Category Archives: MEMS

March 23, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — To capture part of the fast-growing consumer electronics MEMS market, VTI Technologies will ramp volume production of its CMR3000.

According to iSuppli’s market forecasts, the market size for 3-axis gyroscopes will be more than 200 million pieces this year. Growth is particularly fast thanks to the success of gaming, smart phones, tablet PCs and many new emerging applications.

VTI expanded its product range last year to meet this rapidly increasing demand in consumer electronics industries. In the fall of 2010, the company introduced the small, low-power digital 3-axis angular rate sensor, the CMR3000, designed for user interface and game applications. VTI has now started volume production of the CMR3000.

"The CMR3000’s low current consumption, excellent sensitivity stability and small size match perfectly with the requirements of consumer electronics manufacturers," says Pekka Kostiainen, product manager at VTI. "Due to gaming requirements, the measurement range is +/-2000 dps with selectable measurement bandwidths. In the case of cell phones, the wafer level package (WLP) enables the 3.1 x 4.2 x 0.8mm3 form factor with digital SPI and I2C interfaces."

The extraordinary demand for 3-axis gyros in the market is raising concerns about component availability. The CMR3000’s small device size and location of the IOs enable the possibility to optionally accommodate another manufacturer’s sensor on the same layout. This offers a solution to high volume customers with second source requirements.

To support easy implementation of the CMR3000 VTI is providing HW and SW support to its customers. As an example, an Android driver is available including the library, documentation and demo applications. Furthermore, VTI supports customers with optimizing sensor signal processing for their application.

VTI Technologies supplies acceleration, inclination and angular motion sensor solutions for transportation, medical, instrument and consumer electronics applications. The silicon-based capacitive sensors are based on the company’s proprietary 3D micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology. For more information, please visit www.vtitechnologies.com.

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Click to EnlargeMarch 22, 2011 — Micro-sensor experts at the Honeywell Aerospace Microelectronics & Precision Sensors segment in Plymouth, MN, are developing a miniature gyroscope for precision-guided munitions, ships, vehicles, aircraft, and even individual combatants under terms of a $5.9 million contract awarded late last week from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, VA.

The contract is for the three-year DARPA Microscale Rate Integrating Gyroscope (MRIG) program, which seeks to develop a micro-sensor vibrating-structure gyroscope to measure rotation over a wide range of dynamic conditions.

DARPA is asking Honeywell microelectronics experts to develop the micro-scale gyro for self-contained chip-scale inertial navigation and precision guidance systems that would help eliminate dependence on the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) or any other external signals for uncompromised navigation and guidance.

Honeywell Aerospace experts will develop micro-gyros that are not influenced by the kinds of mechanical shocks, temperatures, vibrations, spin rates and accelerations that are common in guided munitions, and the Honeywell devices are expected to operate on no more power than a few tens of milliwatts. Honeywell will fabricate these micro gyros with large-scale manufacturability at its advanced microelectronics facilities in Plymouth, MN.

A vibrating-structure gyroscope operates on the principle that a vibrating object tends to keep vibrating in the same plane as its support is rotated. It is simpler and cheaper to design and build than is a conventional rotating gyroscope of similar accuracy, DARPA officials say.

DARPA scientists are asking Honeywell to develop these kinds of micro sensors as crucial parts of advanced inertial measurement units, small enough for guided munitions, handheld devices, and add-in portable guidance, navigation, and control units.

DARPA’s primary goal of the MRIG program is to create a vibratory gyroscope able to measure the angle of rotation directly such that the gyros will extend their dynamic range, as well as eliminate the need for integrating angular rate information. In this way, DARPA and Honeywell researchers expect to eliminate an accumulation of errors due to numerical and electronic integration.

DARPA scientists are asking Honeywell to develop isotropic two-degree-of-freedom resonators — especially microscopic 3-D shell resonators — which are spheres, wine-glass shaped structures, or any spatially distributed shells with an axis of symmetry.

Rate integrating gyroscopes have high dynamic range, accuracy due to direct measurement of the angle of rotation, and ability to operate interchangeably in the whole angle and angular rate modes, DARPA experts point out.

Honeywell experts have big challenges ahead, as rate integrating gyroscope technology has never been demonstrated on the microscale level. Rate integrating gyroscope miniaturization would offer the potential for developing an inertial navigation system for spin-stabilized missiles, pointing technology for high-G munitions, and azimuth-based target mapping.

For more information, contact Honeywell Aerospace Microelectronics & Precision Sensors (formerly the Honeywell Solid-State Electronics Center) online at www.ssec.honeywell.com, or DARPA at www.darpa.mil.

This article was posted by John Keller for Military & Aerospace Electronics, and is reprinted here with permission.

March 21, 2011 — Dolomite, microfluidic designer and manufacturer, introduced a new range of Small Droplet Chips, glass microfluidic devices that can be used with the Droplet Advanced System to generate highly monodispersed micro-droplets.

For producing and analyzing microemulsions, the Small Droplet Chips allow the user to create micro-droplets from 5 to 30μm in diameter. The devices feature a 14 x 17μm X-junction with hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface properties and benefit from on-chip filters, which are provided at chip entry to prevent microchannel blockage.

Microemulsions offer increased stability, a higher interfacial area, and the capacity to solubilize both aqueous and oil-soluble compounds, says Dolomite. Monodispersed microemulsions are used in applications such as food research, materials science and drug delivery, where smaller droplets allow improved control over the targeting and release of active compounds. The near circular microchannel profile at the junction of the Small Droplet Chip encourages stable and controllable droplet formation.

Operating over a pressure range up to 30bar, the Small Droplet Chips are compatible with Dolomite’s Top Interface 4-way and Linear Connector 4-way, allowing quick and reliable fluidic connection to 1.6mm OD tubing. The Small Droplet Chip is also available in quartz for improved optical transmission.

In addition, Dolomite offers custom solutions for the generation of microemulsions below 3μm in diameter.

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. For more information please visit www.dolomite-microfluidics.com.

Also read: Dolomite chip holder allows microfluidic system temperature control

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March 18, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — TowerJazz advanced 0.18µm power management and CMOS image sensor (CIS) technology and sophisticated process design kits (PDKs) are now available for prototyping to companies, universities and research labs through the services provided by CMP.

CMP, an independent non-profit organization, provides more than 1000 organizations from 70 countries access to affordable commercial foundries by consolidating their designs onto multi-project wafers. CMP works with several foundry vendors supporting a range of technologies and has chosen TowerJazz for its excellence in process technology as well as its broad IP portfolio. CMP offers its customers experience with the entire design, layout, verification, and tapeout process, as well as the export guidance.

In power management, TowerJazz offers scalable bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCD) platforms with state of the art Rdson values including non-volatile memory (NVM). TowerJazz also has a proprietary Y-Flash technology, offering small cell size, zero mask adder and flexibility to implement various memory sizes. TowerJazz provides internal pixel development for high-end CMOS image sensors. TowerJazz supports the customization of pixels per project needs and its performance (dark current, low noise and dynamic range) enables a rich offering for various digital imaging applications.

CMP is a broker in ICs and MEMS for prototyping and low volume production. Circuits are fabricated for Universities, Research Laboratories and Industrial Companies. Advanced industrial technologies are available in CMOS, BiCMOS, SiGe BiCMOS, High Voltage, FDSOI down to 20nm, pHEMT GaAs, and MEMS etc. CMP distributes and supports several CAD software tools for both Industrial Companies and Universities. For more information, visit: http://cmp.imag.fr.

Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (NASDAQ: TSEM) (TASE: TSEM), global specialty foundry, and its fully owned U.S. subsidiary, Jazz Semiconductor, operate collectively under the brand name TowerJazz, manufacturing integrated circuits with geometries ranging from 1.0 to 0.13-micron. For more information, please visit www.towerjazz.com.

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March 17, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — Symmetricom Inc. (NASDAQ:SYMM), time and frequency products maker, and Jackson Labs Technologies Inc., designer and manufacturer of GPS-based time and frequency generation products, signed a joint marketing agreement (JMA) to market and sell Jackson Lab’s CSAC GPSDO timing and frequency board with Symmetricom’s newest member of the QUANTUM family of atomic oscillators, the SA.45s chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC), which uses MEMS technology.

The SA.45s CSAC will be utilized as a holdover oscillator for the COTS CSAC Global Positioning System Disciplined Oscillator (GPSDO). This will benefit GPS-denied environments and can be used in dismounted IED jammers; unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); next-generation man-pack radios and military handheld GPS units.

"Compared to existing OEM atomic oscillators, the CSAC is 1/3rd to 1/30th the size, and it consumes 1/20th to 1/100th of the power. When compared to Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillators (OXCOs), the CSAC consumes only 125 milli-watts, and offers a 3x to 10x improvement in stability and accuracy, a 10x to 100x reduction in g-sensitivity, as well as a reduction of the warm-up and lock time from 15 minutes typically to less than 3 minutes. The hold-over performance of the CSAC is especially beneficial in GPS-denied environments where mission-critical military products are being utilized on a daily basis for tactical operations," noted Said Jackson, president of Jackson Labs Technologies Inc.

A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) that has been highly optimized for this specific application illuminates the atomic vapor resonance cell, and the light that gets through the cell is then detected by the photodetector. The photodetector output signal drives a feedback loop which is used to achieve atomic resonance using the principles of coherent population trapping (CPT).

The only way the physics package connects with the outside world is through a suspension of polyimide strips. All signals that need to go to or from the center stack-up are carried on traces that are printed on the polyimide strips.

The CSAC GPSDO will be marketed and sold from both companies as part of the JMA, and is now available for shipment. Benefits include excellent holdover performance, ultra low power consumption, low height profile, fast-warm up time and 1 pulse per second (PPS) accuracy.

Jackson Labs Technologies, Inc. GPSDO Technology enables extremely small COTS Global Positioning System Disciplined Oscillators (GPSDOs) that have been ruggedized to meet military requirements, in particular the DoD new and emerging timing requirements for manpack, airborne, vehicle-mounted, and stationary applications. For more information, see: http://www.jackson-labs.com/docs.html

Symmetricom’s SA.45s CSAC is a commercially available chip scale atomic clock, providing the accuracy and stability of atomic clock technology while achieving true breakthroughs in reduced size, weight and power consumption. For more information, see: http://www.symmetricom.com/products/frequency-references/chip-scale-atomic-clock-csac/SA.45s-CSAC/

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March 16, 2011 — EV Group (EVG), wafer bonding and lithography equipment supplier for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, received an order from new customer Shenyang Silicon Technology Co. Ltd. (SST). SST will use an EVG850LT automated production bonding system for silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers in its state-of-the-art SOI production facility to expedite its efforts to ramp up high-volume manufacture of SOI wafers.

SST chose the EVG wafer bonder based on the success of the high-throughput, high-yield EVG850, said president Hai Fengtao, adding that using EVG systems in its facility will "help SST to achieve a smooth technology transfer from R&D to high-volume production, while assuring our customers that they are purchasing wafers manufactured on the industry-standard SOI bonding system."

Research and consulting firm Markets and Markets estimates that the global SOI market will grow at a 15.3% CAGR from 2010 to 2015 to reach $1.3 billion by 2015, driven by applications such as MEMS and microprocessors used in computers and video games. Investments in new manufacturing plants are also fuelling market growth, as well as R&D initiatives and strategic collaborations aimed at launching new technologies and growing the customer base.

EV Group is exhibiting at booth 3101 at SEMICON China in Shanghai through March 17, 2011.

EV Group (EVG) provides wafer-processing equipment for semiconductor, MEMS and nanotechnology applications. Key products include wafer bonding, lithography/nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and metrology equipment, as well as photoresist coaters, cleaners and inspection systems. More information is available at www.EVGroup.com.

March 16, 2011 — EV Group (EVG), wafer bonding and lithography equipment supplier for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, received an order from new customer Shenyang Silicon Technology Co. Ltd. (SST). SST will use an EVG850LT automated production bonding system for silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers in its state-of-the-art SOI production facility to expedite its efforts to ramp up high-volume manufacture of SOI wafers.

SST chose the EVG wafer bonder based on the success of the high-throughput, high-yield EVG850, said president Hai Fengtao, adding that using EVG systems in its facility will "help SST to achieve a smooth technology transfer from R&D to high-volume production, while assuring our customers that they are purchasing wafers manufactured on the industry-standard SOI bonding system."

Research and consulting firm Markets and Markets estimates that the global SOI market will grow at a 15.3% CAGR from 2010 to 2015 to reach $1.3 billion by 2015, driven by applications such as MEMS and microprocessors used in computers and video games. Investments in new manufacturing plants are also fuelling market growth, as well as R&D initiatives and strategic collaborations aimed at launching new technologies and growing the customer base.

EV Group is exhibiting at booth 3101 at SEMICON China in Shanghai through March 17, 2011.

EV Group (EVG) provides wafer-processing equipment for semiconductor, MEMS and nanotechnology applications. Key products include wafer bonding, lithography/nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and metrology equipment, as well as photoresist coaters, cleaners and inspection systems. More information is available at www.EVGroup.com.

March 16, 2011 —  While 2010 was a banner year for the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) business, with overall growth of 18%, 3 Europe-based companies managed to outperform the market, according to new IHS iSuppli research by analyst Jérémie Bouchaud.

Click to Enlarge
Figure. MEMS revenues for top European companies, not including MEMS foundry revenues. (Millions of US dollars). Source: IHS iSuppli March 2011.

IHS estimates that 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.

STMicroelectronics’ strong performance was boosted by $117 million in revenue for its gyroscope business, which also helped the company’s overall consumer MEMS segment achieve 85% revenue growth in 2010. New STM MEMS microphones and MEMS pressure sensor solutions for handsets and tablets paved the way for further growth. Collective revenue from these MEMS products should contribute to STMicroelectronics’ bottom line, beginning in 2011.

Outside of the consumer MEMS segment, STMicroelectronics made significant gains in the high-g accelerometer business for airbags because of a key customer in this area.

The Bosch Group GmbH reached $643 million in MEMS revenue in 2010, up 46% from $440 million in 2009. Consumer revenue for Bosch grew by 51% in 2010 to reach $120 million, up from $80 million in 2009, with accelerometers for handsets as the main source of revenue in this area. Bosch remained the fastest growing company in the consumer accelerometer area, ahead of all its competitors in the consumer MEMS segment. Competitors ADI Inc. expanded 30%; Kionix Inc. grew by 22%; and STMicroelectronics rose by 10%. 

Bosch’s consumer growth should continue, as IHS believes that the company is preparing to launch a 3-axis gyroscope in 2011, even though the company has not made any official comments.

IHS estimates that Bosch’s automotive MEMS revenue grew by 45% in 2010 from $360 million to $523 million, compared to 27% for the rest of the MEMS market. Passenger car production rebounded in 2010, even in countries like Germany, which were expected to be stagnant after the conclusion of the "cash for clunker" schemes. Luxury cars also saw sales increase, spurring a rise in the adoption of mandated technologies such as electronic stability control (ESC) systems, which use MEMS sensors. German cars, especially luxury vehicles that have high electronics content and lots of sensors, are selling well in Asia, particularly China.

Bosch has a very strong position in pressure sensors, especially low-pressure silicon MEMS types used for manifold air pressure sensors in China. Bosch supplies this type of sensor to many cars in the luxury and mid-priced segment. Pressure sensors are being fitted to cars based on the requirement for EURO 4-equivalent emissions regulations set for many Chinese cities. Mandates for safety systems in vehicles, such as ESC systems, are accelerating and beginning to approach full fitment rates for a new series of vehicles in Europe, the United States, Australia, Canada and South Korea in 2011/2012.

While Bosch’s auto MEMS segment won’t grow at the same rate as last year, there is no apparent supply situation that will affect the company’s growth.

Finland-based VTI Technologies Oy also enjoyed strong growth in MEMS, reaching $100 million in 2010, up 35% from $75 million in 2009. VTI attained its previous high level mark of 2007, thanks to a solid performance in the automotive MEMS segment.

Already the No. 1 supplier of low-g accelerometers, VTI began shipping gyroscopes for automotive ESC to Continental in 2010. It also maintained dominance in the medical accelerometer space last year.

Much like Bosch, VTI in 2011 will benefit from the automotive mandates for safety systems, such as ESC systems, in the regions where the mandates are being implemented.

IHS iSuppli provides MEMS and Sensors Research at http://www.isuppli.com/MEMS-and-Sensors/Pages/Products.aspx?MWX

Also read: 
Panasonic, Seiko Epson lead MEMS resurgence in Japan

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March 16, 2011 — Recently, we reported that MEMS manufacturing is experiencing a resurgence in Japan, with companies like Panasonic and Seiko Epson leading the charge. In light of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northwestern Japan, and led to power outages and transport disurptions across the nation, we provide here a list of MEMS companies that have issued updates on their facilities. To send us your update, email our editorial team via [email protected].

  • Seiko Epson: Epson reports that it has had no employee casualties. Seiko Epson Corporation Sakata Plant and Tohoku Epson Corporation (Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture) operations were suspended due to a power outage caused by the earthquake. Although there was no damage to the buildings, Seiko Epson is still confirming the state of the production facilities, and a date to resume production is not determined.
  • Hitachi: Damages mainly at production bases in Ibaraki prefecture, spanning its power systems, urban planning, IT/control systems, appliances, and automotive systems. The Nikkei daily quoted a company source saying that with power blackouts, "we’ve no idea when production will restart."
  • Panasonic: The company says it is still assessing the quake’s full impact on its operations, but said it could not enter an optical pickup plant in Sendai nor a digital camera facility in Fukushima. Supply and distribution is also partly disabled.
  • Yokogawa Electric Corp.: Manufacturing facilities were not directly impacted by the earthquake or the tsunami as they are distant from the quake epicenter, and sales and service offices and facilities located nearer the epicenter suffered only slight damage. 
  • Hosiden Corp.: Hosiden’s Japanese-language website reports that the company did not suffer major damages to its sites. The company is gathering information on suppliers in northern Japan that could have been affected by the quake. 
  • Omron: No Omron staff were harmed. Omron reports "limited damage to Omron bases and facilities," expecting operations to be back to 100% once transport and electrical infrastructure issues are resolved. Yasu Facility, which produces MEMS, suffered no adverse effects. Omron cautions that there are a large number of Omron suppliers in the disaster area, and that it is taking steps to ensure a viable supply chain. 
  • Sony: Manufacturing operations have been suspended at several manufacturing sites, including Tome Plant, Nakada/Toyosato Sites and Sony Shiroishi Semiconductor Inc., in the Miyagi Prefecture. Sony Corporation Sendai Technology Center (Tagajyo, Miyagi) has ceased operation due to earthquake damage. Undamaged sites have temporarily suspended operations on a voluntary basis, due to widespread power outages.
  • Tamagawa seiki (designer and manufacturer of MEMS gyros) has a plant located in Hachinohe city. There is no damage in the plant and production continues. The company’s employees are safe as well. 

Also read:
Letter from Japan: Update on infrastructure, fab status after earthquake
News from Japan on the Impact of Disasters 
Japan earthquake update: List of facilities impacted 
Update: Japan earthquake’s impact on semiconductor community
Japan earthquake raises questions of solar supply and replacing nuclear power
Japan quake hampering package substrate supplies

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March 14, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — Plasma-Therm LLC, plasma etch and deposition equipment supplier, secured majority shareholder status of Advanced Vacuum, a vacuum and thin film equipment provider headquartered in Sweden. Both operations have partnered to create a strategic alliance with complementary etch and deposition systems that support the needs of R&D through production environments.

The partnership aims to expand an established sales and service network and enable additional resource allocation to Advanced Vacuum’s product development thanks to additional support and funding through Plasma-Therm. Both companies plan to extend their market reach in the areas of dedicated R&D systems, failure analysis and non-clustered platforms.

"With this transaction we anticipate expansion into applications that will leverage Advanced Vacuum’s capabilities for custom vacuum equipment design and fabrication…and their expertise in control system upgrades," said Abdul Lateef, CEO at Plasma-Therm.

Advanced Vacuum provides a focused portfolio of services and products for the vacuum and thin film technology industries. Offerings include vacuum and electronics control systems and open load plasma etch and deposition systems. Advanced Vacuum is also a key principal OEM equipment supplier for northern Europe through representation of Edwards Vacuum, Advanced Energy and Entegris. To learn more about Advanced Vacuum, visit their website at www.advanced-vacuum.se.

Plasma-Therm is a supplier of advanced plasma process equipment offering etch and deposition technologies. Plasma-Therm systems support various specialty markets including solid state lighting, thin film head, MEMS, photomask and compound semiconductor. To learn more about Plasma-Therm, visit www.plasmatherm.com.

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