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May 21, 2012 – Marketwire — sp3 Diamond Technologies Inc., diamond products and deposition equipment and services supplier, shipped its Model 655D series hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond reactor system to the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory.

UC Berkeley will use the Model 655D system to fabricate diamond micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) structures for the development of micro mechanical resonators for radio frequency (RF) filters, as well as to other uses for thin film diamond. Hot-filament CVD diamond deposition provides cost-effective, high-quality, low-stress thin films suitable for MEMS devices, said Dr. Bill Flounders, executive director of the Berkeley Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory.

Also read: DARPA funds GaN-on-diamond device development at Raytheon

The Model 655D at UC Berkeley can perform diamond deposition onto multiple 6” silicon wafers, growing polycrystalline diamond films from 100nm to 50µm thick at deposition rates up to 1.1µm/hour that exhibit high thermal diffusivity and greater thermal conductivity than other material choices. It can fabricate smooth and rough textured films for low friction, abrasive, MEMS, and electronic applications, and support boron doping to produce conductive films. The integrated (up to 58 discrete steps), recipe-driven process controller provides precise and repeatable diamond deposition.

The filament assembly generates uniform energy distribution, operating at filament temperatures up to 2550°C and power levels up to 20W/cm². The deposition process is controlled by thermal management of both filament and substrate temperatures, in conjunction with closed-loop pressure and gas flow control. The gas distribution assembly allows control of the gas flow patterns in and around both the filament assembly and the substrates. Adequate space is provided in the deposition chamber to avoid undesirable gas recombination at the chamber walls. The deposition area is 350 x 375mm.

sp3 will exhibit at MEPTEC’s 10th Annual MEMS Technology Symposium at the Holiday Inn in San Jose, CA, May 23, 2012  and the MEMS Business Forum 2012 on May 24, 2012 at the Biltmore Hotel and Suites in Santa Clara, CA.

sp3 Diamond Technologies provides CVD hot filament diamond deposition reactors and diamond-based solutions for electronics thermal management and enhanced cutting surfaces. sp3 Diamond Technologies is a subsidiary of sp3 Inc., which provides products and services relating to thin film and freestanding diamond deposition and other diamond materials. sp3 Diamond Technologies provides diamond products for advanced thermal applications, diamond coating and material services, hot filament CVD reactors, and deposition consulting services. For more information about the company, visit http://www.sp3diamondtech.com.

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May 18, 2012 — InvenSense Inc. (NYSE:INVN) says STMicroelectronics (ST, NYSE:STM) filed a complaint in the Northern District of California, alleging that InvenSense infringes 9 of ST’s patents. InvenSense contests these claims.

Both companies make micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) components. 

In its defense, InvenSense points to its intellectual property (IP) portfolio and says it “respects the intellectual property rights of others.” InvenSense’s own IP portfolio positions it well in its markets and serves as a deterrent to those that may try to copy its technology, InvenSense said in a legal update. InvenSense is a fabless chipmaker with its MEMS devices fabbed at TSMC and GLOBALFOUNDRIES.

InvenSense debuted a 9-axis motion-sensing module comprising a 3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis accelerometer on the same die packaged with a 3-axis compass in 2012.

ST is the #4 MEMS provider globally, according to IHS iSuppli with 651.6 million in 2011 revenue (an 82% jump over 2010). Yole ranked ST as #2 with $900+ million and InvenSense as #18 with $144 million in 2011 MEMS revenues.

In the future, InvenSense Inc., which recently became a public company in an initial public offering (IPO), will comment publicly on litigation matters only on a selective basis, taking into account the adequacy of SEC and NYSE disclosure requirements to serve the needs of its stockholders. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information it publicly provides.

InvenSense Inc. (NYSE: INVN) supplies MotionTracking solutions for consumer electronic devices based on a patented Nasiri-Fabrication platform and patent-pending MotionFusion technology. More information can be found at www.invensense.com.

ST is a global leader in the semiconductor market serving customers across the spectrum of sense and power technologies and multimedia convergence applications. Learn more at www.st.com.

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May 18, 2012 — SEMICON West is less than 2 months away, July 10-12 in San Francisco, CA. Plan your attendee schedule now with highlights from the Extreme Electronics “show within a show;” 4 strong keynotes; sessions on device architecture and node shrink, lithography, 450mm wafers and more.

Attendee registration is $50 through June 2. On-site registration is $150.

Extreme Electronics

The Extreme Electronics events take place in the exhibit hall and comprise more than 25 free technical presentations on micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and printed/plastic electronics. These adjacent markets share “synergies” in manufacturing materials, equipment, and processes with semiconductor fab and assembly, which the Extreme Electronics sessions aim to maximize, SEMICON West organizers say. Each session begins at 10:30am.

Speakers in “Taking MEMS to the Next Level: Transitioning to a Profitable High-Volume Business,” July 10, will share practical solutions for scaling industry growth. In partnership with MEMS Industry Group (MIG), speakers come from Yole Développement, Hillcrest Labs, Coventor, Hanking Electronics, Micralyne, Applied Materials, Nikon, ScanNano, NIST and more.

“Enabling the Next-Generation of HB-LEDs,” July 11, will focus on the current state of some disruptive technologies for improving manufacturing yields, with speakers from Cree, Soraa, Everlight Electronics, EV Group, Canaccord Genuity, LayTec AG, Seoul Semiconductor, Lattice Power, Yole Développement, GT Advanced Technologies, and more.

In partnership with the FlexTech Alliance, “Practical Plastic Electronics: Bringing Disruptive Flexible and Organic Materials into Volume Electronics Manufacturing,” July 12, speakers will give progress reports on organic LED (OLED) displays and lighting, solid state batteries, and flexible mounting of rigid die. Look for speakers from IMEC, Panasonic, DisplaySearch, Imprint Energy, Applied Materials, and MC 10.

Keynotes

Shekhar Borkar, director of Extreme-scale Technologies at Intel Labs, will provide the technology keynote on Intel’s mid- and long-term development efforts in IC scaling, power reduction, and performance improvements, on July 10. That afternoon, Applied Materials’ Mark Pinto, EVP and GM, Energy and Environmental Solutions, will keynote. Applied Materials recently began a major restructuring of its EES business, which includes LED and solar photovoltaics manufacturing tools.

On July 11, keynote speakers include Ivo Bolsens, Ph.D., SVP and CTO, Xilinx and James G. Brown, president of global business development, First Solar. SEMI will also present an Executive Summit moderated by Jonathan Davis, SEMI, on the 11th.

TechXPOT sessions

Fully depleted transistor architectures on Tuesday, next-generation lithography on Wednesday, and the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) on Thusday. Learn more about these individual sessions in SEMICON West heralds 22nm, EUVL, 450mm, mobile electronics speakers

Best of West

SEMI will present Best of West awards for the best exhibitor product introduced since last year’s SEMICON West. Winners will be selected by an independent panel of highly qualified judges from academia and the industry. Entries are judged on their financial impact on the industry, engineering or scientific achievement, or societal impact and benefits. Have a product to submit for Best of West? Read more here — deadline is May 21.

For more information and to register, visit www.semiconwest.org.

Solid State Technology’s editors will be attending SEMICON West with you, sharing updates on the Website, in daily e-newsletters, and via twitter @solid_statetech and @PetesTweetsPW

with #semiconwest.

May 16, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Knowles, micro acoustics and micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) microphone maker, has shipped over 3 billion SiSonic MEMS microphones. From the SiSonic MEMS microphone introduction in 2003, it took 7 years (August 2009) to ship 1 billion. The rapid increase to 2 billion in May 2011 and 3 billion in May 2012 demonstrates the exponential growth of MEMS microphones in the consumer electronics and mobile devices industry, Knowles says.

Knowles is the largest MEMS microphone supplier with 75% market share in 2011 and customers such as Apple, Samsung, and LG. Knowles is ranked 2nd of all MEMS suppliers for consumer and mobile MEMS by IHS iSuppli and 8th of all MEMS suppliers for all MEMS applications. Yole Développement puts Knowles at 5th place.

Total industry revenue this year for MEMS microphones is projected to reach $493.5 million.

Due to "dramatic growth" in the MEMS microphone sector, Knowles recently expanded its facility in Penang, Malaysia to about 187,000sq.ft. The Malaysia facility is Knowles’s second SiSonic facility producing at a rate in excess of millions of units per day. Knowles’s facility in Suzhou, China, was the first plant dedicated solely to SiSonic.

Knowles Electronics is a leading global supplier of advanced micro-acoustic and human interface solutions, including hearing aid components, MEMS microphones as well as dynamic speakers and receivers. For more information, visit www.knowles.com. Knowles is owned by the Dover Corporation, a multi-billion dollar diversified global manufacturer of innovative equipment and components, specialty systems and support services. Visit www.dovercorporation.com for more information.

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May 14, 2012 — MEMS Industry Group (MIG) inducted 3 members into its MIG Hall of Fame, from EV Group (EVG), Acuity Inc. and Analog Devices Inc. (ADI).

The MIG Hall of Fame recognizes members whose contributions grow the micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) industry and MIG, advancing MEMS globally. It was created in 2010.

2012 inductees:

  • Steven Dwyer, VP and GM, North America, EV Group. EVG makes MEMS fabrication tools such as lithography systems and wafer bonders. www.evgroup.com
  • Jim Knutti, Ph.D., co-founder, president and CEO, Acuity Incorporated. Acuity is a fabless supplier of high-performance MEMS-based pressure sensors and other MEMS devices. www.acuitymicro.com

The award ceremony was held during MIG’s annual members meeting, M2M Forum, in Pittsburgh, PA this month.

Learn more about MIG at www.memsindustrygroup.org.

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May 14, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — TechNavio predicts 22% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) microphones from 2011 to 2015, mainly due to the shrinking form factor of these devices. The global MEMS microphone market is also reaching emerging applications in the healthcare segment, outside of its core application area in consumer electronics.

MEMS microphones are smaller in size with more functionality than traditional electret condenser microphones (ECMs). MEMS microphone vendors are focusing on reducing the size even more with improved manufacturing and packaging technologies. Key vendors dominating this market space include AAC Technologies Holdings Inc., Akustica Inc., Analog devices Inc., and Knowles electronics Inc.

In addition to size, MEMS microphones offer robustness and low power consumption, enabling high-quality output at a more efficient operation.

MEMS microphones still carry a high cost, prohibiting growth in cost-sensitive areas, or applications where the increase in microphone performance is not enough of a differentiator to justify the higher bill of materials (BOM) cost.

Also read: Digital MEMS microphones to overtake analog

MEMS microphones are being designed into healthcare applications from blood flow monitors to heartbeat and lung function monitors, thanks to improvements in MEMS microphones, TechNavio reports.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global MEMS Microphone Market 2011-2015" report from TechNavio to their offering. Access the report here: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5l9lzt/global_mems_microp

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May 11, 2012 – Marketwire — Bridgelux Inc., developer of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and Toshiba Corporation, leading semiconductor manufacturer, reported a 1.1mm2 LED chip fabricated on an 8" gallium nitride on silicon (GaN-on-Si) wafer, emitting 614mW, <3.1V @ 350mA. This is the best-reported GaN-on-Si LED performance on an 8” wafer, according to the companies.

Silicon is a less expensive LED substrate than the traditional sapphire materials, and benefits from use in the established, high-volume semiconductor manufacturing industry. Bridgelux has a proprietary buffer layer technology that it claims creates results comprable to sapphire-based LEDs. In August 2011, Bridgelux reported a lumens/Watt (luminous efficiency) record for GaN-on-Si LEDs.

Bridgelux and Toshiba engaged in a joint collaborative agreement earlier this year for LED chips. Further development will target commercialization of the technology, noted Makoto Hideshima, EVP of Semiconductor and Storage Products Company, CPV of Toshiba.

Now, Toshiba is also making an equity investment in Bridgelux, to jointly pursue innovative solid state lighting (SSL) technology. Toshiba’s advanced silicon process and manufacturing technologies will be put to use on Bridgelux’s GaN-on-Si LED chip technology. In October last year, Bridgelux brought in $15 million in financing, following a $50 million Series D round.

The equity investment, coupled with Toshiba and Bridgelux’s development relationship, will help the companies “drive down the cost of solid-state solutions for the general lighting market," said Bill Watkins, Bridgelux CEO.

Bridgelux develops and manufactures solid-state lighting (SSL). For more information, please visit www.bridgelux.com.

Toshiba is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products spanning digital consumer products; electronic devices and components; power systems, including nuclear energy; industrial and social infrastructure systems; and home appliances. Website: www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm.

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May 11, 2012 — Mixed-signal semiconductor supplier Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT, NASDAQ: IDTI), introduced a piezoelectric micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) resonator technology that does not use crystals. IDT has branded the components CrystalFree pMEMS (piezoelectric MEMS).

The crystal-free low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) and low-voltage positive emitter-coupled logic (LVPECL) oscillators suit high-performance communications, consumer, cloud, and industrial applications. They operate with well below 1 picosecond of phase jitter. The IDT 4M oscillators operate with ±50 ppm frequency accuracy from -40° to +85°C and support frequencies of up to 625 MHz. IDT’s pMEMS oscillators are available in industry-standard 7 x 5mm (7050) and 5 x 3.2mm (5032) standard plastic packages. They are designed to replace traditional 6-pin crystal oscillators (XOs).

Also read: MEMS resonators vs. crystal oscillators for IC timing circuits

Thanks to the CrystalFree pMEMS resonator technology, IDT can rapidly factory-program the desired output frequency for the IDT 4M series oscillators without fine-tuning crystals. The nominal resonator frequency of pMEMS is much higher than quartz crystal, enabling 4M oscillators to achieve higher frequencies at lower cost without lower performance. Crystals are also expensive.

IDT expanded its pMEMS technology into high-performance applications like communications to provide a cost-effective XO replacement, said Fred Zust, VP and GM, Timing and Synchronization Division at IDT. “IDT’s patented pMEMS resonator technology combines the strong electromechanical coupling of the piezoelectric material with the stability and low damping of single-crystal silicon.”

IDT also offers solid-state oscillators in its frequency control portfolio.

The IDT 4M oscillators are currently sampling to qualified customers and are available in hundreds of configurations based on frequency, voltage, output types and industry standard packages.

Integrated Device Technology, Inc., the Analog and Digital Company, develops system-level solutions that optimize its customers’ applications. IDT stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Stock Market under the symbol IDTI. Additional information about IDT is accessible at www.IDT.com.

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May 10, 2012 — MEPTEC will host its 10th Annual MEMS Technology Symposium, May 23, in San Jose, CA. Keynotes cover “sensory swarms” and motion interfaces, and sessions will cover the micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) roadmap; design, manufacturing, and test of MEMS; MEMS architectures and uses, and more.

Professor Krisofer Pister, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at University of California, Berkeley, will deliver the morning keynote, titled, “Sensory Swarms.” In the afternoon, Steve Nasiri, founder, president, CEO and chairman, InvenSense, will present “Motion Interface the Next Large Market Opportunity.”

Sessions and session chairs:

  • The MEMS Revolution: from Billions to Trillions?
        Jérémie Bouchaud, Director and Senior Principal Analyst MEMS and Sensors, IHS iSuppli
  • Realizing the Full Potential of MEMS Design Automation Software 
        Stephen Breit, Ph.D., Vice President Engineering, Coventor, Inc.
  • Roadmap to a $Trillion MEMS Market 
        Janusz Bryzek, Ph.D., VP MEMS Development, Fairchild Semiconductor
  • Integration of the Accelerometer — the First Step of the MEMS Revolution
        JC Eloy, President and CEO, Yole Développement
  • CeNSE: Awareness through A Trillion MEMS Sensors 
        Rich Friedrich, Director of the CeNSE program, Hewlett-Packard Labs
  • On the Road to $1T?
        Gregory J. Galvin, Ph.D., President/CEO, Kionix, Inc.
  • Implementing the Trillion Dollar MEMS Roadmap
        Robert Haak, Managing Director, Insight interAsia Pte Ltd., Vice President – Asia/Pacific, Executive Board of Directors, MANCEF
  • Fusing Sensors into Mobile Operating Systems & Innovative Use Cases
        Tristan Joo, Board Director & Co-Chair of Mobile SIG, Wireless Communications Alliance
  • High Volume Assembly & Test Solutions to Meet the Rapidly Growing MEMS Market
        Russell Shumway – Sr. Manager, MEMS & Sensor Packaging, Amkor Technology

Register for the symposium at http://meptec.org/meptectenthannuc.html.

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May 9, 2012 — Texas Instruments Inc. (TI, TXN) remained the top manufacturer of micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) in 2011 with $779.0 million in MEMS revenues, fending off runners-up Hewlett Packard Co. and Bosch in tough competition for market share, according to an IHS iSuppli MEMS Market Brief report.

The top 10 MEMS players had combined revenue of $4.7 billion, up 12% from $4.2 billion in 2010. TI was followed by Hewlett-Packard (HP), Bosch, STMicroelectronics (ST, STM), Canon, Panasonic, Denso, Knowles Electronics, Analog Devices Inc. (ADI), and Epson.

Table. Worldwide revenue forecast for MEMS IDM and fabless manufacturers, excluding foundries ($M). SOURCE: IHS iSuppli Research, May 2012.

Rank Company 2011
Revenue		 2010
Revenue		 Y/Y Growth
(Decline) %
1 Texas Instruments 779.0 810.5 -4%
2 HP 748.4 782.1 -4%
3 Bosch 742.2 643.0 15%
4 STMicroelectronics 651.6 357.5 82%
5 Canon 368.7 354.7 4%
6 Panasonic 310.1 285.7 9%
7 Denso  286.4 262.5 9%
8 Knowles 270.9 191.5 41%
9 Analog Devices 250.2 204.2 22%
10 Epson 247.7 264.7 -6%
Total for Top 10   4,655.1 4,156.4 12.0%
Share of Total MEMS market   59.0% 58.5%  

Bosch and ST had much larger revenue jumps than the 2 top suppliers, which could indicate more competition for #1 in the near future.

Freescale Semiconductor, a former member of the top 10 MEMS makers, fell out of the rankings to #11.

TI’s MEMS revenue fell 4% from 2010 to 2011, owing in part to supply chain disruptions caused by the 3/11 Japan earthquake. Sales of digital light processing (DLP) MEMS chips kept TI on top in 2011, said Jérémie Bouchaud, director and senior principal analyst for MEMS & sensors at IHS. The DLP business was what helped propel TI to the top spot in 2010, rebounding in the business and education front-projector segment. “Sales are especially strong in China and India,” Bouchard notes, where DLP-based projectors have taken market share from liquid crystal displays (LCD). While front-projection designs are growing, rear-projection DLP TVs have virtually disappeared. From 2004 to 2009, this trend erased 31% of TI’s MEMS revenue.

TI also found success in pico-projectors, a still relatively small portion of its MEMS business at <$50 million of MEMS revenues. The company is the top supplier of pico-projectors for both accessory and embedded projectors such as those found in the Beam handset from Samsung Electronics. The product segment will be a main growth driver at TI over the next 5 years.

TI also introduced a MEMS temperature sensor, or thermopile, in 2011, targeting new handsets and tablets. Thermopiles monitor the temperature of the case to help optimize processor operation. Thermopiles will start to contribute to TI’s MEMS business in 2012 or 2013.

Hewlett-Packard also lost 4% of revenues from 2010 to 2011, coming in with $748.4 million from its MEMS business. HP held the #1 rank from 2005 to 2009, but suffers from price erosion in its MEMS thermal actuators, used in inkjet printheads. HP has lower shipments of disposable printheads as well, since it started migrating to permanent ones in 2005.

The Bosch Group GmbH held onto #3 with revenue of $742.2 million, shooting up 15% from 2010. Bosch saw growth in automotive MEMS as new vehicle safety products ramp up with inertial and pressure sensors. The vehicle airbag market grew rapidly in China as well, and side airbag applications rose in the United States.

STMicroelectronics saw 82% revenue growth in MEMS — the largest of any in the rankings — to $651.6 million. ST maintained its historical lead in accelerometers, with 50% of all consumer accelerometer revenue in 2011 for such applications as handsets, tablets, laptops and gaming. As consumer accelerometers start to slow, STMicroelectronics is expected to focus on other MEMS devices, including 3-axis gyroscopes, MEMS microphones, and pressure sensors. In 2011, gyroscopes accounted for 55% of MEMS revenue at STM, up from 32% in 2010 and <1% in 2009.

Canon saw a 4% increase in revenues with $368.7 million, the only major inkjet head manufacturer to see a revenue increase in 2011.

Access the IHS iSuppli MEMS Market Brief report.

IHS (NYSE: IHS) provides information, insight and analytics in critical areas that shape today’s business landscape. For more information, visit www.ihs.com.

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