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February 9, 2012 — Colibrys SA, high-reliability micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) motion sensors manufacturer for precision navigation and seismic monitoring applications, will relocate locally, to the Y-Parc at Yverdon-les-Bains, Canton Vaud, Switzerland. The move will be completed by mid-2013.

Colibrys will use a US$10 million investment for new cleanrooms to manufacture 6" silicon MEMS wafers and perform advanced assembly and test capabilities, as well as areas for design, product engineering, and administration tasks.

The move enables Colibrys to expand into medical and industrial sensor markets, said Sean Neylon, CEO, adding that the company will be able to ramp up new product developments, customer support, and employee benefits in the new location.

Colibrys expects substantial rent reductions from the move, and will occuy modern, eco-friendly premises. The new location, owned by Meigerhorn, is in the Y-Parc technology center for high-tech SME businesses.

COLIBRYS makes standard and semi-custom MEMS-based motion sensors for harsh-environment (Aerospace & Defense and Energy) and safety critical (Industrial and Instrumentation) applications. Additional information is available at www.colibrys.com.

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February 8, 2012 – PRNewswire via COMTEX — Egypt-based integrated circuit (IC) and micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) maker Si-Ware Systems (SWS) launched a US subsidiary, Si-Ware Systems Inc. Scott Smyser, a new executive vice president for worldwide marketing and business development, will manage the US business.

SWS aims to deliver advanced devices to key markets, as it expands beyond design services and into standard products. The new US subsidiary falls in line with this business strategy. SWS operates in ASIC solutions, with configurable ASICs for MEMS-based components such as sensors and resonators; timing products, providing all-silicon clock oscillator products; and MEMS solutions, including the flagship SiMOST platform for single-chip optical systems.

Smyser has a experience in the semiconductor industry as an executive and strategy consultant for companies focused on timing devices, MEMS sensors and wireless technologies. He has led and advised various companies in the industry with an emphasis on marketing, technology, and product development. Most recently, Smyser was vice president & general manager for VTI Technologies, Inc. a leading supplier of MEMS sensors to the automotive, medical, and consumer markets. He also co-founded VTI’s timing device business. He spoke in the panel, "Connecting the Real World with the Digital World: Harnessing the Power of MEMS," at the International CES 2012 in Las Vegas this January.

"The continuing growth of ever-smaller ‘smart’ devices requires higher levels of integration and miniaturization," said Scott Smyser, executive vice president and general manager, Si-Ware Systems, Inc. "Si-Ware’s innovative design platforms and its expertise in integrating MEMS and ASICs make them an ideal provider for new cutting-edge solutions."

"Si-Ware has focused its design services efforts in growth areas – MEMS sensors are increasingly used across multiple industries, silicon timing devices are cost-effective alternatives to quartz, and there is a continued drive to miniaturize optical systems," said Hisham Haddara, Ph.D, CEO at Si-Ware Systems. "We have been able to leverage our design expertise to create highly integrated new products that can be easily incorporated into larger systems. Establishing a subsidiary in the U.S. and bringing Scott on to manage global business development is the next logical step in consolidating our growth plan for these strategic products."

Si-Ware Systems is an independent fabless semiconductor company providing a wide spectrum of product design and development solutions, custom ASIC development and supply as well as standard products. For more information, please visit www.si-ware.com.

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February 6, 2012 — Micro-scale thermal management device maker Nextreme Thermal Solutions announced that its thin-film thermoelectric technology has achieved a 60.1°C temperature difference between its cold and hot sides at an ambient temperature of 24.7°C, bringing it on par with the performance of bulk thermoelectric technology.

The 60°C temperature milestone, known as the ΔTmax, indicates the thermoelectric device’s ability to pump heat efficiently, improving cooling and lowering input power requirements for applications in electronics, photonics, automotive, avionics, and high-speed PCR applications.

The improved performance is the result of new materials development at Nextreme and the use of advanced, state-of-the-art interconnect and contact technology developed at the Center for Solid State Energetics at RTI International.

Nextreme will be introducing new products with this higher level of cooling performance in 2012.

Nextreme Thermal Solutions manufactures thin-film thermoelectric modules and subsystems. For more information, visit www.nextreme.com.

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February 2, 2012 — Qualtré, silicon MEMS inertial sensors developer, appointed Dr. Ijaz Jafri as VP of engineering, responsible for all aspects of product development and commercialization. Jafri has 16+ years of experience in micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) and semiconductors, including inertial MEMS, optical MEMS, radio frequency MEMS, microfluidics, MEMS relays/switches and gas sensors.

Prior to joining Qualtré, Dr. Ijaz Jafri held key engineering leadership posts at Honeywell International (Sensing, Guidance and Navigation Center of Excellence), Corning Inc. (Electromechanical Design and Applications), and GT Equipment Technologies / GT Solar (Research and Development). Jafri has served as an investigator on US Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and National Institute of Standards and Technology funded programs.

Jafri is Six Sigma Black Belt certified with expertise in integrated product development, production transition, and production support. He received a Doctor of Philosophy and Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering from State University of New York at Stony Brook, NY and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from New York Institute of Technology.

He has numerous peer-reviewed journal and conference publications and currently holds seventeen US patents.

Qualtré is a venture-backed company commercializing the next generation of solid-state silicon MEMS motion sensor solutions. Learn more at www.qualtre.com.

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February 1, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Tessera Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:TSRA) expects a mobile phone design win for its micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) optical imaging technology in H1 2012, reported Robert A. Young, president and CEO.

The company will also announce major steps toward high-volume manufacturing of MEMS devices in H2 2012, Young said. Also read: MEMS alternatives for miniature auto-focus cameras

Tessera intends to file its definitive proxy statement on or near Febuary 17, 2012. The company will hold its annual meeting March 30, 2012 at its principal executive offices.  

Tessera also announced that, after a series of discussions with Starboard Value LP and affiliates, Starboard has agreed in writing to rescind its nomination notice for the election of directors at the upcoming 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. More about the Tessera stockholder challenge here.

Tessera Technologies, Inc. is a holding company for two businesses. The Company’s Intellectual Property reporting segment (formerly known as Micro-electronics) is a patent licensing business that owns patents generated in over 20 years of semiconductor packaging research and development. The Company’s other reporting segment, DigitalOptics (formerly known as Imaging & Optics), offers camera module solutions that provide cost-effective, high-quality camera features, including extended depth of field (EDoF), zoom, image enhancement, optical image stabilization and MEMS-based auto-focus. Go to www.tessera.com.

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February 1, 2012 — The market for automotive micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) sensors and actuators expanded after natural disasters in Japan and Thailand last year, with car electronic systems makers seeking to expand their supply chains to mitigate risk. Automotive MEMS revenue in 2011 amounted to $2.2 billion, up 16% from 2010, according to an IHS iSuppli MEMS & Sensors report.

Figure: Worldwide automotive MEMS revenue forecast. SOURCE: IHS iSuppli Research, January 2012.

  2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Billions of US Dollars $1.9 $2.2 $2.4 $2.6 $2.9 $3.1

Automotive MEMS experienced 28% growth in 2010, accelerating out of the global recession alongside auto makers (25% growth that year). The growth rates for 2010 and 2011 are well above the 7-9% annual expansions in sensor sales see pre-recession. In 2012, expect 7% growth, owing to an inventory reduction late in the year. IHS expects inventory cuts to be offset by ramping car shipments and increasing safety mandates that put more MEMS in vehicles.

Also read:

Pressure sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and flow sensors account for the majority of automotive MEMS revenue: 21 out of 24 identified applications for MEMS in the automotive space, and nearly 99% of the entire value of the automotive MEMS market.

After "suffering short supplies of parts" in 2009, automotive system makers expanded their components sources, said Richard Dixon, senior analyst for MEMS and sensors at IHS. This prepared the industry well for the earthquake in Japan (March 2011) and floods in Thailand (late 2011). In some instances these companies were able to re-qualify parts from new sources, helping MEMS sensor sales stay on track.

The automotive MEMS sensor market will expand more rapidly than originally expected over the next few years, achieving a 2010-2015 five-year compound annual growth rate of approximately 10% and $3 billion+ revenue by 2015. Government-mandated automotive safety measures — such as tire-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) and electronic stability systems (ESC) — along with automotive expansion into new markets will push growth in the long-term.

October 2012 will see Japan adopt a mandate on ESC within its shores, similar to a timeline projected for Europe, where new models will be fitted with ESC to detect any discrepancy between the driver’s intention and the actual motion of the vehicle (ESC automatically intervenes to prevent dangerous skidding).

By 2014, all existing vehicles in Japan as well as new “mini” vehicles will be outfitted with ESC. The ESC mandate in Japan is expected to impact a total of 5 million vehicles in 2012, according to IHS Global Insight.

Learn more in the IHS iSuppli report, Another Good Year for Automotive MEMS Sensors.
 
IHS (NYSE: IHS) provides analysis on energy and power; design and supply chain; defense, risk and security; environmental, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability; country and industry forecasting; and commodities, pricing and cost. For more information, go to www.ihs.com.

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January 31, 2012 – PRNewswire — Audio test tool supplier Audio Precision launched the PDM I/O option for its APx500 series audio analyzers, used to test digital micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) microphones.

Pulse density modulation (PDM) is a one-bit, high clock rate data stream used with digital MEMS microphones in smartphones. The APx PDM option allows APx500 series audio analyzers to connect directly to any device with a PDM input or output for comprehensive testing.

The APx PDM Interface provides standard audio measurements, as well as variable DC supply voltage, variable sample rate, and a power supply rejection (PSR) measurement to test the device’s full operating parameters. PDM (mono or stereo) can be selected for both the analyzer inputs and outputs simultaneously. A special PDM bitstream mode permits analysis of the entire spectrum prior to decimation stages.

Digital semiconductor MEMS designers can use the APx PDM option to generate modulated PDM bitstreams and sending them directly to decimation stages with no further conversion or hardware. Smartphone and tablet manufacturers working on new designs can interface directly with MEMS microphones and PDM decimation stages to tune and verify performance. A special suite of acoustic response measurements enables faster, efficienct MEMS transducer testing, even in non-anechoic environments.

APx analyzers are used for complete smartphone and tablet audio development, combining PDM with integrated Bluetooth wireless technology, low noise analog for testing headphone outputs, digital serial (I2S) for direct chip-level communication, and HDMI for devices with HD video capabilities.

The first units will ship early in the second quarter of 2012.

Also see: Apple buys most MEMS microphones in 2011

Audio Precision (AP) offers high-performance audio analyzer instruments and applications. For more information, visit http://ap.com/.

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Murata closes VTI buy


January 31, 2012

January 31, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:6981, ISIN:JP3914400001) completed its acquisition of VTI Technologies Oy, via Murata Electronics Europe BV, a full subsidiary. VTI’s core micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology will enable smaller, more accurate, more reliable, lower-power devices, Murata noted.

By taking advantage of the synergies that result from acquiring VTI’s leading 3D MEMS sensor products to supplement its own product lines, Murata plans to strengthen and expand its business in the rapidly growing MEMS sensor market.

"VTI has an exceptionally sophisticated line of sensor products, and we aim to make use of the synergies between our two companies in order to lay a foundation for sustainable growth in the future," said Tsuneo Murata, president of Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

While Murata has a strong presence in the consumer applications market, VTI has focused on building a business base in automotive and medical applications, for which MEMS are increasingly used.

Read more about the deal: VTI Technologies sold to Murata Manufacturing

VTI Technologies Oy is headquartered in Finland, with operations in Germany, China, Japan, and the US. It has 547,000 euro (as of December 31, 2010) capital and annual sales of 76 million euro (for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010). The company employs about 600 people.

Murata Electronics Europe BV, based in the Netherlands,, has 220 million euro (as of January, 2012) capital. Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. designs, manufactures and sells ceramic-based passive electronic components & solutions, communication modules and power supply modules. with annual revenues of ¥618 billion (~€6.1B EUR or $7.9B USD). Learn more at http://www.murata.com/.

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January 30, 2012 — At the IEEE MEMS 2012 Conference, Coventor Inc., supplier of software for developing micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), released the 2012 CoventorWare for MEMS design verification and optimization. CoventorWare 2012 offers full 64-bit support, a new hex-dominant extrude meshing capability, a new Python scripting interface for its enhanced suite of MEMS field solvers, and a new intuitive user interface.

New levels of verification performance are needed for the complexity of MEMS devices going into consumer, automotive and industrial applications, said Mike Jamiolkowski, CEO of Coventor. The 2012 update targets shorter MEMS product development cycles, with ease-of-use for MEMS designers and complex modeling capabilities with high processing throughput.

Full 64-bit support has been implemented across the entire Coventor software suite, including the solid modeler, preprocessor and meshing, visualizer and all MEMS solvers. A single installation provides both 32- and 64-bit support that automatically runs in 64-bit mode on 64-bit operating systems.

The CoventorWare 2012 hex-dominant extrusion meshing option suits MEMS structure simulation with high aspect ratio, stacked layers of materials perforated with release etch hole patterns. It automatically generates meshes that have uniform density and quality, reducing the number of mesh elements required for typical MEMS devices by as much as 40%, making it possible to simulate entire multi-axis inertial MEMS sensors with 100s of electrostatic comb fingers.

The Python scripting interface for the CoventorWare 2012 field solvers enables users to automate repetitive tasks and perform more sophisticated types of analysis, such as multi-dimensional parametric studies. Users can set up simulations via the graphical user interface then automatically generate Python scripts, or combine automatically generated scripts to automate series of simulations and post-processing tasks. Python scripts can be executed from the new CoventorWare console, which is a unified graphical interface for accessing all CoventorWare functionality.
 
CoventorWare performs verification and optimization of device designs from layout through analysis of MEMS-specific multi-physics, such as coupled electro-mechanics, gas damping, anchor losses, thermo-elastic damping (TED), and manufacturing-induced stress gradients. Coventor’s MEMS design automation platform is used for rapid evaluation of design concepts, optimization and MEMS+IC integration.

“CoventorWare 2012…enables us to rapidly examine all aspects of our high-performance resonators in simulation and predict the Q factor due to thermo-elastic damping within 5% of measurement. As a result, we are able to further reduce the size of our quartz crystal and maintain the high Q necessary to interface with standard ICs," commented Silvio Dalla Piazza, vice president of Research & Development at Micro Crystal AG, a subsidiary of The Swatch Group Inc. Switzerland.

MEMS 2012 attendees can see a live demonstration of 2012 CoventorWare at Booth #10, January 30-February 2 in Paris, France.

Coventor Inc. provides automated design solutions for micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) and virtual fabrication of MEMS and semiconductor devices. More information is available at http://www.coventor.com.

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January 30, 2012 — Pure-play micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) foundry Innovative Micro Technology Inc. (IMT) named Craig Ensley its president and CEO, joining the company with 30+ years of semiconductor and entrepreneurial experience. Dr. John Foster is resigning as IMT’s CEO to lead one of IMT’s major customers, Owl Biomedical Inc.  

"Over the last decade, MEMS has emerged as a mainstream technology and now represents one of the highest growth areas in the electronics industry," commented Jose Suarez, an IMT Board Director. "IMT has one of the most elite MEMS development teams in the world and has grown to become the largest pure-play MEMS manufacturer in the US," added Ensley. He noted the importance of high-growth MEMS application markets, and leading emerging applications of MEMS technology. Ensley’s experience "will help IMT grow to an enterprise-class operation," stated Dr. Foster.

Also read: Semiconductor industry veteran takes helm at Minco Technology Labs and Philips Lumileds names CEO from semi sector

Before joining IMT, Ensley held executive roles at DisplayLink Corporation, a video networking IC company; Peregrine Semiconductor, a supplier of RF integrated circuits; Cirrus Logic, a supplier of high-performance analog ICs; as well as Crystal Semiconductor, a successful venture-backed startup. Ensley began his career at Rockwell International, where he helped start its communications semiconductor business.

IMT develops and produces MEMS devices for the RF, biotech, biomed, optical communications, infrared, navigation and general markets.  For more information, visit http://www.imtmems.com.

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