Category Archives: MEMS

September 28, 2011 — Lemoptix and Hamamatsu Photonics signed a long-term collaboration agreement to develop, industrialize and commercialize micro optical electro mechanical system (MOEMS) laser scanning and microprojection devices.

Lemoptix will bring its next-generation LSCAN MOEMS micromirror, a key component in its small projection optical engine MVIEW microprojection technology platforms, into Hamamatsu Photonics’s worldwide industrialization/commercialization and production capacity and experience. Hamamatsu Photonics’ MOEMS fabrication and wafer-scale assembly at its MEMS and Integral Optics facility will help develop a high-quality and mass-produced product.

The Lemoptix proprietary LSCAN MOEMS micromirror is used in microprojection, laser printing, and industrial sensor applications. MVIEW microprojection has been validated for heads-up display systems in automotive applications, and is attracting attention from mobile device makers.

Hamamatsu Photonics Solid State Division will use the collaboration to expand its MOEMS-based product line and enter a new optoelectronics segment.  Hamamatsu Photonics’ sales force network will help optimize the design-in phase in the various customer projects for fast time to market.

"We look forward to seeing a new generation of Hamamatsu Photonics products based on Lemoptix technology being marketed to Hamamatsu Photonics’ broad and global client base," said Lemoptix CEO Marco Boella. Lemoptix engineers developed the technology, and made it ready for industrialization, added Hamamatsu Photonics Solid State Division Manager Koei Yamamoto. The next step was combining this product with Hamamatsu Photonics’ manufacturing skill.

Lemoptix develops next-generation micro-opto-electromechanical systems (MOEMS)-based laser scanning and microprojection technologies and products for professional and industrial applications. Learn more at www.lemoptix.com.

Hamamatsu Photonics KK (HPK) manufactures optoelectronic components and systems. Visit www.hamamatsu.com.

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September 28, 2011 — The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed a method to etch diamond crystals, engineering precise microscopic cuts in a diamond surface. These diamond-etched features could lead to better micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) devices.

Diamond withstands extreme conditions, and can vibrate at the highest frequencies required by consumer electronics devices, making it an "ideal substance" for MEMS devices, said Craig McGray, NIST. The harder material could make diamond-based MEMS substantially longer lasting than those fabricated on silicon.

Also read: MEMS applications using diamond thin films

The hard crystal (diamond is a 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness) is difficult to precisely cut. The NIST method creates cavities in the diamon via chemical etch. Diamond crystals are cubic, so slices can be oriented in different ways. Etching speed is dependent on slice orientation: going with cube faces etching is slower, and face planes can create boundaries to etch patterns. The NIST team created diamond cavities 1 to 72µm wide, with vertical, smooth sidewalls and flat bottoms.

Process control still needs to be optimized, noted McGray. The diamond also behaved unexpectedly at some points in the experimental processing. Both of these challenges will be addressed in the team’s next project: creating a prototype diamond MEMS device.

Results are published at: C.D. McGray, R.A. Allen, M. Cangemi and J. Geist. Rectangular scale-similar etch pits in monocrystalline diamond. Diamond and Related Materials. Available online 22 August 2011, ISSN 0925-9635, 10.1016/j.diamond.2011.08.007.

Learn more about NIST at www.nist.gov.

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September 28, 2011 — Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have failed to meet commercial expectations set a decade ago, and another carbon nano material, graphene, is being considered a viable candidate in the same applications: computers, displays, photovoltaics (PV), and flexible electronics. CNT and graphene transistors may be available commercially starting in 2015, according IDTechEx’s report, "Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene for Electronics Applications 2011-2021".

Printed and potentially printed electronics represent the biggest available market for these transistors: the value of devices incorporating CNT and/or graphene will top $44 billion in 2021.

Graphene materials have become commercially available in a short time, prompting application development and processing advances, notes Cathleen Thiele, technology analyst, IDTechEx. Graphene is a fraction of the weight and cost of CNTs, and could supplant it, as well as indium tin oxide (ITO) in some applications. Graphene has no band gap, and therefore must be modified (stacking layers of graphene in certain patterns, for example) to act as an electronic switch.

OLED and flexible PV cells will make up a $25 billion market in 2021, says Thiele, and some of these products will use graphene combined with other flexible, transparent electronic components

Graphene-based transistors are demonstrating high performance and lower cost, thanks to new graphene production methods. Graphene transistors are a potential successor to certain silicon components; an electron can move faster through graphene than through silicon. Tetrahertz computing is a possible application.

CNTs are still a strong research area, Thiele notes. They can be used in transistors and conductive layers in touch screens, and as a replacement for iTO. The cost of CNTs is dropping from prohibitively high levels seen a few years ago. Chemical companies are ramping manufacturing capacity. Carbon nanotubes face challenges related to separation and consistent growth. Electronics applications require CNTs of the same size, as size affects CNT properties.

For more information on “Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene for Electronics Applications 2011-2021,” contact: Raoul Escobar-Franco at [email protected], +1 617 577 7890 (USA), or visit www.IDTechEx.com/nano.

Printable CNT inks and graphene-based inks are beginning to hit the printed electronics market. IDTechEx will host the Printed Electronics & Photovoltaics USA conference & exhibition in Santa Clara, CA, November 30-December 1, www.IDTechEx.com/peUSA, with talks on both nanomaterials.

Graphene:
Dr Narayan Hosmane from Northern Illinois University will share how he almost by accident produced high-yields of graphene instead of the expected single-wall carbon nanotubes using the Dry-Ice Method. He will discuss synthetic methodologies for producing large volumes of graphene.

Kate Duncan from CERDEC, the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, will present on direct write approaches to nanoscale electronics.

Prof Yang Yang, head of the Yang Group at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), will give a brief summary on olymer solar cells and UCLA developments with G-CNTs, a hybrid graphene-carbon nanotube material.

Dr Sanjay Monie, Vorbeck Materials, will give the latest R&D news on the Vor-ink line of conductive graphene inks and coatings for the printed electronics industry.

Carbon nanotubes:
Stephen Turner, Brewer Science, will talk about Aromatic Hydrocarbon Functionalization of carbon nanotubes for conductive applications. Brewer Science’s CNTRENE carbon nanotube material was developed for semiconductor, advanced packaging/3-D IC, MEMS, display, LED, and printed electronics applications.

Dr Philip Wallis, SWeNT, will discuss proprietary V2V ink technology and how SWeNT fabricates and tests TFT devices.

Dr Jamie Nova, Applied Nanotech (ANI), will cover CNT field emission.

September 27, 2011 – Marketwire — Thermoelectric maker Marlow Industries launched the EverGen series, thermoelectric-based energy harvesting devices offering low-cost, zero-maintenance power for wireless sensor applications. Wired systems or batteries for wireless sensors prove costly and time-consuming to maintain.

The devices convert small temperature differences (degrees) into milliwatts of power. This electricity is enough to power wireless sensors for the application’s lifetime. The solid-state energy source can be used with sensors, valve solenoids, actuators, and other small devices. The current line includes three designs, with additional products in the works.

EverGen thermoelectric devices:
EverGen Liquid-to-Air: Higher temperature fluid stream and ambient air. Energy harvested via natural convection.
EverGen Liquid-to-Liquid: Higher temperature fluid stream and lower temperature fluid stream.
EverGen Solid-to-Air: Higher temperature solid surface and ambient air. Energy harvested via natural convection.

Marlow will work with customers in multiple industries to integrate energy harvesting devices into existing wireless sensor applications and currently wired installations. Customers need wireless energy harvesters for existing and new builds, the company notes.

New building codes require lighting and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) "smart" designs that moderate usage. Recycling waste heat into electrical power is one way to achieve this, according to Marlow Industries. The company’s aim is to turn the "emerging alternative energy market" into the "mainstream," said Barry Nickerson, general manager, Marlow Industries.

Marlow Industries, a subsidiary of II-VI incorporated, develops and makes thermoelectric technology including thermoelectric modules (TEMs) and subsystems for the aerospace, defense, medical, commercial, industrial, automotive, consumer gaming, telecommunications and power generation markets. For more information visit the company’s website: http://www.marlow.com.

II-VI Incorporated (NASDAQ:IIVI) is a vertically integrated manufacturing company that creates and markets products for industrial manufacturing, military and aerospace, high-power electronics and telecommunications, and thermoelectronics applications.

Also read: MIT redesigns MEMS for better energy harvester

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September 23, 2011 — Implementing vehicle safety and pollution control mandates on its large driving population, China became the world’s fastest-growing country for automotive microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sales, according to a new IHS iSuppli Automotive MEMS Market Brief.

Also read: 2012 sees automotive sensor market back to healthy growth track

China’s automotive MEMS market will expand to $387.9 million in 2015, up from $194.3 million in 2010 (see the figure), equalling a 5-year compound annual growth rate of 14.8%. The worldwide average is 9.0%.

The proliferation of auto MEMS in China comes from an increase in MEMS per vehicle, government mandates for sensors, and China’s booming car sales, said Richard Dixon, senior analyst for MEMS and sensors at IHS. Compared to the worldwide average number of sensors per car at 9.2 in 2010, vehicles in China have five. But China’s number will double to 10 by 2015, accelerated by the increased deployment of airbags and tire-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). The use of basic engine sensors to lower carbon emissions in cars also will be a factor contributing to automotive MEMS growth in China, especially as the country adopts European-style regulations.

Other applications include airbag deployment, silicon MEMS manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensors, adaptive front headlights, brake assist, adaptive cruise control, and the currently underdeveloped electronic stability control integration. Government mandates could spike consumption for these products.

Production of passenger cars for the Chinese market is set to increase to 22.2 million units in 2015, up from 16.3 million in 2010. Find out more in Automotive MEMS sensors recalculating for growth after 2010-2011 disruptions.

Official government recommendations have set a national standard in China for TPMS, which should have come into effect during July but will ramp up in mid-2012. China’s prominent role in implementing TPMS for its vehicles will accelerate the global TPMS market to a fitment rate of 73% by 2015.

China is not the biggest automotive MEMS sensor consumer: that title over the 5-yr period goes to North America, followed by Europe, then China, and then Japan. Global revenue for the products will rise 50% in this time to hit $2.9 billion in 2015.

The most prominent player in the Chinese automotive MEMS sector is German manufacturer Bosch GmbH, whose MAP shipments to the country soared in 2010. Bosch also has cemented a deal with Texas-based Freescale Semiconductor Inc. to offer an airbag reference platform to help newly rising markets in the Asian region.

Prior to 2010, a high-profile deal had been sealed between Analog Devices Inc. and Infineon Technologies to provide sensors and other semiconductors needed for an airbag hardware design platform, which sought to reduce the time-to-market efforts of Tier 1 companies in what was then the emerging market of China.

Learn more in 2012 sees automotive sensor market back to healthy growth track

iSuppli provides comprehensive MEMS and sensors insights. Visit http://www.isuppli.com/MEMS-and-Sensors/Pages/Products.aspx

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September 23, 2011 — On the journey to micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) commercialization over the past 20 years, the industry has seen some very successful products and companies, but the road is also littered with many failures: failed products, bankrupt companies, and disgruntled investors. According to Jean-Christophe Eloy, president and CEO of Yole Développement, MEMS start-ups need about $45 million and three to four CEOs to make it to commercialization. Not exactly the best “Welcome to MEMS” sign if you are entering this diverse industry.

Developing a new MEMS product is a difficult and risky business. What makes developing new MEMS devices so hard? This is a question that many ask — especially those who have experience in the semiconductor industry — but the comparison is not fair. The main reason it’s a false comparison is because while the IC industry has robust and efficient electronic design automation (EDA) tools, MEMS does not. Though several MEMS-specific EDA tools do exist, they do not yet offer the end-to-end simulation capability that has speeded design in the IC industry.

MEMS product development differs in other ways as well. There is a lack of standard processes, and foundries serving the MEMS industry offer varying material properties. If this weren’t challenging enough, MEMS process and layout design rules are complicated by their sensitivity to multiple variables, including pattern load factor, line-width and location on the wafer. These issues lead to a lot of process characterization work, which adds to the budget and timeline.

MEMS supplier ecosystem today — much improved. Specialization reduces resource requirements.

While all of this may sound daunting, we are making significant strides in MEMS product development. The good news is that the MEMS industry now has a more robust infrastructure: a supply chain of MEMS foundries, software designers, equipment vendors, materials suppliers, and device manufacturers (all represented in MEMS Industry Group), which can assist and support a MEMS-intelligent product development methodology. To commercialize a successful MEMS product, one must start with an experienced technical team that can close the gaps in current MEMS EDA tools, and an experienced business team, that can assemble the correct supply chain to support that specific MEMS product.

Commercializing MEMS can take years and millions of dollars. But as in life, many things that are hard are worth the effort. Just look at the wildly successful Apple iPhone and the resultant App store. Would there be the phenomenon of Angry Birds without MEMS? Nope. Thankfully, someone figured out the challenges to MEMS product development to enable the MEMS inside the machine.

This blog is provided by MEMS Industry Group (MIG).

Karen Lightman is managing director, MEMS Industry Group. Contact her at http://www.memsindustrygroup.org/.

Alissa M. Fitzgerald is founder and managing member, A.M. Fitzgerald & Associates; and a member of the MEMS Industry Group governing council board.

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September 22, 2011 — MEMS devices are proliferating in new applications and replacing existing technologies, or used as a way to combine functions, says Yole Développement in its latest "Status of the MEMS Industry." This growth is driving new industry partnerships and a structural change to the MEMS industrial supply chain.

Expect a 15% CAGR 2010-2016 in MEMS revenues, and 24% CAGR in units shipped, said Dr. Eric Mounier, Yole Développement. The MEMS market hit $8.7 billion in 2010, shipping 4.3 billion devices. By 2016, these numbers will reach $19.6 billion and 15.8 billion units.

The consumer market is still driving the lion’s share of consumption (46% of the total market in value), Mounier added.

MEMS supply chain

The MEMS business is maturing, moving from a highly fragmented industry to a few large suppliers: 21 players above $100M in sales in 2010. The big players get bigger (e.g. Bosch, ST, Panasonic) as they capitalize on economies of scale. Smaller players are having a hard time competing, but there is still room for specialized companies. "AKM, Knowles, TI and Inkjet companies make a decent business with only one product. Because the business is maturing, others can specialize in one part of the supply chain," explained Laurent Robin, Yole Développement.

Also read: MEMS "transition period" toward market maturity evident in mobile boom

Most of the top 30 MEMS companies are integrated manufacturing companies; an increasing number of those big companies now offer foundry services. Others are becoming fab-light, outsourcing consumer devices or specific parts of the process. Only 2 fabless companies are among the top 20 MEMS companies (Knowles and InvenSense) while many fab-light companies are present (HP, Freescale, AD, Lexmark, Infineon, VTI). Fabless companies in growth stages now could become players in the near future.

In the coming years, players involved in high-value and automotive markets will likely keep their internal fabs; existing consumer-market players will easily outsource production; and consumer players with internal fabs will have to drastically increase their market shares to survive and support the infrastructure costs.

MEMS foundries will have to reach a critical volume to be stable — developing new device offers or selling to additional customers. MEMS foundries born of the semiconductor industry will only target high-volume applications where the number of processes is limited.

MEMS applications

MEMS devices can be replacements (e.g. microphones); new (e.g. micro-mirror, RF MEMS tunable antenna); or combination of functions (e.g. IMUs). New partnerships are necessary in the MEMS industry as functionalities develop.

Structural changes of the industrial supply chain are occurring as fragmentation continues. New intermediate business models are cropping up between MEMS foundries and IDMs: some IDMs specialize in producing MEMS wafers with their own design; some MEMS foundries are developing product platforms with their own design as well. Multi-chip module (MCM), which began in the MEMS industry with inertial modules, add challenges with integration, software and supply chain decisions. These combo sensors will represent a large slice of the MEMS market in 2016, integrated into gaming, cellphone, tablet, and PMP apps.

In the microphone business, some players are processing wafers while others are focusing on packaging and selling the device. Infineon has turned into a microphone die supplier and works with Asian MEMS microphone players: AAC Acoustics, Hosiden, BSE, Goertek, etc. Other companies are trying to become microphone manufacturers instead of just foundries, like MEMSTech and Omron.

For bolometers, camera cores (module with detector) are increasingly becoming a key business for camera manufacturers (FLIR and DRS propose new cores in 2011). This will further facilitate infrared detector integration and adoption by new camera players.

Yole Développement’s annual "Status of the MEMS Industry" was overhauled this year for the 2011 edition on MEMS device markets, key player strategies, key industry changes and trends including foundries business evolution. It also includes MEMS equipment forecast and major MEMS manufacturing evolutions.

Status of the MEMS Industry report (MIS) authors:
Dr. Eric Mounier has a PhD in microelectronics from the INPG in Grenoble. He previously worked at CEA LETI R&D lab in Grenoble, France in Marketing dept. Since 1998 he is a co-founder of Yole Developpement, a market research company based in France. At Yole Developpement, Dr. Eric Mounier is in charge of market analysis for MEMS, equipment & material. He is Chief Editor of Micronews, and MEMS’Trends magazines (Magazine on MEMS Technologies & Markets).

Laurent Robin is in charge of the MEMS & Sensors market research at Yole Developpement. He previously worked at image sensor company e2v Technologies (Grenoble, France) and at EM Microelectronics (Switzerland). He holds a Physics Engineering degree from the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Toulouse. He was also granted a Master Degree in Technology & Innovation Management from EM Lyon Business School, France.

Companies cited in the report:
3S Systems, AAC Acoustics, Advanced Micro Fab, AKM, Analog Devices (AD), Asia Pacific Microsystems (APM), Audiopixels, Avago, Boehringer Ingelheim, BSE, Canon, Colibrys, Dalsa, Deep Di Semiconductor, Denso, Domintech, DRS, ELMOS (SMI), FLIR, FormFactor, Freescale Semiconductor, FujiFilm Dimatix, GE Measurement & Controls, Gettop, Global Foundries, GMEMS, Goertek, Goodrich, Hewlett Packard , Honeywell, Hosiden, IMT, Infineon, Innoluce, Invensense, Jazz Semiconductor, Jyve, Kaiam, Kionix, Knowles, Lensvector, Lexmark, Melexis, Memscap, memsmart, memstech, MEMStim, Mezmeriz, Micralyne, MicroGen, Mikrosense, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Movea, Murata, NovioMEMS, Nuvoton Technology, Olympus, Omron, Opus Microsystems, Panasonic, poLight, Preciseley Microtechnology, Pyreos, QMT, Qualtre, Robert Bosch, Seiko Epson, Semefab, Senodia, Sensata, Sensonor Technologies, Silex Microsystems, Silicon Sensing Systems, Siltronix, SMIC, Sony, STMicroelectronics, SDI, Telecardia, Texas Instruments, Touch Microsystems (TMT), Tronics Microsystems, TSMC, Ulis, UMC, Veeco, Verreon, VTI Technologies, Xaar, XFAB, Yamaha, Yishay Sensor.

Yole Développement is a group of companies providing market research, technology analysis, strategy consulting, media in addition to finance services. Go to www.yole.fr.

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September 21, 2011 — A MEMS oscillator maker chose the MT9928 xm tri-temp test handler from Multitest for a novel oscillator application. The MEMS device required extremely accurate temperature calibration.

MEMS oscillators, compared to traditional crystal oscillators, need to be calibrated with particular attention to temperature. The MT9928 xm was chosen to perform the calibration under various temperature situations.

Multitest developed the tri-temp test equipment with innovations from its MEMS test and calibration equipment. The company makes test handlers, contactors, and ATE printed circuit boards. For more information about Multitest’s MT9928 xm, visit www.multitest.com/MT9928.

September 21, 2011 – ACN Newswire — The Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), research institute within Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), opened the SIMTech Microfluidics Foundry (SMF), offering microfluidics development, customization, and manufacturing. These devices suit applications in healthcare, pharmaceutical, energy, water quality monitoring, biomedical, and chemical processing industries.

Singapore currently lacks a microfluidics, or lab-on-a-chip, industry, but the global microfluidics market is estimated to grow to US$5B in 2016 (Yole Developpement 2011, Microfluidic Substrates Market and Processing Trends), driven largely by biotechnology and microtechnology. Fluidigm, CAMTech, Clearbridge Biomedics, JN Medsys, Molbot and Fluigen have set up operations in Singapore for medical/life science applications. A*STAR’s foundry will exploit Singapore’s multi-disciplinary research capabilities in biomedical, physical and engineering sciences for microfluidics development.

Barriers to microfluidics adoption in applications from inkjet printing to cancer screenings include high manufacturing costs, lacking design and manufacturing standards for large volumes, and customization required for each application. Many biochips are fabricated using silicon wafers or glass slides. The special processes required during the manufacturing of these silicon-based biochips prove to be expensive for disposable applications. Polymer materials, on the other hand, are better suited for fluidic sample analyses and fabrication can be achieved in bulk at a fraction of the cost for disposable applications. Through its competencies and capabilities to address these challenges, SMF can help nurture and grow the microfluidic industry in Singapore.

SMF will host an integrated spectrum of design, simulation, prototyping, and scalable technology development for mass production of polymer-based microfluidic devices. Companies can work with the foundry to reduce costs and improve efficiency, translating lab processes and prototypes to commercially viable products..

Dr Lim Ser Yong, Executive Director of SIMTech said, "The SIMTech Microfluidics Foundry provides a low-risk environment for companies to place their capital-intensive investments for testing and implementing microfluidic technology solutions. It also offers a strong base for precision engineering and electronics companies to expand and pursue growth in other industries, assisting in the development of microfluidic products for biomedical, pharmaceutical and chemical companies and help start-ups to accelerate its commercialisation process by providing robust manufacturing capabilities and innovative microfluidic solutions."

Today, SIMTech signed three research agreements with Rhodia Asia Pacific, CAMTech Management and Molbot to develop high-throughput microfluidic tools for applications and product development in pharmaceuticals; for water quality monitoring and for gene cloning respectively. SIMTech also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CAMTech Innovations (UK) and Clearbridge Biomedics to jointly develop design and manufacturing technologies of microfluidic devices for life science companies as well as intends to collaborate on development of manufacturing technologies and solutions for microfluidic devices for potential commercial use respectively. These microfluidic R&D commitments reflect the confidence of industry in SMF’s competencies and capabilities, seeding a growing microfluidic industry in Singapore.

Dr Mario El-Khoury, CSEM Chief Executive Officer, said: "The SIMTech Microfluidics Foundry is a successful outcome of the research collaboration between CSEM and SIMTech. Today, SMF is a milestone for Singapore to grow the microfluidic industry. We look forward to furthering our collaboration with SMF to advance the microfluidic technology and its applications that impact the quality of life, such as healthcare, biomedical and life science research."

Singapore’s government has $16.1 billion Singapore dollars earmarked for the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2011 to 2015 Plan (RIE 2015), about 20% more than the previous quinquennium and a commitment of 1 per cent of expected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to public sector research and innovation. Singapore aims to increase its gross expenditure on R&D (GERD) to 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2015.

SIMTech develops high-value manufacturing technology and human capital to contribute to the competitiveness of the Singapore industry. It collaborates with multinational and local companies in the precision engineering, electronics, semiconductor, medical technology, aerospace, automotive, marine, logistics and other sectors. For more information, visit www.SIMTech.a-star.edu.sg.

CSEM, Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology), founded in 1984, is a private applied research and development center specializing in micro- and nanotechnology, system engineering microelectronics and communications technologies. It offers its customers and industry partners custom-made, innovative solutions based on its knowledge of the market and the technological expertise derived from applied research. CSEM’s mission is to enhance the competitiveness of industry, particularly Swiss industry, by developing applied technology platforms in micro- and nanotechnologies and ICT and transferring them to the industrial sector. For more information, please visit www.csem.ch.

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is the lead agency for fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based and innovation-driven Singapore. A*STAR oversees 14 biomedical sciences and physical sciences and engineering research institutes, and six consortia & centres, located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis as well as their immediate vicinity. A*STAR supports Singapore’s key economic clusters by providing intellectual, human and industrial capital to its partners in industry. It also supports extramural research in the universities, and with other local and international partners. For more information about A*STAR, please visit www.a-star.edu.sg.

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