07/03/2007  Applied Microengineering Ltd. (AML) won a European tender to supply Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials (IWMH — Halle, Germany) with a wafer bonder for R&D, and an order from Semefab (Scotland, U.K.) for a production-volume bonder for use in MEMS manufacture.

06/28/2007  InvenSense's patented MEMS process addresses consumer market

06/07/2007  June 7, 2007 - Tronics Microsystems SA and Alcatel Micro Machining Systems (AMMS) say they will jointly develop deep reactive ion etch (DRIE) systems for "extreme-performance" MEMS.

06/07/2007  Tronics Microsystems SA and Alcatel Micro Machining Systems have announced a joint development project on DRIE for extreme-performance MEMS. The partners hope to establish a new performance benchmark for the MEMS industry.

06/05/2007  The Fab Owners Association (FOA), the association of semiconductor / MEMS manufacturing executives and suppliers, has announced the formation of a semiconductor Group Purchasing Organization (GPO), to be called FOA Purchasing Partners, Inc. (PPI). PPI will be the official group purchasing organization of the FOA and its device maker members, providing procurement services, including aggregation of demand, contract negotiations and contract management for semiconductor manufacturing consumables.

05/31/2007  In a just-released update to its MEMS Foundry Ranking, Yole Developpement reports that global MEMS foundry and contract manufacturing grew at a rate of 35% in 2006. The firm predicts similar growth for the next three years.

05/14/2007  Micralyne Inc., an independent MEMS fabrication company, has announced a partnership with Polychromix, developer of inspection and analysis tools, to manufacture MEMS near-infrared (NIR) devices for the Polychromix's Phazir product line.

05/02/2007  SUSS MicroTec's new DSM200 is an automated metrology system for double-sided (front-to-back) alignment and exposure applications. The tool serves applications in the manufacture of MEMS devices, power semiconductors, and optoelectronics.

04/23/2007  April 23, 2007 - Texas Instruments is the number one MEMS company worldwide thanks to its DLP chips business, raking in a record-setting $905 million in sales in 2006, nearly twice as much as No. 2 ranked Hewlett-Packard, according to German research firm Wicht Technologie Consulting. The firm's updated MEMS market survey also shows that HP led a pack of firms focusing on the biggest current MEMS cash cow: inkjet print heads.

04/18/2007  Texas Instruments is still the number one MEMS company worldwide, with record revenue of $905 million in 2006, according to German research firm WTC. WTC has updated its MEMS market data with rankings of the top 30 MEMS developers and the top 10 MEMS foundry service providers.

04/18/2007  Tronics Microsystems SA expanded its characterization, assembly, packaging, and testing capabilities with additional space and tools. The expansion will support design-to-manufacturing services, and support its MEMS device supply chain.

04/17/2007  The MicroLine UV cuts openings in polyimide coverlayer foils and flex circuits, performing routing, skiving, drilling, pocket cutting, etch/solder-resist structuring, and ceramic substrate micromachining. It suits prototyping and pre-series production environments.

04/10/2007  Innovative Micro Technology (IMT) now offers getter deposition services for wafer-level packaging of MEMS and other devices requiring hard vacuum for performance. IMT says it has routinely achieved vacuum levels below 10 mTorr in production of inorganic devices.

03/30/2007  Fab Owners Association attracts new device-maker members

02/09/2007  Micralyne's facility renovation will substantially increase its manufacturing capacity to accommodate a growing customer base. The addition includes 10,000 sq ft of new manufacturing space with Class 10 and Class 1000 clean rooms for silicon MEMS fabrication, testing, and assembly.

01/24/2007  Synova appointed Notker Kling as general manager, overseeing operations in the company's North American micromachining centers (MMCs) in Boston and Silicon Valley.

01/10/2007  Virtus Advanced Sensors of Pittsburgh announced it has entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with several Taiwan-based UMC Group companies including Unimicron, Taiwan's largest printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer and affiliated MEMS foundry ChipSense.

01/09/2007  Virtus Advanced Sensors, which specializes in MEMS-based sensors, entered into a collaboration agreement with several UMC Group companies including PCB manufacturer Unimicron and affiliated MEMS foundry Chipsense, both based in Taiwan.

12/15/2006  Entrepix Inc., a Tempe, Ariz., provider of CMP foundry and equipment services, announced the signing of a CMP FastForward volume pricing agreement with a leading aerospace defense contractor.

12/06/2006  SmalTec International LLC, a Naperville, Ill., microtechnology solutions provider, announced the launch of its most advanced micro-EDM / nano-grinding equipment.