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December 19, 2011 — In its new report, Emerging Markets For Microfluidic Applications, Yole Développement asserts that microfluidics are a "key technology" for the life sciences market, which will prop up microfluidics growth to $4 billion in 2016. The report provides analysis of microfluidic device markets and technologies with market data for 2008-2010 and forecasts for 2010-2016.

The microfluidic device market is quickly evolving and entering a "structuration and consolidation phase," said report author Frédéric Breussin, Yole Développement. Many products are moving from prototyping to production. Many new players recently entered the supply chain, bringing expertise in the mass production of electronic devices and modules. This could create a microfluidics eco system where production costs are reduced enough to make disposable microfluidic devices accessible for the medical market.

Also read: Microfluidics foundry opens under A*STAR in Singapore

The boundaries between microfluidics applications in the life sciences field are often blurred, says Breussin. These include general dispensing, drug delivery, accurate dispensing, analytics, clinical and veterinary diagnostics, point-of-care testing, industrial and environmental testing, pharmaceutical and life science use, and microreaction technology.

Figure. Microfluidics supply and value chain. SOURCE: Yole, September 2011.

Yole Développement’s report describes the microfluidic supply chain, from R&D to commercialization and distribution. It shows for main players and their role in the supply chain for each type of material, and the costs related to manufacturing steps, as well as final product costs.

Companies cited in the report:
AB SCIEX, Abaxis, Abbott, Advion Biosciences, AES Laboratoire , Agilent Technologies, Bartels mikrotechnik, BD, Bertin Technologies, Biodiot, BioFluidix, bioMérieux, Biosite, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bürkert, Caliper Life Sciences, Cellectricon, Cepheid, Cetoni , Cytoo, Dalsa, Danaher, Debiotech, Dolomite, Eksigent Technologies, Epocal, Fluidigm, Fluigent, GE Novasensor, Genewave, GeSim, Great Basin, Hamilton, Ikerlan, Illumina, IMM, Invitrogen, Johnson & Johnson, Konica Minolta Opto, LabCyte, Life Technologies, Merlin diagnostic, MicroCHIPS, Micronit, MicroParts, Nanostream, Ocusense, Pall Genesystem, PerkinElmer, Philips, PositiveID Corporation, Qiagen, Raindance Technologies, Roche Applied Science, Samsung, Scienion, Sensirion, Seyonic, Shimadzu Biotech, Shrink Nanotechnologies, Siemens Medical Solutions, Sony DADC, Sophion, Stmicroelectronics, Texas Instrument, Tokyo Electron, Vantix Ltd, etc.

Frédéric Breussin is an expert in microfluidics for diagnostics and life sciences.

Benjamin Roussel is a market analyst in microfluidics and medical technologies.

Contact David Jourdan for report information: [email protected] or +33 472 83 01 90, or visit www.yole.fr.

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December 16, 2011 — MEMS and semiconductor supplier STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM, ST) has hosted 3 2011 iNEMO Campus Design Contests, for the US, China and Taiwan. This week, Taiwan’s first place went to students from the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology. The group, called "Total Annihilation," used the iNEMO board to transform a hula hoop into a sports monitoring system for health care applications.

The Smart Hula Hoop measures a user’s waistline and detects exercise levels, monitoring and recording the data. The design accesses and fuses output data from iNEMO’s on-board accelerometer (gravity and acceleration); e-Compass (absolute heading orientation); and gyroscope (angular velocity during rotation).

The design fully utilized 9 of the 10 degrees of freedom (DOF) available from iNEMO’s micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), integrating motion detection technology with a consumer need, or "smart-life concept." Total Annihilation received a prize of NT$60,000 from ST. The Smart Hula Hoop combines iNEMO MEMS sensor technology with "engineering creativity," said Patrick Boulaud, STMicroelectronics regional VP, Analog Power & MEMS, Greater China and South Asia Region.

In addition to the champion, the judges selected a second and third place winner and seven honorable mentions, which were awarded, respectively, prizes of NT$40,000, NT$30,000 and NT$5,000 each.

Nearly 145 students and young engineers in Taiwan submitted 32 designs to the 2011 iNEMO contest. Entries were judged based on a combination of function and practicality, implementation, creativity, presentation and final demonstration. Contest winners were revealed in conjunction with ST’s Annual MEMS Symposium held in Taipei.

The open competition, co-sponsored by Taiwan’s Association of Nanotechnology and Micro System and launched to showcase ST’s iNEMO evaluation and development tool, promotes MEMS design innovation among university students in Taiwan. See China’s winners here. And the US team here.

Further information about the iNEMO contest in Taiwan can be found at http://www.st-inemo.com.tw/

STMicroelectronics provides semiconductors for consumer and portable applications.

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December 15, 2011 — Combo sensors, comprising micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) accelerometers, gyroscopes, or electronic compasses, are filling a need in consumer and automotive applications. These multi-sensor packages should see combined revenue from these sectors grow by a factor of 50 over 5 years, shows an IHS iSuppli MEMS market brief.

Combo sensor packages can vary in configuration, depending on the components contained in the package. In the consumer space, for instance, a 6 degree of freedom (DOF) compass module typically comprises a three-axis accelerometer plus a 3-axis compass; where inertial sensors are used, the device is called an inertial measurement unit (IMU). In comparison, a 9DOF is a combination of a 3-axis compass, 3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis accelerometer; while a 10DOF includes all of the components of the 9DOF along with a pressure sensor to measure altitude. Meanwhile, combo sensors in the form of 4DOF to 6DOF are emerging in automotive applications, principally in the form of IMUs without compasses.

Revenue for MEMS combo sensors saw $23.6 million in 2010, an estimated $70.9 million in 2011, and will approach $1.2 billion by 2015, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 120%. Triple-digit expansion percentages will occur 2011-2013.

Automotive applications saw $22.8 million in 2011 revenues, and should reach $131.8 million by 2015. Major combo sensor suppliers include Bosch (namely its stability control systems) and VTI Technologies (feeding Continental AG’s stability control systems).

Also read: 2012 sees automotive sensor market back to healthy growth track

The attraction of combo sensors in these applications comes from price and form factor advantages achieved when multiple MEMS are packaged together. Automotive safety systems, government-mandated in many countries, can be made smaller, more efficient, and less expensive in a combo format.

In 2011, consumer applications make up the majority of revenue ($48.1 million) and this trend is expected to continue through 2015 ($1.0 billion).

Also read: Sensor fusion drives mobile electronics’ future apps

In consumer applications, the majority of accelerometers are currently shipped as separate, discrete devices. These discrete devices are set to dominate in handsets during the next 4 years. Integration within a 6-axis IMU will take off starting in 2013, and will be the main format for combo sensors in 2015.

The same, however, cannot be said for integration within 6-axis compass modules, which will remain marginal because of diverging requirements for the location of the accelerometer and compass in handsets, leading to no obvious cost advantage. Here, a motion sensor needs to be near the center of the device, while a compass needs to be away from sources of disruptive electromagnetic interference.

Some 9-axis IMUs will appear among a few OEMs seduced by revenue opportunities for black-box solutions, but penetration will be limited because their large form factor is a disadvantage in handsets, where space for sensors and other semiconductors is at a premium.

Meanwhile, combo sensors are likely to be more prevalent in tablets because of the extra space that is available with a larger device. Here, 6-axis IMUs will dominate, with 6-axis compasses and 9-axis IMUs to be more popular in tablets than in handsets.

Other consumer applications for combo sensors include laptops, cameras, MP3 players and remote controllers.

So far, 6-axis compasses have been offered by Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM) Inc. and Aichi Steel Corp., STMicroelectronics, and Bosch Sensortec. 6-axis IMUs also are available from STMicroelectronics and from InvenSense Inc.

Worldwide MEMS combo sensor revenue forecast. SOURCE: IHS iSuppli Research, December 2011.

Access the IHS report, Combo Sensor: A Solution to Incessant Price Pressure, at http://www.isuppli.com/MEMS-and-Sensors/Pages/Combo-Sensor-a-Solution-to-Incessant-Price-Pressure.aspx

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December 14, 2011 — Linkstar Microtronics Pte. Ltd. customers have qualified the pilot shipment of silicon optic devices fabricated with Singapore’s A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME) MEMS technology.

IME developed the MEMS technology for LinkStar, a recent spin-off from IME. Linkstar developed the novel silicon optical devices based on this MEMS technology, using what it calls a highly accurate, repeatable, and cost-competitive process.

The IME silicon MEMS technology enables accurate alignment of optical devices to the optical fiber arrays, ensuring that the maximum amount of light is coupled to the devices with minimal optical power loss. Compared to traditional alignment methods, the MEMS-based system significantly reduces the cost of packaging, as well as the time spent at alignment, IME reports.

This is one of IME’s forays into photonics, leveraging its expertise in areas such as MEMS technology. "Attaining volume production status from the customer marks a significant milestone achievement on our silicon photonics roadmap, said Prof. Dim-Lee Kwong, executive director of IME.

The silicon MEMS technology is licensed to LinkStar via A*STAR’s commercialization arm, Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd.  

The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) is a research institute of the Science and Engineering Research Council of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). For more information, visit IME on the Internet: http://www.ime.a-star.edu.sg.

LinkStar Microtronics Pte. Ltd. (LinkStar) is a fabless semiconductor company that offers innovative silicon devices. For more information, visit LinkStar’s website http://www.linkstarmicrotronics.com/.

Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd (ETPL) is the strategic marketing and commercialization arm of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). For more information, please visit www.exploit-tech.com.

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December 13, 2011 — Jean-Christophe Eloy, president & CEO, Yole Développement, shares an analyst’s view of the micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) industry, calling 2011 a year of transition and changes. 2011 is the year when the MEMS market transitions to big business with wide-spread adoption, Eloy asserts.

In 2011, the MEMS sector topped $10 billion for the first time, and a MEMS company (InvenSense) approached $1 billion with its initial public offering (IPO).

Fabless MEMS is becoming a viable business model, noted Eloy. A-List companies are creating MEMS teams: Apple, Google, and Facebook for example.

MEMS are going into high-volume applications like mobile phones. MEMS sensors are showing up in all kinds of systems, enabling them to interact with the external world and sense what is happening: smart munitions, cardiac rhythm management, smart phone functionality, oil drill monitoring, etc.

The MEMS industry has a long way to go before becoming a $100 billion business, Eloy said. "MEMS integration is still complex for system manufacturers, delaying fast market adoption," he added. MEMS manufacturers need to roadmap simplified system integration for more growth of the MEMS business. MEMS companies need to come together to create a MEMS ecosystem, which will simplify the integration of MEMS into larger systems and modules by non-MEMS-specialists.

In 2012, new devices will go into volume production, as has happened with inertial devices in mobile systems; and new applications will evolve, as has happened with antenna-matching MEMS technology, MEMS-based micro fuel cells, Mirasol MEMS-based displays, enumerated Eloy. More units will be produced in inertial sensors, microphones, electronic compass, pressure sensors in the coming year.

Device makers will have to counteract price pressures by redefining their value proposition — selling functions and not only devices. "This is where the major changes will happen in 2012: if MEMS companies want to preserve their margins, they have to remember that MEMS is all about selling functions and micro-systems."

Many MEMS companies are acquisition targets for semiconductor and system makers. Eloy breaks this down into 2 factors: MEMS companies have reached market maturity; and venture capitalists (VCs) that invested in MEMS start-ups 10 years ago can now see a return on their investments.

In 2012, expect growth of MEMS unit volumes and more M&A from interested semiconductor companies.

Figure. 2016 MEMS market value breakdown. Total: $19.6 billion. SOURCE: Yole Développement.

Yole Développement is a group of companies providing market research, technology analysis, strategy consulting, media and finance services. Learn more at www.yole.fr.

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December 13, 2011 – PRWEB — DelfMEMS SA named Tronics as its micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) foundry partner. Tronics will manufacture RF MEMS switches for DelfMEMS, with high-capacity runs starting in 2012.

DelfMEMS considered global — US, European, and Asian — foundry partners, tapping Tronics in Dallas, TX, for its ability to meet process requirements and the supply chain needs of DelfMEMS’ customers. Dr. Olivier Millet, CEO of DelfMEMS, enumerates the foundry’s qualifications: an established wafer fab that has processed hundreds of millions of MEMS chips and special expertise in metal bonding and wafer level packaging (WLP).

The companies have completed several key process transfer milestones, enabling Tronics to deliver samples in early 2012, with volume production following late in the year. Within a few years, Tronics will produce 20k+ wafers/year for DelfMEMS. The high-volume potential comes from the cellular handset market, as well as other possible sectors that could take advantage of conductivity, linearity, and reliability of DelftMEMS’ RFMEMS, said Brian Stephenson, president of Tronics Dallas.

Also read: Tronics expands MEMS manufacturing, HQ and RF MEMS packaging collab between DelfMEMS and KFM

Tronics is an international, full-service MEMS manufacturer with wafer fabs in France and the US, and representation in Asia. Tronics’ services range from MEMS design to high-volume MEMS manufacturing. The company builds supply chains for delivery of MEMS ranging from wafers to integrated custom components. Visit http://www.tronicsgroup.com for more information.

DelfMEMS develops and markets radio-frequency switches based on MEMS technology. Visit http://www.delfmems.com for more information.

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December 12, 2011 – Marketwire — Teledyne DALSA manufactured the CCD sensors — designed by NASA — on the NASA mission to Mars. The Curiosity Rover launched on Saturday, November 26, 2011. The sensors are embedded in its Engineering Cameras — 4 Navcams and 8 Hazcams — located on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Rover to help it navigate the surface of the planet.

Also read: NASA technologist talks CNTs, nanowires, PCMs…

Navcams (Navigation Cameras) are mounted on a pan/tilt mast 2 meters above the ground. They use visible light to gather black-and-white panoramic, three-dimensional images. The navigation camera unit is a stereo pair of cameras, each with a 45° field of view that will support ground navigation planning by scientists and engineers. They will work in cooperation with the hazard avoidance cameras by providing a complementary view of the terrain.

Hazcams (Hazard Avoidance Cameras) are mounted on the lower portion of the front and rear of the rover, these black-and-white cameras will use visible light to capture three-dimensional images used to keep the rover from getting lost or inadvertently crashing into unexpected obstacles. Working with the rover’s software, Hazcams allow the rover to make its own safety choices. The cameras each have a wide field of view of about 120°. The rover uses pairs of Hazcam images to map out the shape of the terrain as far as 3 meters (10 feet) in front of it, in a "wedge" shape that is over 4 meters wide (13 feet) at the farthest distance. The cameras need to see far on either side because unlike human eyes, the Hazcam cameras cannot move independently; they are mounted directly on the rover body.

Teledyne DALSA’s semiconductor wafer foundry has supported NASA’s missions to Mars since 1997. The CCD sensors in the MSL Rovers’ Engineering Cameras are custom devices, designed by NASA and manufactured by Teledyne DALSA. "With this type of mission, failure is not an option," said Donald Robert, VP of sales at Teledyne DALSA’s Foundry Business, noting that the company’s harsh-environment sensors have performed to or above NASA’s requirements in the past.

Teledyne DALSA’s pure-play semiconductor wafer foundry builds MEMS, CCDs, and high-voltage CMOS devices. Visit www.teledynedalsa.com/semi for more information.

Teledyne DALSA, a Teledyne Technologies company, makes high-performance digital imaging and semiconductors. For more information, visit Teledyne DALSA’s website at www.teledynedalsa.com.

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December 12, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — Micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) are increasingly driving consumer electronics applications, particularly in mobile devices — rotating the display on a screen, "turning" a page on an e-reader, capturing motion for gaming, etc. MEMS Industry Group (MIG) shares the MEMS-related exhibits and discusses at the 2012 International CES, which covers consumer electronics, January 10-13 in Las Vegas.

Karen Lightman, managing director of MEMS Industry Group, says that consumers are increasingly blurring the line between technology and entertainment. "Consumers cannot seem to get enough features on mobile handsets, tablets, game controllers, television remotes or e-readers." She also notes that MEMS enable quality-of-life applications for healthier, more independent living.

MIG is sponsoring MEMS TechZone, a new area of the 2012 International CES exhibition showcasing companies that are driving the adoption of MEMS in consumer products. MIG’s co-exhibitors include:
— Akustica, Inc., a Bosch Group company providing the world’s smallest single-chip MEMS microphones for improved voice capture in laptops, tablets, mobile handsets, headsets and other electronic products;
— Bosch Sensortec GmbH, a Bosch Group company delivering geomagnetic sensors, triaxial accelerometers, barometric pressure sensors and a comprehensive software portfolio for consumer, automotive and industrial applications;
— Freescale Semiconductor, a global provider of intelligent sensors, logic and customizable software for smart portable electronics, quality of life/biomedical systems, computer peripherals, wireless devices and automotive electronics;
— VTI Technologies, a leading supplier of acceleration, inclination, angular rate and pressure sensor solutions for automotive, medical, instrument and consumer applications; and
— WiSpry, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company that brings significant performance improvements, size and cost reduction benefits to mobile handset manufacturers and network operators through its dynamically tunable radio frequency (RF) MEMS devices.
MEMS TechZone is located at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) South Hall 2, Ground Level, Booth #25218.

MIG’s Karen Lightman will moderate a conference session, "Connecting the Real World with the Digital World: Harnessing the Power of MEMS," featuring industry executives whose companies are changing the very nature of consumer products. Featured panelists will be:
— Jeff Hilbert, President & Founder, WiSpry;
— Frank Melzer, PhD, General Manager and CEO of Bosch Sensortec;
— Seyed Paransun, Vice President and General Manager, Sensor and Actuator Solutions Division, Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.; and
— Scott Smyser, Vice President & General Manager North America & Co-Founder, Timing Devices, VTI Technologies, Inc.
The MEMS conference session, "Harnessing the Power of MEMS," will take place January 11, 2012, 10:30-11:30 a.m., LVCC, North Hall, Room N254.

MEMS Industry Group (MIG) is the trade association advancing MEMS across global markets. For more information, visit www.memsindustrygroup.org.

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Read MIG’s blogs on our MEMS page:

MEMS sensor technology used to train competitive rowers

MEMS motion sensors’ continuing evolution in commercial markets

MEMS in 2011 and beyond: POVs from the MEMS Executive Congress

December 9, 2011 — Printed electronics materials and equipment suppliers, as well as academics and industry, were honored with annual awards at the IDTechEx Printed Electronics USA 2011 in Santa Clara, CA.

Also read: Printed Electronics 2011: Chips, inks, tissue boxes, and apps in between

Judging panel: Professor Malcolm Keif, California Polytechnic State University Prof Yang Yang, UCLA – University of California, Los Angeles Joshua Windmiller, University of California, San Diego

Best Technical Development Manufacturing Award – Coatema
Coatema’s Smartcoater is a roll-to-roll (R2R) lab unit with a working width starting at 100mm and a wide range of coating applications and production speed. Complex products can be produced with a minimum use of substrate and chemistry. The base unit offers a 5-in-1 coating module including slot die, knife, dipping, micro-roller and engraved roller application functions. There is no need to purchase individual modules for each of these applications. In addition other modules are being added rapidly including: screen printing; flexo printing; UV spraying and others necessary for producing all layers of a product.

Best Technical Development Materials Award – Opalux Inc.
Opalux develops active photonic crystal materials addressed by stimuli such as pressure, heat, shear and chemical activation to effect a color change. Photonic Ink (P-Ink) — the award-winning material — is electrically tuned to reflect any desired spectral color and can also be tuned to provide UV and IR reflection. Activation at voltages of less than 1.5V and microampere currents gives bright, highly saturated and bistable color states that can be switched at high speeds. The power and current requirements are compatible with standard consumer electronics devices.

Academic R&D Award – Stevens Institute of Technology and US Army ARDEC
A team of researchers from Stevens Institute of Technology and US Army ARDEC have been exploring the evaporative assembly of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets during inkjet printing, as a transformative means of producing 2D and 3D graphene micropatterns for a variety of flexible electronics applications. The ability of producing graphene oxide supercapacitor electrodes by inkjet printing and subsequent thermal reduction was demonstrated by the researchers. This approach provides a scalable manufacturing platform to fabricate economically viable supercapacitor electrodes particularly for miniaturized flexible supercapacitor applications.   

Best Product Development Award – Vorbeck and MWV
Vorbeck and MeadWestvaco (MWV) won this award for the new anti-theft retail package product. Vorbeck’s Vor-ink has provided the enabling technology for the development of the MWV package product. This new printed graphene ink technology, called Siren, is part of MWV’s Natralock product line, and will be on store shelves at major retailers including Home Depot in early 2012.

Best Commercialization Award – Peratech
Peratech is the inventor of Quantum Tunnelling Composite (QTC) technology. QTC’s are electro-active polymeric materials made from metallic or non-metallic filler particles combined in an elastomeric binder. These enable the action of ‘touch’ to be translated into an electrical reaction, enabling a vast array of devices to incorporate very thin and highly robust ‘sensing’ of touch and pressure.  QTC’s unique properties enable it to be made into force sensitive switches of any shape or size.  QTC switches and switch matrices can be screen printed allowing for development and integration of switches that are as thin as 75um. Peratech uses IP licensing to commercialize the technology, researching and tailoring it for a customer, then licensing the solution along with supplying the required form of QTC. The first major successes are two license deals worth several million dollars.

Exhibitor awards also went to Novacentrix and PST Sensors (voted by attendees). Printed Electronics USA attendees also named the best poster, created by Stéphanie Dupont, PhD Candidate Materials Sc&Eng., Stanford University.

The next IDTechEx Printed Electronics awards will be held at the European event, in Berlin, Germany on 3-4 April 2012. For more details see www.IDTechEx.com/peEUROPE.

December 8, 2011 — Imec and Holst Centre micromachined a vibration-energy harvester with 489µW output power, using piezoelectric material in a MEMS cantilever. The team presented results at IEEE’s International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) this week in Washington DC.

Also read: imec’s IEDM papers reach "record number"

Shock-induced energy, as well as vibration, is harvested by the micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS). One application is energy harvesting in car tires, where the device could power built-in sensors. At 70km/h, the energy harvesters were shown to deliver a constant 42µW.

The harvester design sandwiches a piezoelectric (aluminum nitride) layer between metallic electrodes in a cantilever structure, forming a capacitor. A mass is attached to the cantilever tip, translating the macroscopic vibration into a vertical movement and straining the piezoelectric layer. This generates a voltage across the capacitor.

The harvesters are packaged with a 6" wafer-scale vacuum packaging process. The micromachining production process is compatible with low-cost mass-production fabrication.

The harvester has a record output power of 489µW when the vibrations closely match the MEMS’ resonance vibration, which in this case is 1011Hz. An automotive partner joined with imec to validate the harvester for use in car tires. Depending on car speed and road conditions, the tires — and energy harvesters — receive regular shocks, diplacing the mass. When the mass rings down at its natural resonance frequency, part of the mechanical energy is harvested.

MEMS that harvest machine or vehicle vibration can be used to power miniaturized autonomous sensor nodes, in situations where battery replacement is not sustainable or practical. Harvesters will allow sustainable monitoring on a massive scale. One example is Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) and its successors: a car tire with built-in sensors that monitor e.g. the tire integrity and pressure, the road condition, or the driving style.

Imec performs world-leading research in nanoelectronics. Learn more at www.imec.be.

Holst Centre is an independent open-innovation R&D centre that develops generic technologies for Wireless Autonomous Transducer Solutions and for Systems-in-Foil. Visit www.holstcentre.com.

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