile applications.

Papers:
26.5 – A 2.7nJ/b Multi-Standard 2.3/2.4GHz Polar Transmitter for Wireless Sensor Networks
26.6 – A Meter-Range UWB Transceiver Chipset for Around-the-Head Audio Streaming
26.8 – A 915MHz 120μW-RX/900μW-TX Envelope-DetectionTransceiver with 20dB In-Band Interference Tolerance

In the Bioelectronics for Sustainable Healthcare Forum, introduced by Chris Van Hoof, department director integrated systems at imec, Sywert Brongersma, senior principal scientist at Holst Centre presents Chip-Level Electronic Noses for a Sustainable Society.

Read also: A report from ISSCC 2011, "ISSCC report: Fast changes in wireless, imaging" or visit the ISSCC website at http://isscc.org/

Imec performs world-leading research in nanoelectronics. Further information on imec can be found at www.imec.be.

Holst Centre is an independent open-innovation R&D centre that develops generic technologies for Wireless Autonomous Transducer Solutions and for Systems-in-Foil. Visit www.holstcentre.com.

Subscribe to Solid State Technology

February 20, 2012 — ElectroIQ recently spoke with Mariquita Gordon from Texas Instruments DLP’s Embedded division about the company’s micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) digital light processing (DLP) technology. DLP is traditionally associated with projectors, television displays, and pico projectors. In TI’s 4th generation embedded DLP evalution module, the LightCrafter, TI is opening up the applications space to bring DLP into new imaging markets, such as security, dentistry, and more.

DLP chips are MEMS designs with 400,000 micro moving mirrors. Texas Instruments has sold 33+ million units for a range of consumer and high-reliability applications. "We have test DLP mirrors in the TI labs that have been moving for 16 years," Gordon said, pointing to the reliability of the devices. Texas Instruments topped the IHS iSuppli 2010 MEMS supplier rankings, on the strength of its DLP chip sales.

Traditional imaging markets are saturated and price-pressured, and DLP products like projection TVs have felt the squeeze. These new imaging applications represent an area of growth for TI’s MEMS business. The LightCrafter Module came about from customer feedback on previous generations of evaluation kits.

The LightCrafter eval kit is designed to be small, lower-cost, and forgo cosmetic features like a coverplate over the chipset, making it easier to design right into a final product. Some users will prototype with the module, then modify it for final volume production. Others will integrate the module as-made into products, said Gordon. "We want users to come to TI with ideas for MEMS-based products that fall outside of our traditional end-market. There are many applications that we can think of for DLP chipsets, but there’s also a whole range that we haven’t thought of," Gordon explained. The more "plug-and-play" LightCrafter is, the more users will discover applications for it, she added.

Some of the non-traditional imaging applications TI’s seen DLP applied in include 3D measurement of teeth for dental crown designs. Here, MEMS can save significant time, human involvement, and costs in the crown’s modeling. Security applications, such as facial mapping, are also emerging. DLP-based systems can replace lab-based chemical analysis with fast, portable, handheld devices. MEMS technology enables one chipset to sense multiple chemicals. Learn more about bio applications from Lee Mather’s blog, DLP technology finds more application in bio from our sister publication BioOptics World.

LightCrafter is the first evaluation kit that Texas Instruments will sell through its online e-store, a strategy that TI plans to use for all kits going forward. There is also an entire eco-system of developers and technical specialists available to help bring new DLP-based products to market quickly, Gordon said.

More on the LightCrafter evaluation kit: The kit includes a DLP 0.3 WVGA chipset, DMD controller board, and more. Get all the specs at Texas Instruments (TI) debuts DLP evaluation module or visit www.ti.com/dlplightcrafter

View recent issues of the MEMS Direct newsletter

February 17, 2012 — At MM/MEMS/NANO Live USA, Professor Yogesh Gianchandani, director of the University of Michigan’s Wireless Integrated Microsystems and Sensors Center, will keynote the MEMS Commercialization: From Lab to Fab to the Market session, Thursday, March 8 in Rosemont, IL. The session will address micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) manufacturing, assembly and test issues.

Gianchandani will address novel manufacturing techniques with non-classical MEMS materials in "Manufacturing of Microsystems: Emerging Opportunities in Biomedical, Environmental and Wireless Applications."

Session chair Roger Grace will share results of a new market study, "MEMS 2011 Commercialization Report Card," grading the MEMS industry commercialization attempts. The study has annually graded the performance of the MEMS industry since 1998.

Tammy Pluym from Sandia National Laboratories will present their SUMMiT V process, enabling 3D micro miniature complex structures to be created using traditional MEMS processing.

Yongyao Cai of MEMSIC will discuss the company’s approach to high-volume assembly and test of MEMS accelerometer and electronic compass product lines.

Concluding the program, a panel session MEMS infrastructure experts will address “Barriers to the Commercialization of MEMS” from different perspectives. Grace will lead off with "MEMS Marketing: Oxymoron or Opportunity" followed by MaryAnn Maher of SoftMEMS speaking on software co-design. Rich Brossart of SVTC will discuss commercialization barriers from a MEMS foundry/service providers’ perspective. The panel discussion will conclude with Bob Mohondro of Plasma -Therm, examining barriers to commercialization from an equipment supplier’s perspective. 

MEMS beginners as well as those "well-versed in the technology" are invited to attend, including MEMS designers, people who create MEM-based systems, infrastructure suppliers, corporate management and members of the investment community.

The session is organized and chaired by Roger Grace, Roger Grace Associates. It will address MEMS manufacturing, assembly and test issues. All of the presentations and the exhibition at the two-day event are free of charge including the MEMS Commercialization session.

MM Live USA and new co-locating feature events MEMS Live USA and NANO Live USA will take place in the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL, March 7-8. Online: http://www.mmnliveusa.com.

Roger Grace Associates provides comprehensive strategic marketing consulting and marketing communications services to domestic and overseas high-technology clients. For more information please visit www.rgrace.com.

View recent issues of the MEMS Direct newsletter

February 16, 2012 — ALD equipment maker Picosun Oy announced record particle levels — 1-2 added particles (>70nm) per wafer — with its PICOSUN P-300B atomic layer deposition (ALD) batch tool installed at Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (Fraunhofer IPMS). The tool also delivered reported records in process repeatability and film non-uniformity, down to 0.13 % 1σ for the best wafer.

"With its efficient wafer batch process Picosun meets our strict defect density requirements," states Dr. Tom Richter from Fraunhofer IPMS.

Fraunhofer IPMS focuses on developing technologies for micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) and micro optical mechanical systems (MOEMS) in its cleanrooms in Dresden, Germany. Services range from feasibility studies to the development of complete production technologies and pilot-fabrication, including characterization, qualification and foundry services for individual steps in the process or for technology modules.  

Picosun Oy manufactures ALD systems. Learn more at www.picosun.com.

Also read: Picosun launches plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition source

View recent issues of the MEMS Direct newsletter

February 16, 2012 – Marketwire — Integrated Sensing Systems Inc. (ISSYS), advanced micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) maker, and the University of Michigan (U-M) have received a $1.5M National Institute of Health (NIH) grant, "Novel Micro-Implant To Measure Intracardiac Pressure In Congenital Heart Patients," to develop wireless, implantable pressure sensors based on MEMS technology.

The University of Michigan has been working with ISSYS on the pressure sensor for patients with "complex forms" of congenital heart disease, explained Dr. Martin Bocks, a pediatric cardiologist at the University of Michigan and the project’s medical principal investigator. The implantable device could both improve patient care and increase medical understanding of their conditions.

The grant will fund work on wireless, battery-free, smart, and miniaturized technology, said Dr. Nader Najafi, ISSYS president and CEO and the project’s technical principal investigator. ISSYS operates a multi-million-dollar, state-of-the-art MEMS fabrication facility near Ann Arbor, MI. ISSYS’ quality system is certified to ISO 9001:2008 for industrial products, ISO13485:2003 for medical devices, and ISO13980:2002 for ATEX/IEC Ex approved intrinsically-safe products.

The grant will enable clinical studies in infants and children with complex congenital heart defects. The pediatric medical device field has stringent medical and form factor requirements that have been difficult to meet with traditional technologies. The technology developed under this grant could have "broader applications within the field of adult and pediatric cardiovascular medicine," added Najagi.

ISSYS makes advanced MEMS technologies for industrial and medical devices, microfluidic and scientific analytical sensing applications.  ISSYS is a vertically integrated company dedicated to developing and manufacturing system-level products based on MEMS technology. Please visit: http://www.mems-issys.com/

View recent issues of the MEMS Direct newsletter

February 15, 2012 — Microfluidics company Dolomite and genetic technology developer GigaGen are collaborating on a novel Droplet Merger Chip for massively parallel single cell genetic analysis. The 15 x 22.5mm glass microfluidic chip merges 2 droplet streams consistently and quickly.

The chip can be used for DNA amplification, biochemical analysis, single cell analysis and high-throughput experimentation, among other applications. It avoids high-voltage electronic instrumentation for droplet merger under electrostatic forces. The Droplet Merger Chip squeezes droplets together in a carefully designed merging chamber. Future versions could be disposable.

Figure. Droplet merging of two individual droplet streams in the new Droplet Merger Chip, Dolomite and GigaGen.

GigaGen Inc. filed a patent application describing the chip design and its applications in the field of genetic analysis of cells. As part of a license agreement with GigaGen Inc., Dolomite will be offering the technology starting in 2012 to research users in academia and commercial users in a range of application areas. Dolomite’s partnership with Sphere Fluidics opens up a range of available surfactants, noted Dr. Andrew Lovatt, CEO of Dolomite, to optimize droplet behavior and stability under various temperature and biological conditions.

Also read: Microfluidics: $4B in 2016, thanks to life sciences

Dolomite’s Microfluidic Application Centre helps turn microfluidic application concepts into commercial products. For further information on Dolomite, visit www.dolomite-microfluidics.com.

GigaGen provides technology to clinical researchers and physicians, unlocking personalized genetic data and guiding disease treatments from routine blood draws. GigaGen has developed a patent-pending core technology for high-throughput measurement of dozens of genetic loci in millions of single cells in parallel. The technology combines advanced microfluidics, next-generation sequencing, and bioinformatics to genetically analyze millions of single cells per hour. For further information, visit www.gigagen.com.

View recent issues of the MEMS Direct newsletter

February 14, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — In the company’s first use of micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), Konica Minolta IJ Technologies Inc. developed the KM128SNG-MB high-precision inkjet printhead for manufacturing printed electronics.

KM128SNG-MB delivers 1 picoliter drop sizes. The use of MEMS technology enabled a 38mm-wide printhead with 128 nozzles in a row, as well as future nozzle integration by customer need. The ink path design, coupled with high-precision, semiconductor-style assembly technology, enable reportedly stable, high-precision printing with picoliter droplets, and ink resistance and optimization for low viscosity inks. It provides highly uniform thin film print thickness at the 100nm level. Konica Minolta’s proprietary DPN (Drive Per Nozzle) drive board and evaluation equipment are available.

KM128SNG-MB will be used to pattern organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, deposit thin films for OLED lighting, and other industrial electronics manufacturing applications. It will be sold in sample quantities this spring.

Konica Minolta IJ Technologies, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Holdings Inc. (TOKYO:4902), develops compact and high-performance inkjet printheads, high-value-added inks, complete inkjet print units and textile inkjet printers and peripheral equipments. For more information, please visit http://konicaminolta.com.

View recent issues of the MEMS Direct newsletter

February 13, 2012 — Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors in 2011 continued to push charge coupled device (CCD) sensors into a smaller, isolated section of the market. CMOS image sensors are growing on use in mobile electronics and emerging applications, shows analyst firm IHS.

2011 CMOS sensor shipments accounted for 92% of all area image sensors, equaling 2.1 billion units, up 31% from 1.6 billion units in 2010, according to an IHS iSuppli Consumer Platforms topical report. CCD sensor shipments, the remaining 8% of the market, hit 180.3 million units shipped in 2011, dropping 2 percentage points from 2010.

By 2015, CMOS shipments will amount to 3.6 billion units or 97% market share, leaving just 95.2 million CCD shipments to make up the remaining 3% of the market (figure). The move to CMOS image sensors is prompted by cheaper manufacturing costs, greater efficiency, and faster data-throughput speeds, said Pamela Tufegdzic, analyst for consumer electronics at IHS.

Figure. Worldwide image sensor market share forecast. SOURCE: IHS.

Mobile handsets remain the dominant application for CMOS sensors, representing 79% of total CMOS shipments in 2011. Video conferencing is the second-biggest application market by shipments, due to the inclusion of cameras in notebook computers. CMOS sensors also found increasing use in the growing sectors of security through network video surveillance systems and automotive through the use of back-up cameras and lane-departure warnings, blind-spot detection, and infrared night vision.

Also read: CMOS image sensors see growth beyond cellphones

CCDs still find acceptance in the industrial markets and in digital still cameras. However, among high-end digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, CCD use will shrink from 12% in 2011 to just 1% by 2014, and there are other areas of decline as well. With still camera purchases waning, and smartphone adoption growing, overall CCD use will decline further.

The introduction of backside illumination (BSI) technology was the break in camera technology that gave CMOS the edge over CCD, IHS asserts. Found in high-end compact cameras as well as the iPhone 4S from Apple Inc. and various Android phones, BSI helps to eliminate noise issues found in earlier frontside illumination (FSI) CMOS sensors, and also enables better picture quality in low-light conditions.

The higher cost of BSI technology (approximately 20% more than FSI in 2011) makes it comfortable in higher-end products, such as Apple’s iPhone 4 and many Android phones. BSI is projected to be in 56% of smartphones and higher-end feature handset camera phones during 2012, and in 92% of the same class of handsets by 2015. Controlling the cost of BSI is critical to mass adoption.

Among companies competing in the space, Sony Corp. was the top player for overall image sensors during the fourth quarter, followed by OmniVision Technologies, Aptina Imaging Corp., Sharp Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Sony’s next-generation BSI sensor in a stacked structure could pave the way for faster speeds and lower power consumption. Read about the technology: Sony stacks CMOS image sensor pixel structures and chips

Samsung announced a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor that will be making its way into smartphones and tablets later this year. The S5K2P1 sensor, Samsung says, will be good enough for use even in dedicated digital still cameras and camcorders where superior image quality is a prime consideration, due to the sensor’s excellent sensitivity and low-noise performance.

Access iSuppli’s report, BSI Success Drives the CMOS Image Sensor Segment, at http://www.isuppli.com/Home-and-Consumer-Electronics/Pages/BSI-Success-Drives-the-CMOS-Image-Sensor-Segment.aspx?PRX

View recent issues of the MEMS Direct newsletter

February 13, 2012 — Yole Developpement released "European Microelectronic Fabs Database & Report 2012," a database and report on the European microelectronics and microsystem manufacturing fabs, pilot lines, and major R&D organizations.

The database details fab locations, products, technologies, manufacturing facilities, and financial information. Fab data includes employee counts, sales figures, capacity info, and more.

The database covers 50 countries, extending throughout Europe and the Middle East area (EMEA), and Russia. There are 300+ fabs in Europe, Yole reports. It includes major changes that have taken place since 2007, such as fab closures and new investments.


 
The European Microelectronic Fabs Database & Report 2012 includes:

The database can be used to understand the European fab environment, and assess business opportunities in the European and Middle-East market.

Companies described in the database: ABB Semiconductor, Acreo AB, Altis/GIS Semiconductor, Analog Devices, austriamicrosystems, Autopribor, Avago Technologies, Boehringer Ingelheim microParts, Robert Bosch, Colibrys, Dynex Semiconductor, e2v technologies, ELMOS, EM Microelectronic Marin, EPCOS, Estel, First Sensor Technology, FLIR Systems, Freescale Semiconductor, GE Measurement & Control Solutions, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, HL-Planartechnik, IBM Microelectronics, IMEC, Infineon Technologies, Intel, International Rectifier, IPDIA, Leister Process Technologies, LETI, Lionix, LITE F, MHS Electronics, Micran, Microfab Bremen, Micron Technology, Micronas, Nemotek Technologies, Norstel, Nortel Technology, NXP, Oclaro Inc., Olivetti I-Jet, OMMIC, On Semiconductor, OptoGaN, OSRAM, Philips, Photonix, Prema Semiconductor, Pulsar (Scientific Research Institute), Raytheon Company, Retina Implant, RF Micro Devices, Scottish Microelectronics Centre, SE MEFAB, SENSIRION, SenSonor Technologies, Sigm Plus, Silex Microsystems, Siliconix, Silway Semiconductor, SINTEF, STMicroelectronics, Telefunken Semiconductors, Texas Instruments, Texet, Three-Five Epitaxial Services, TowerJazz Semiconductors Ltd., Tronic’s Microsystems, ULIS , United Monolithic Semiconductors, Vishay Intertechnology, VTI Technologies, VTT, XFAB semiconductor.

Access the report at http://www.i-micronews.com/reports/European-Microelectronic-Fab-Database-Report-2012/226/