10/03/2003  Tom Cellucci has a very simple job description. “He’s going to start bringing money in,” said his new boss, Jim Von Ehr, chief executive of Zyvex Corp. The company is shifting its focus from the distant possibilities of nanotech to the practical realities of cash flow. It's a big change for Von Ehr, who has regaled listeners over the years with his dreams of molecular manufacturing.

09/22/2003  September 16, 2003 - Silicon Microstructures Inc. (SMI), Milpitas, CA, says it has completed expansion at its MEMS wafer fab in Milpitas two months ahead of schedule.

09/10/2003  Olympus Partnership Development Group Ltd. announced that its parent company, Tokyo-based Olympus Optical Co. Ltd. of Japan, has formed a new MEMS Technology Division, according to a news release.

09/05/2003  Coventor Inc. will license and sell a microdevice design tool developed by Zyvex Corp., according to a news release.

08/26/2003  Standards in the MEMS industry may have taken a small step with the recent publication of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) micromachine measurements, but the larger debate continues over standardization of such a diverse industry. Industry leaders say they hope the new development leads to more efficient manufacturing, improved reliability and greater trust from MEMS purchasers.

08/25/2003  Axsun makes MEMS components for the telecommunications industry. To put it mildly, that does not seem to be the best business plan these days. Jack Kay, Axsun's own chief executive, knows this and he is unafraid to say so. He banished telecom to Axsun's back burner while the company pitches its capacity to manufacture MEMS components.

08/01/2003  Say the word “communications,” and chances are you’ll think of optical networking. This is mostly due to the staggering drop in earnings over the past couple of years, high-profile bankruptcy filings and countless failed startups that took with them loads of VC money and any remaining faith in the market.

07/14/2003  Tronic’s Microsystems does not intend to remain at the research stage. The French company recently announced a new MEMS production facility and the close of two rounds of funding worth more than $12 million. Its next goal: The U.S. and Asian markets.

06/30/2003  Experience can be an advantage when establishing yourself in a new market, and the Olympus Partnership Development Group of San Jose, Calif., is banking on its parent company’s 20 years worth of expertise in MEMS to be successful. It also doesn’t hurt to have a global brand presence and the deep resources of a multibillion-dollar company like Olympus Optical Co.

06/27/2003  Small tech is helping medicinal molecules such as proteins, peptides, genes and vaccines reach the right destination with greater precision, speed and control. And the mechanisms – including implants, particles and patches – are as varied as the types of payloads delivered. Delivering materials directly inside targeted cells could improve cancer treatments and help reduce side effects, and it holds promise as a better way to offer gene therapies.

06/11/2003  Integrated Sensing Systems Inc. (ISSYS) has launched a new business for its nanomaterial designed to boost the performance of MEMS and other devices.

06/10/2003 

05/29/2003  Ziptronix Inc., a developer of semiconductor and MEMS design and manufacturing processes, announced $17.4 million second-round funding.

05/07/2003  The MEMS Industry Group named a Honeywell International Inc. official as its new executive director.

05/01/2003  Is the United States from Mars, Europe from Venus? Europeans' affinity for debate vs. Americans' penchant to go it alone seems to be swirling around many arenas these days. Recent world events aside, the contrast might also apply to the MEMS industry: Europeans like to talk, while Americans remain stoically silent.

04/29/2003  Small tech companies took two out of three top prizes at Purdue University’s Life Sciences Business Plan competition last week, besting contenders that offered cures for multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure and improvements in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

02/17/2003  Intel Corp. is donating $17.5 million worth of equipment to a public-private economic development group for a MEMS fabrication facility in New Mexico.

02/12/2003  Launching the next MEMS device that duplicates the success of the air bag accelerometer will require a closer bond between makers and sellers, according to a new MEMS Industry Group report. "Focus on Fabrication" found that the largest issue looming in the MEMS industry is lack of standardized materials and processes in making MEMS devices.

02/12/2003  MEMX Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif., developer of MEMS and MEMS processes, has secured $8 million in a Series B round of financing, according to a news release.

02/12/2003  Coventor Inc. is teaming up with Cadence Design Systems Inc. to offer new MEMS design software, according to a news release.