12/15/2008  DALSA Semiconductor, supplier of specialized and custom wafer foundry services announced successful tests creating conformal copper seed layers on through-silicon via structures (TSVs) using the eG ViaCoat process from Alchimer S.A. As a result DALSA reportedly intends to license Alchimer's technology to enhance its MEMS production capabilities.

12/09/2008  The Q304-HD laser from JDSU is a high-powered ultra-violet (UV) laser based upon the company's Q Series UV laser platform. This laser reportedly provides 50% more power and is designed to increase throughput, or the rate at which it conducts micromachining functions such as hole drilling, wafer cutting or singulation, and solar cell processing.

12/05/2008  The 3D interconnection chip carrier from Microcertec S.A.S 3-D combines precision-grinding of ceramics with thin-film metallization and laser micromachining to create a 3D package option for chips and ICs.

11/17/2008  AVIA 532-45 from Coherent, Inc. is a powerful diode-pumped, solid state green laser that delivers diffraction-limited output. This laser is said to provide 45W of average power (at 120 kHz) at 532nm, in a single mode output beam (M2 < 1.3).

11/11/2008  November 11, 2008: Micralyne Inc., a global independent MEMS manufacturer, was recently recognized by TEC Edmonton for its success as a spin-off innovation company from the University of Alberta.

10/21/2008  October 21, 2008: Independent MEMS foundry Micralyne Inc. has been named one of Alberta's Top 40 Employers for 2009 by Mediacorp Canada, for the third year in a row.

10/03/2008  October 3, 2008: Asylum Research, a maker of atomic force and scanning probe microscopy (AFM/SPM) for materials and bioscience applications, has named small-tech veteran Monteith Heaton as EVP of marketing and business development for the company's line of atomic force and scanning probe microscopes (AFM/SPM).

08/04/2008  The AVIA 355-28, from Coherent extends the company's family of micromachining lasers to deliver] 28 Watts of output at 355 nm (at 110 kHz). This high power and repetition rate is said to increase throughput for micromachining applications in semiconductor fabrication and packaging. Target applications include dicing and scribing of silicon wafers and low-k semiconductors, and via-hole drilling in PCBs and flip chips.

06/25/2008  June 25, 2008 -- Electro Scientific Industries, Inc., a provider of photonic and laser systems for micro-engineering applications, announced that its newest dual-beam, high-power micromachining system is commercially available.

06/12/2008  June 12, 2008 -- Tegal Corp., provider of systems used in the production of MEMS and nanotechnology, has received an order for its 6500 HRe plasma etch tool from R&D fab SVTC Technologies, which serves markets including MEMS/MOEMS, photovoltaics, biotechnology, and image sensors. Further, Tegal and SVTC are collaborating on process recipe development.

06/11/2008  June 11, 2008 -- MEMS industry veterans Jim Knutti and Henry Allen have formed Acuity Inc., which they say will bring to market a line of high-performance, MEMS-based pressure sensors. The new company has a production agreement with MEMS foundry Semefab, where first product wafers are already in process.

06/09/2008  June 9, 2008 -- A mechanical micromuscle with nanoscale functionality and a micro-creep-and-stress tester, both designed by students, were the top winners in Sandia National Laboratories' fourth annual University Alliance Design Competition for MEMS designs.

06/02/2008  June 2, 2008 -- MEMS contract manufacturer/foundry partner Innovative Micro Technology (IMT) announced today that it is expanding its efforts and personnel in the BioMEMS arena. The company told Small Times that medical applications now comprise about 30% of its work.

05/30/2008  With over 18 watts of average power at a pulse repetition rate of 200 kHz (pulsewidth < 15 ps), the Talisker, a fiber-based laser from Coherent, enables precision micromachining at high throughput rates with a negligible heat affected zone (HAZ). And with a choice of infrared (1064 nm), visible (532 nm) or ultraviolet (355 nm) output, it can be used on virtually any material type, including metals, polymers, glass and semiconductors.

05/20/2008  How did designers at Kodak complete an 8-10 year MEMS project for the EASYSHARE printer in just 3 years? Kodak senior research scientist Christopher N. Delametter explains.

05/19/2008  By Steve Lerner, CEO, Alchimer
It seems hard to believe that in just half a century the semiconductor industry has emerged from obscurity to become a key indicator for global economic prosperity. In that time it has developed a cyclic nature; periods of high growth followed by periods of low (or even negative) growth that, due to our overriding dependency on semiconductors, now impacts greatly on the developed world.

05/15/2008  Silicon Resources LLC, a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) development and prototype company based in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area, has appointed Christopher Campbell as Business Director. According to Frank DiPiazza, Founder and Technical Director of the company -- a service provider for companies designing MEMS -- said, "His unique skills will allow us to accelerate our forward momentum."

05/07/2008  May 7, 2008 -- Qualcomm MEMS Technologies and Taiwan-based Cheng Uei Precision Industry Co. ("Foxlink") are collaborating to open a MEMS fabrication plant that will enable increased volume, reduced time to market for MEMS-based mirasol displays.

05/06/2008  Taiwan-based Asia Pacific Microsystems (APM), an independent MEMS foundry service provider, says that MEMS pioneer Dr. Kurt Petersen has joined its technical advisory board. Petersen, who co-founded SiTime, Cepheid, and NovaSensor, will advise APM on its 8-inch transition strategy, advanced technology roadmap, new MEMS applications, and new partnership opportunities.

05/05/2008  May 5, 2008 - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) has unveiled plans to enter the MEMS business, presenting a roadmap of the MEMS process and desires to cover trends in MEMS production at "CMOS integrated MEMS foundries," according to Nikkei Microdevices magazine.