The vantage point, published.
The full MEMS Journal archive — 107 articles across two decades of sensors, MEMS, and microtechnology.
Industry overview: a MEMS foundry perspective
As the MEMS marketplace continues to evolve at a rapid pace, many new and exciting trends are taking shape. To provide some perspective, we recently spoke with Nancy Fares , Micralyne’s new President and CEO. In this detailed interview, Nancy provides unique insights on the main current trends in the MEMS…
Demand surges for high-value MEMS
Capitalizing on a gamut of hot-button issues ranging from global warming to aging populations , the market for high-value MEMS is set for very rapid growth in a large number of highly diverse segments, according to the market research firm iSuppli Corp. Revenue for high-value MEMS is projected to reach $1.6 billion…
iPhone 4 carries bill of materials of $187.51, according to iSuppli
The iPhone 4’s design may be radically different -- but the strategy remains the same, with the latest member of the product line carrying a bill of materials (BOM) that should continue to generate high profit margins for Apple Inc., according to iSuppli . The 16Gbyte version of the iPhone 4 carries a BOM of…
MEMS automotive sensors to recover in 2010
Following its toughest year in recent memory, the market for MEMS automotive sensors will rebound sharply in 2010 , but continued high sales might lead to an overheated market that could push the industry back into depression, according to new research from iSuppli Corp . Global shipments of automotive MEMS sensors…
MEMS industry overview: the past, the present and the future
As the MEMS marketplace continues to evolve at a rapid pace, many new and exciting trends are taking shape. To provide some perspective, we recently spoke with Dr. Kurt Petersen , a MEMS industry veteran and highly successful entrepreneur who founded such companies as NovaSensor , Cepheid and SiTime . In this…
Top MEMS chip suppliers survive recession intact
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Despite a slowdown from the global recession, there were no major reshuffles in the ranking of top semiconductor Integrated Device Manufacturers (IDM) and fabless makers of MEMS chips in 2009, according to iSuppli Corp.
MEMS innovation at MIT's Deshpande Center Ideastream Conference
by Paul Pyzowski , Guest Contributor MIT's Deshpande Center was established in 2002 to "accelerate the migration of ideas from the lab to practical commercial application". The Deshpande Center provides MIT faculty and students with small cash grants along with systematic mentoring, resulting in the creation of…
MEMS becomes the new Moore's Law
by Shahin Farshchi, Ph.D. Senior Associate, Lux Capital Management, LLC Not long ago, the MEMS community borrowed lithography and batch fabrication techniques from IC manufacturing to build precise and inexpensive mechanical devices. Today, MEMS devices have found their way into our phones, automobiles, and…
Will clean energy drive harsh environment MEMS?
by Paul Pyzowski , Guest Contributor The case for “harsh environment MEMS” -- devices that can operate at extreme pressures, temperatures, and in corrosive backgrounds -- is that they can be deployed in potentially lucrative applications and markets that cannot be served with traditional silicon-based MEMS . Over…
MEMS, energy harvesting and RF communications
As there are increasingly more MEMS, sensors and energy harvesting technologies on the market, it is important to understand newly available communications technologies to transmit data wirelessly. We recently spoke with Cees Links , founder and CEO of GreenPeak Technologies . His company is based in the…
MEMS business to double by 2013?
With traditional IC categories seeing a slowdown in annual growth rates since the late 1990s, more major semiconductor companies, pure-play IC foundries, and wafer fab equipment suppliers are shifting attention to the MEMS arena in order to boost revenues. The entry of large device suppliers into market segments…
MEMS and semiconductors IP strategies
We recently spoke with Marius Domokos , an IP attorney specializing in strategic counseling for technology companies, who also worked as an in-house IP attorney for KLA-Tencor and Intel . Here Marius shares some thoughts on how the MEMS industry should approach IP protection .
MEMS Industry Challenges and Trends
We recently spoke with Karen Lightman , the Managing Director of MEMS Industry Group about her views on the current activities in the MEMS industry as well as latest developments in her organization.
The year of the 8-inch MEMS fab
by Jérémie Bouchaud , Wicht Technologie Consulting Eight-inch MEMS fabs are hardly anything new. In revenue terms, a major part of the MEMS market has been processed on 8-inch lines since 2001, when Texas Instruments moved to 200 mm production. For many years, though, TI was the only significant manufacturer and…
Fundraising for MEMS and semiconductor startups
Many successful startup companies need funding to succeed. We recently spoke with Jeff Hilbert, EVP of Development and co-founder of WiSpry , about his experiences with the fundraising process and commercialization of MEMS technologies. Mr. Hilbert has raised over $54 million in venture capital and debt financing…
Prospects for MEMS in the automotive industry
by Richard Dixon and Jérémie Bouchaud, Wicht Technologie Consulting The automotive sector has long been a growth market for MEMS sensors. However, the industry continues to change and face new opportunities and challenges -- regulations, saturation in some applications and price erosion issues , to name a few.…
Ranking of top MEMS companies
by Jérémie Bouchaud, Wicht Technologie Consulting WTC has updated its MEMS market data with a global bottom-up survey of the top 30 MEMS companies . WTC identified and interviewed over 60 major organizations during February and March 2007 regarding their current MEMS revenues, products, applications and views of…
Can MEMS resonators compete with quartz?
Startup companies such as SiTime, Discera, Silicon Clocks and Mobius Microsystems are now going after the $4 billion electronic oscillator market with their innovative alternatives to the traditional quartz based components. We recently spoke with Kurt Petersen , founder and CEO of SiTime, about the company's…
Freescale looks to expand its MEMS product portfolio
Freescale Semiconductor has been a major player in the MEMS industry with its automotive sensors business and, more recently, with its growing portfolio of consumer MEMS based applications . We recently spoke with Dave Monk , Automotive Operations Manager for the Sensors and Actuators Solutions Division at…
MEMS and nano from a VC's perspective
Draper Fisher Jurvetson , a Menlo Park venture capital firm, has been actively investing in “small tech” startups and currently has approximately 20 MEMS and nanotech companies in their portfolio. We recently spoke with Warren Packard , Managing Director at DFJ, who currently oversees a number of the firm's micro…
MEMS commercialization: from prototype to mass production
Minimizing time to market and efficiently transitioning products from R&D to production is a vital element for success in the MEMS industry. We recently spoke with Henne van Heeren , founder of EnablingM3, a consulting company with a focus on MEMS commercialization , about transition costs, possible pitfalls and…
MEMS packaging: history and current trends
MEMS packaging has traditionally been especially challenging because nearly every process and device require a unique approach. We recently spoke with Dr. Ken Gilleo , President of ET-Trends , a consulting and intellectual property firm focused on emerging technologies and device packaging .
MEMS and university tech transfer
Kionix was founded in 1993 to commercialize MEMS technology and intellectual property from Cornell University . We recently spoke with Dr. Greg Galvin , founder and CEO of the company, about his experiences with MEMS tech transfer , acquisitions, as well as Kionix' current status and future plans.
Why so much difference between the MEMS market forecasts?
by Dr. Henning Wicht, Wicht Technologie Consulting This question came up time and again— and several times at Semicon Europa this April. We had presented the figures for MST/MEMS of the NEXUS study which Wicht Technologie Consulting (WTC) coordinated and Yole Development presented its figures for MEMS. Shortly…