The vantage point, published.
The full MEMS Journal archive — 441 articles across two decades of sensors, MEMS, and microtechnology.
MEMS contributions grow for the control of atrial fibrillation
by John Williamson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal According to the American Heart Association, atrial fibrillation (AF) is a heart disease affecting some 2.2 million Americans , most of whom are more than 50 years of age. Worldwide estimates range to 6 million patients. Atrial fibrillation is an…
MEMS market enters new growth cycle
With the iPhone 4 paving the way, global demand for MEMS devices in cell phones will rise robustly during the coming years, helping the total MEMS market to expand in healthy measure at least through 2014 , according to new IHS iSuppli research. Following two years of decline , the MEMS market enjoyed a strong 2010…
STATUS: Publish
This full-day course provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of MEMS testing and reliability. The course has been developed by leading MEMS industry experts with direct experience in MEMS testing and reliability. Basic and advanced concepts are presented to provide the audience with a complete overview of…
GE partners with Avery Dennison to commercialize RF sensor technology
General Electric , acting through its Technology Ventures operation, announced this week its intent to commercialize GE's radio frequency sensing technology through a commercial license to the RFID division of Avery Dennison . According to GE, this technology will enable a wide range of low-cost wireless sensing…
Motion sensing in the iPhone 4: MEMS gyroscope
by St.J. Dixon-Warren Engineering and Process Analysis Manager, Chipworks Apple's iPhone 4 is a market leading consumer electronics device. The previous article in this series discussed Chipworks' teardown of the iPhone 4, followed by a discussion of the ST LIS331DLH three-axis accelerometer technology . This…
ST, Bluechiip to partner on manufacturing of MEMS RFID tags
STMicroelectronics , a leading supplier of MEMS devices for consumer and portable applications, and Bluechiip , an early-stage company that has developed a MEMS based asset tracking solution, announced this week that the two companies will cooperate in further commercialization of Bluechiip's MEMS based tracking…
UMC launches production of CMOS MEMS sensor products
Taiwan-based semiconductor foundry, United Microelectronics Corporation , announced this week that the company has started production of MEMS sensor products for one of its customers, with high-volume production scheduled for later this year. This milestone follows three years of MEMS technology development at the…
Overview of CMP technologies for MEMS applications
CMP, or chemical mechanical polishing , was developed in the late 1980s at least partially as a result of a secret IBM project at the time. Although initially mainly used in CMOS processes , CMP is now increasingly being utilized by MEMS process flows. We recently spoke with Dr. Robert Rhoades , CTO of Entrepix,…
IDEX to acquire Microfluidics International for $14 million
IDEX Corporation announced this week that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Microfluidics International Corporation for $1.35 per share, or $14 million , in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011 . Headquartered in Newton, Massachussetts, Microfluidics…
Hillcrest Labs unveils MEMS based motion control system for next-generation TVs
Hillcrest Labs, a provider of motion control technology and interactive television applications, announced this week a new motion control system for TV manufacturers . The solution is designed to support new motion pointing and gesture-enabled user interfaces for navigating applications and games on televisions.
Qualcomm MEMS to invest $975 million for a fabrication facility in Taiwan
Qualcomm MEMS Technologies announced this week the culmination of months of collaboration with Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs to expand the manufacturing capacity of its MEMS based displays in Taiwan with the construction of a new fabrication facility in Longtan. The initial phase of the announced facility…
GlobalFoundries and IME to develop MEMS capacitive sensor technology
The Institute of Microelectronics ( IME ) in Singapore and GlobalFoundries are joining hands to develop MEMS based capacitive sensor platform technology for motion sensing applications that are relevant to consumer electronics, automotive and aerospace industries. MEMS capacitive sensor technologies are…
ITC Judge: Knowles MEMS microphones infringe Analog Devices' patent
Analog Devices , a provider of MEMS and semiconductor technologies for signal-processing applications, announced this week that the U.S. International Trade Commission ( ITC ) reportedly ruled "decisively in favor" of Analog Devices in its lawsuit against Knowles Electronics . This recent ruling follows ITC's…
Motion sensing in the iPhone 4: MEMS accelerometer
by St.J. Dixon-Warren Engineering and Process Analysis Manager, Chipworks The power and attractiveness of Apple's iPhone 4 lies in the sophisticated integration of multiple sensing technologies . Of specific note is the integration of a full 9 degrees-of-freedom (DoF) motion sensing. The iPhone 4 is the first…
Teledyne Technologies to acquire MEMS foundry DALSA for $341 million
Teledyne Technologies and DALSA Corporation jointly announced this week that they have entered into a definitive agreement that provides for the acquisition of DALSA Corporation, including its digital imaging and MEMS foundry business, by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Teledyne. According to Dr. Robert Mehrabian ,…
iPhone 4 turns up the volume for MEMS microphones
Highlighted by their adoption in Apple’s iPhone 4, MEMS microphones are set to achieve a more than 50 percent increase in shipments in 2010 and a fourfold rise by 2014, according to the market research firm iSuppli , now part of IHS Inc. Global MEMS microphone shipments are set to expand to 695.6 million units this…
MEMS based attitude and heading reference systems: overview and current trends
Attitude and heading reference systems, traditionally based on large mechanical components and instruments, are experiencing further miniaturization enabled by MEMS technologies . Applications for attitude and heading reference systems include control and stabilization , measurement and correction, and navigation .…
MEMS foundry IMT adds to its arsenal of through silicon via offerings
Innovative Micro Technology (IMT) announced this week the addition of a new geometry point in its technology roadmap for through silicon vias ( TSVs ). Joining the copper-filled 15 by 60 micron depth TSV configuration that has been in production for nearly 2 years , IMT has been sampling its 50 by 250 micron…
Water quality monitoring system enabled by optical MEMS technology
by John Williamson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Real-time detection of degradation in the quality of public water supplies currently relies on bulky monitoring stations which typically contain a range of traditional, non-MEMS sensors and also require use of chemicals and continual maintenance . This…
Analog Devices claims win over Knowles in a MEMS microphone patent case
Analog Devices announced that Knowles Electronics' patents have been found invalid by the U.S. International Trade Commission ( ITC ) judge. The company said that the ITC ruled decisively against Knowles Electronics and administrative Law Judge Robert K. Rogers, Jr. concluded that Knowles’ patents were invalid .…
High-performance MEMS gyroscopes: current status and emerging trends
High-performance gyroscopes have traditionally been exclusively made with non-MEMS technologies such as fiber optic gyroscopes (FOGs) and ring laser gyros (RLGs). However, MEMS based inertial sensor technologies are continually improving and now increasingly being used in aerospace and defense applications . We…
IME, Stanford to co-develop NEMS relay technology
The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) in Singapore, announced a collaborative partnership with Stanford University to develop nanoelectromechanical relay technology to enable ultra-low power computation . NEMS based integrated circuits are ideal for a wide range of emerging green electronics solutions as they…
Automotive MEMS sensor market to reach record high in 2010
Driven by the rapid recovery in automotive production and inventory rebuilding among sensor component suppliers, the market for automotive MEMS sensors will expand to record size in 2010, according to market research firm iSuppli , now part of IHS Inc.
Overview of wafer level packaging technology for MEMS applications
by Michael Shillinger Vice President of Operations, Innovative Micro Technology Wafer level packaging (WLP) technology offers protection of delicate MEMS structures from ambient environment , providing improved reliability, performance, and reduced cost benefits to meet real world requirements. In simple terms, WLP…