Category Archives: MEMS

April 18, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — Rudolph Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: RTEC), process characterization equipment and software provider for wafer fabs and advanced packaging facilities, launched the F30 Advanced Macro Inspection Module in its Explorer Inspection Cluster product line. Multiple F30 Inspection Modules have been purchased in recent weeks, and several are already installed in high-volume semiconductor manufacturing facilities.

The F30 module offers improved throughput over the entire sensitivity range when compared to previous generation tools, said Scott Balak, Rudolph’s director of front-end inspection products. The hardware platform is capable of supporting 450mm development and accomodating future requirements. The F30 Module combines automated set up and intelligent software on a flexible platform.

Two European fabs, a leading Asian foundry, a leading MEMS producer, and a process equipment manufacturer that is developing an integrated inspection solution have ordered the Rudolph system.

Rudolph Technologies Inc. designs, develops, manufactures and supports defect inspection, process control metrology, and data analysis systems and software used by semiconductor device manufacturers worldwide. The company’s yield management solutions are used in both the wafer processing and final manufacturing of ICs, as well as in emerging markets such as LED and Solar. Additional information can be found at www.rudolphtech.com.

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April 15, 2011 — OPEN ENGINEERING, the Multiphysics branch of the SAMTECH Group, a leading European provider of simulation software and services, signed a cooperation agreement with the Russian University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (ITMO).

ITMO recognizes OPEN ENGINEERING, active in development of Multiphysics software (also known as numerical simulation programs) as a strategic partner to support its research program for innovative Russian industries and SMEs. Open Engineering software solutions will help ITMO’s customers to create their products on computers, to test them virtually and to improve and optimize them before producing the first prototype.

"This agreement rewards our policy of international expansion," explains Olivier Gramaccia, SAMTECH sales & marketing director.

SAMTECH provides computer aided engineering (CAE) software. SAMTECH develops and markets the general-purpose Finite Element Analysis code SAMCEF, the Multi-Disciplinary Optimization platform BOSS Quattro and the Open CAE Integration Framework CAESAM. Visit www.samtech.com.

OPEN ENGINEERING, part of the SAMTECH Group, supplies Multiphysics software for the CAE market. Their solutions are based on the Oofelie Multiphysics platform, optimized for large complex industrial 3D design work. Oofelie Multiphysics provides its users with unique capabilities to analyze industrial applications such as: sensors & actuators, MEMS & MOEMS and Fluid Structure Interaction problems. The company was set up in 2001 as a subsidiary of the SAMTECH Group and a spin-off company from the University of Liège (ULg). Visit http://www.open-engineering.com for more information.

The Saint Petersburg State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (University ITMO) is one of the leading higher education institutions in Russia providing training in advanced science and technology. Visit http://en.ifmo.ru for details.

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April 13, 2011 – Nikkei — Panasonic Corp. will break into the market for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for medical applications, with plans to develop and commercialize MEMS sensors and devices as early as this year, The Nikkei reported on April 12.

The company is looking to develop MEMS components for use in blood pressure sensors, micro pumps for measuring blood flow and bio-sensors for tracking changes in temperatures and enzymes.

Panasonic has already been manufacturing MEMS parts for mobile phones and other consumer products. With plans to add medical MEMS, the company is considering expanding the scale of MEMS operations at a production base of Panasonic Electronic Devices Co. in Fukui Prefecture.

Global demand for MEMS in Medical/BioMedical End-Use is expected to increase at a robust pace during 2007 through 2015 period, says analyst firm GIA, pointing out that "the value proposition revolving around patient comfort, ease of drug delivery, and ensuing patient compliance will drive demand for MEMS in this space."

Among Japanese firms, Dai Nippon Printing Co., Omron Corp., and Sumitomo Precision Products Co. are accelerating efforts to bolster their MEMS business. MEMS production is experiencing something of a resurgence in Japan, despite the impact of Japan’s March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Dai Nippon, which runs a MEMS foundry business, plans to invest roughly 1 billion yen and double its production capacity to the equivalent of 2,000 150mm silicon wafers per month by the end of this year. The company has set its sights on lifting the annual revenue from its MEMS foundry business by roughly 100% to around 6 billion yen by fiscal 2013.

The MEMS industry grew 25% in 2010, with $8.6 billion in total sales, says Yole Développement.

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April 13, 2011 — Dolomite, microfluidic designer and manufacturer, launched a range of optical systems that capture high-quality still and moving images of microfluidic experiments.

Click to EnlargeThe range of optical systems includes a high-speed camera and microscope system, providing a flexible solution for general microscopy including droplet generation and particle imaging. The system’s microscope offers zoom ratio of 7.5:1 and good working distance for a range of samples. The camera integrates with the microscope to capture images at over 1000 frames per second. The universal stand enables flexible microscope positioning.

The microscope stage is designed to accommodate all types of microfluidic chips and enables users to quickly locate and observe the area of interest. It can, for example, be used in conjunction with Dolomite’s Droplet Junction Chips for the improved visibility of droplet formation: droplet monodispersity, rate of production, and stability. The stage also features a 150W halogen cold light source with continuous dimming and no flicker effect at short exposure times.

Dolomite’s also offers a digital microscope that can be connected to a PC using a USB cable. The product is compact and low-cost for general microscopy, and Dolomite claims that it outweighs many of the USB microscopes currently available in image quality.

For further information on Dolomite’s range of Optical Systems as well as the complete portfolio of microfluidic products including chips, connectors/ interconnects, pumps, valves and custom devices, visit www.dolomitemicrofluidics.com.

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April 12, 2011 — After unprecedented 2010 increases, total optoelectronics, sensors, and discretes (O-S-D) revenues are predicted to hit $58.3 billion in 2011, says IC Insights.

Slightly above average growth rates in 2011 will lift sales of optoelectronics, sensors and actuators, and discrete semiconductors to new record-high levels again this year following unprecedented increases in the 2010 recovery year, according to IC Insights’ newly completed 2011 Optoelectronics, Sensors, and Discretes (O-S-D) Report.

The optoelectronics market will grow 11% to $26.4 billion in 2011; sensor/actuator sales will increase 15% to $8.5 billion; and discretes dollar volume will rise 8% to $23.4 billion this year, according to the report’s data. Sales growth in these three semiconductor market segments is being driven by strong demand for accelerometers and gyroscope sensors built with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, high-brightness light-emitting diodes (LEDs), optical-network laser transmitters, CMOS image sensors, and power transistors.

Click to Enlarge

Figure. Sales changes in the economic downturn and recovery. SOURCE: IC Insights

In the strong 2010 semiconductor recovery from the 2009 downturn year, the optoelectronic, sensor/actuator, and discrete markets racked up impressive gains with combined O-S-D revenues rising 37% to a record-high total of $52.9 billion (Figure). The 2010 increase was the highest annual growth ever recorded for total O-S-D sales.

Due to a relatively weak recovery in image sensors, 2010 optoelectronics sales grew just 30% to $23.9 billion, which was the fifth largest increase for this market in three decades.

Sensors/actuators sales surged 45% in 2010 to $7.4 billion, which was the greatest increase ever for this industry category.

Discretes revenues climbed 42% to $21.6 billion, which was the highest percentage growth for this commodity-filled semiconductor market since the 1970s.

While much of the 2010 increase in O-S-D sales was driven by the economic recovery and the need to refill depleted inventories, substantial real market growth occurred last year — going beyond just making up for lost growth in the downturn. When the combined effects of the 2009 slump and 2010 recovery are added together, all three O-S-D market segments exceeded their normal annual average growth rates in the two-year period (see figure). All three segments also reached new annual sales records in 2010.

The new O-S-D Report shows seven product categories setting new sales records in 2010: lamp devices (i.e., LEDs); optocouplers and switches; pressure sensors; acceleration/yaw sensors; magnetic-field sensors; power transistors; and rectifiers.

Total sales for all MEMS-based sensors and actuators also climbed 47% to a new record-high $6.2 billion in 2010. In addition to new all-time peaks being set again in these seven product categories and MEMS-based devices in 2011, IC Insights is forecasting new sales records being reached in total image sensors, CMOS image sensors, actuators, and diodes.

Learn more about the report by emailing Rob Lineback at [email protected]

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April 12, 2011 — The MEMS industry grew 25% in 2010, and the 4 largest companies grew even faster, increasing their domination of Yole Développement’s annual top 30 MEMS company ranking. These giants now account for some $2.9 billion of the sector’s $8.6 billion in total sales.

MEMS may still be an industry with a multitude of diverse products, but it’s also increasingly an industry dominated by a limited number of big suppliers.

Figure. Top 30 worldwide MEMS companies ranking – 2010 revenues estimates ($M). SOURCE: Yole Développement April 2011.

Blockbuster recovery and inventory restocking from the automotive sector, and the rush to put inertial sensors in every handheld device, drove a healthy 25% jump in total MEMS sales in 2010, to some $8.6 billion. But it particularly meant a boom year for high-volume MEMS suppliers to big customers. The big four — Texas Instruments, Hewlett Packard, Robert Bosch, and STMicroelectronics — increased their combined MEMS sales by some 37%, to ~$2.9 billion, as they aggressively ramped volumes and shrank die size to drive down costs, and widened the gap with their smaller challengers. Sales of the big four now account for about one third of total MEMS industry revenues.

IHS iSuppli’s Jérémie Bouchaud estimates:

  • STMicroelectronics N.V. (STM) revenue for MEMS sensors (not counting its foundry work for inkjet printers) exceeded $353 million in 2010, up 63% from $216 million in 2009.
  • The Bosch Group GmbH reached $643 million in MEMS revenue in 2010, up 46% from $440 million in 2009.
  • VTI Technologies Oy reached $100 million in 2010, up 35% from $75 million in 2009.
  • TI enjoyed nearly 25% growth in 2010, third best among the top-10, raking in $793M worth of MEMS. Also read: European MEMS top dogs led the pack in 2010 and Texas Instruments regains MEMS leadership in 2010, thanks to DLP chips

"It’s very important to be big to succeed in the consumer and automotive markets," says Jean Christophe Eloy, CEO of Yole Developpement. A company needs to be able to ramp volume on 8" wafers to reduce costs, and to continue to invest in shrinking the die to drive ASP down, Eloy adds. Companies with smaller size will remain flat or will get pushed out. Yole sees 3 groups of MEMS companies, those with sales above $500M (the leaders, involved in consumer electronics and/or automotive businesses), those with sales between $500M and $200M (the companies that still can become global leaders in MEMS), and those below $200M (companies that have to specialize in specific businesses in order to be profitable)."

There’s plenty of industry-leading growth among the rest of the top 30 companies as well. This year, it took sales of $52 million to make the ranking, up from $31 million last year. Five additional players reached $100 million+ in MEMS sales, bringing 21 of the 30 to a level likely needed to stay competitive in the consumer or automotive business. The top 30 companies now account for about 80% of total MEMS industry sales.

Yole Développement defines micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) for this listing as three-dimensional structures made by semiconductor processes, with primarily physical or mechanical function. This year, magnetic sensors were also included because they are becoming so closely integrated with MEMS inertial sensors.

Yole Développement’s 8 MEMS analysts base this annual listing both on direct discussions with the companies in their particular fields as they track some 150-200 MEMS companies throughout the year, and also cross checked with their bottom-up analysis of MEMS device markets. For more information, visit www.i-micronews.com.

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April 11, 2011 — Movea, motion technology developer, created a wireless, miniaturized, inertial measurement unit (IMU) that uses MEMS sensors to accurately measure 9 degree-of-freedom (DOF) motion with a PCB module that is about the size of a small wristwatch.

The MotionPod is a patented hardware solution for motion sensing that incorporates a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyroscope and a 3-axis magnetometer in fully integrated package complete with software and wireless interface. The miniaturized MotionPod is now an off-the-shelf component, ready to be used in fitness, gaming, and sports applications.

It is also successfully being used by RM Ingénierie, a subsidiary of the CEGEDIM Group, to enable a new generation of joint assessment and rehabilitation applications. Sam Guilaumé, Movea’s CEO, notes that the nine-axis sensing device provides "precise, real-time angular information with a dynamic accuracy of 1 degree, enabling very accurate measurement of rehabilitation and fitness activities." The MotionPods capture limb movement and provide precise information on limb orientation and mobility. MotionPods provide a fast and accurate record of a patient’s progress to be used for biofeedback into evaluation and exercises, making limb rehabilitation interesting and fun by engaging the patient.

A single MotionPod can provide information like range of motion, rotation, speed, and acceleration. Multiple MotionPods can also be networked to gather information simultaneously from different parts of the body for applications such as performance analysis and full body motion capture. The MotionPod measures 33 x 22 x 15mm (1.3 x 0.8 x 0.6") and weighs 14g (0.5 oz). It is designed to clip onto a strap for easy attachment to the body or even to be patched directly onto the body.

Each MotionPod has a built-in, 2.4GHz wireless transmitter that uses Movea’s proprietary wireless technology to deliver a range of up to 30m (100ft) with very low power consumption to maximize battery life, providing up to 8 hours of usage. Data from the MotionPod is transmitted wireless to a receiver connected to a computer via a standard USB connection. Up to 32 MotionPods can be connected to a single MotionController.

The MotionPod comes with Movea’s SmartMotion Development Kit (SMDK) which provides a Windows-based API allowing application developers, systems integrators and OEMs to rapidly integrate and customize the use of wireless multi-sensors in their applications. It also includes a companion application, the MotionDevTool that has an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) for real-time visualization and integration.

Movea is a leading provider of motion processing chips, software, firmware, and IP for the consumer electronics industry. Further information about Movea can be found at www.movea.com.

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April 7, 2011 — ST Microelectronics (NY: STM, STMicro) has installed a µPG101 from Heidelberg Instruments in the "More Than Moore" Research Labs in Agrate Brianza (Italy) to develop prototypes of new microfluidics devices for medical diagnostic, and lab-on-chip applications.

The µPG101 is an economical and easy to use Micro Pattern Generator for direct write applications as well as low-volume mask making. It can be used in rapid prototyping of 2D and 3D microstructures on substrates up to 4 by 4", and is capable of exposing high resolution designs with minimum features of 1µm and an address grid of 40nm.

STMicroelectronics supplies semiconductors for the industrial market, set-top box applications, and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) chips for portable and consumer devices, including game controllers and smart phones. ST’s process technology portfolio includes advanced CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) logic including embedded memory variants, mixed-signal, analog and power processes.

Heidelberg Instruments produces high-precision maskless lithography systems for direct writing and photomask production in the areas of MEMS, BioMEMS, Nano Technology, ASICS, TFT, Plasma Displays, Micro Optics, and many other related applications.

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April 7, 2011 — Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) released Agilent NanoSuite 6.0, an enhanced-performance software package designed for use with Agilent Nano Indenter G200, G300 and T150 UTM systems. NanoSuite 6.0 promises speed, flexibility, ease of use and new application methods for nanomechanical properties measurements involving polymers, composites, thin film materials, MEMS, surface topology, stiffness mapping, and scratch testing.

NanoSuite 6.0 builds upon the intuitive interface, versatile imaging capabilities, survey scanning, and streamlined test-method development features introduced in the package’s previous iteration. The NanoSuite 6.0 software package offers several groundbreaking test methods, including an exclusive nanoindentation technique for substrate-independent measurements of thin film materials as well as test techniques for polymers.

To increase throughput and productivity, NanoSuite 6.0 facilitates the fast creation of new batches of tests for multiple samples. In addition to easily adding, editing, reviewing, or deleting samples, researchers can select a previously run batch of tests as a template for the current run. They can set up a standard batch of tests comprising 25 or more samples in five minutes or less.

NanoSuite 6.0 enables users to plot two-dimensional graphs, then export them directly to Microsoft Excel, with axis titles, scales, etc., exactly as they appeared on the monitor.

NanoSuite 6.0 also provides a new data structure that organizes sample files into projects and subprojects, Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit) compliance for current systems, and a convenient PDF printer to replace hardware printers.

Agilent’s Nanoindentation instruments conform to the ISO 14577 standard. These state-of-the-art solutions ensure reliable, high-precision measurement of nanomechanical properties for research and industry. Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) provides chemical analysis, life sciences, electronics and communications measurement products. Information about Agilent is available at www.agilent.com

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April 6, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — BioScale Inc., a life science company that develops, manufactures, and promotes novel analytical tools enabling advancements in protein research, relocated its corporate headquarters to 4 Maguire Road in Lexington, MA. The move will enable BioScale to scale up its commercial, scientific, R&D, and manufacturing functions in the newly renovated 30,000 square foot facility including Biological Level 2 laboratories and a clean room for its MEMS sensor manufacturing and assembly.

"The positive response we have received from the launch of BioScale’s ViBE product line required us to grow our facility and functionality. We’re building out additional sales, marketing, manufacturing, and application development areas. This growth requires a new, better equipped, and larger facility," commented Mark Lundstrom, BioScale CEO.

BioScale’s current staff includes professional, scientific and manufacturing employees. As the company executes its commercialization plans in 2011, significant employee growth is expected through 2012 with many of the roles in supply chain, sales, marketing, manufacturing and operations.

BioScale is a life science company that develops, manufactures and promotes a proprietary protein analysis technology to accelerate the discovery, development and production of biological and pharmaceutical products. BioScale’s innovative ViBE platform powered by its AMMP (Acoustic Membrane Microparticle) technology enables highly sensitive detection and quantitation of proteins in complex samples used in pre-clinical and clinical research, bioprocess, patient point-of-care and personalized medicine applications. For more information, visit www.bioscale.com.

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