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The full MEMS Journal archive — 441 articles across two decades of sensors, MEMS, and microtechnology.
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.
NASA tests MEMS in harsh environment of space
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Sandia Passive ISS Research Experiments (SPIRE) is currently testing a variety of materials and devices in the harsh space environment at the International Space Station (ISS). The SPIRE program was an accelerated 18-month development effort that is…
Tufts harnesses MEMS mics to monitor jet aircraft
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal An innovative micro-electro-mechanical system of 64 silicon microphones has been crafted as a hypersensitive audio array for detailed monitoring of the forces causing turbulence around jet aircraft .
Wireless MEMS sensor for monitoring pulmonary artery pressure
by John Williamson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal CardioMEMS, Inc. currently has its latest wireless MEMS device in clinical trials -- an implantable heart failure monitor designed to measure pulmonary artery pressure. High pulmonary artery pressure is associated with fluid build-up in the lungs that…
COMSOL Multiphysics for MEMS Applications (Webinar Archive)
Date: May 19, 2010 Sponsor: COMSOL Speaker: Yeswanth Rao, Applications Engineer Slides: please click here to download Questions: please email support@comsol.com about COMSOL's software capabilities and your specific application requirements Webinar recording: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Topics include: * MEMS device…
MEMS innovator targets wireless health
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal The West Wireless Health Institute (WWHI, San Diego, Calif.) has recruited MEMS pioneer Mehran Mehregany to head its engineering department. WWHI aims to l ower medical costs with wireless telemedicine devices that monitor and supervise a patient's…
Microfluidics harnesses liquid wires and glass electrodes
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Today micro-electro-mechanical systems are enabling lab-on-chip devices that pump picoliters of liquid reagents around on a substrate the same way that electrons are shuttled around on an ordinary microchip. These microfluidic devices promise to…
The rise, fall, and rise of microfluidics
by Paul Pyzowski , Guest Contributor Truly transformative technologies tend to emerge from relative obscurity, where investors move quickly from manic overhype to utter despair, only to then be followed by the long and hard slog to deliver on the original promise. But ultimately the results surpass the initial hype…
UCLA to develop rotating MEMS
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Newcomers usually expect that MEMS devices like gyroscopes have internal rotating gymbals similar to their life-sized counterparts. Unfortunately, so far no commercial MEMS chips employ moving parts that are not tethered. Now researchers at the…
What do MEMS, Hollywood and video games have in common?
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Two major motion pictures and two popular video game releases recently used a MEMS motion suit to enable live actors to control virtual characters in real time. Actors in MEMS-sensor-studded suits performed the action scenes, but computer generated…
Medical applications herald third wave of MEMS
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal The first wave of MEMS was automotive and the killer app was airbag triggers . The second wave of MEMS was consumer electronics and portrait-to-landscape auto-switching was the killer app. Now the third wave of MEMS has begun, according to…
Tessera adding MEMS auto focus to camera offerings
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Digital camera modules in smartphones are Siimpel Corp's (Arcadia, Calif.) target market for its ultra-small MEMS auto focus and shutter mechanism. Tessera Technologies Inc. (San Jose, Calif.) -- the long-time consumer electronics chip maker -- recently…
Bosch Sensortec pursuing consumer MEMS market
While volumes for consumer MEMS applications are rapidly increasing, so are competition and downward price pressure. We recently spoke with Frank Melzer , CEO of Bosch Sensortec, about effects of the recession, company growth and product positioning .
MEMS gyroscopes become ubiquitous in smartphones
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Designers of next-generation smartphones are feverishly adding MEMS gyroscopes to the accelerometers that already grace high-end mobile handsets today. Besides providing enhanced sensitivity for gaming apps , gyros will also enable l ocation-based…
Baolab emerges as a CMOS MEMS player
As the industry is pushing for further integration of CMOS and MEMS chips, a startup company Baolab claims that it has developed a process with which a variety of MEMS devices can be made on standard CMOS lines . We recently spoke with David Doyle , the company’s CEO, about the process’ advantages and limitations…
Silicon Labs reveals roadmap for MEMS
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Silicon Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ: SLAB) acquired MEMS oscillator maker Silicon Clocks for $22 million last week, even though it already markets CMOS-only oscillators that do not require a mechanical time base. In an exclusive interview with MIJ ,…
IBM harnesses MEMS cantilever for patterning nanostructures
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal IBM recently demonstrated a heated MEMS cantilever for nanoscale patterning -- producing a 25 nanometer-high 3D replica of the Matterhorn in under three minutes using the technique. Instruments using the heated MEMS cantilever will substitute for much…
MEMS sensors warn of potential structural failure
by John Williamson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal MEMS sensors embedded in concrete bridges and similar structures offer promise as a more economical solution to detect potential failure according to Dr. Mohamed Saafi , Associate Professor at North Dakota State University’s (NDSU) Department of…
Memristors debut, but are they MEMS?
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Memristors use the molecular-level migration of dopants to change their conductance in response to current flow , thereby both measuring and remembering it. Like MEMSIC's accelerometer whose moving parts are molecules of hot air, memistors likewise use…
Super High Aspect Ratio Silicon DRIE Processing (Webinar Recording)
Date: April 28, 2010 Sponsor: Tegal Corporation Speaker: Paul Werbaneth, VP Marketing Recording: please click here to view Slides: please email Paul Werbaneth at pwerbane@tegal.com to request a copy of the slides Topics include: * Observations on market requirements (e.g. wafer diameter distribution between 300mm,…
Analog Devices unveils HiFi MEMS mic
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal A leading supplier of airbag sensors worldwide with more than 500 million units shipped, Analog Devices diversified from accelerometers, gyroscopes, and inertial measurement units with its first MEMS microphone over a year ago. Recently ADI (NYSE,…
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…
Nanotubes increase MEMS sensitivity
by R. Colin Johnson Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal Many MEMS sensors have a moving part that responds to environmental stimuli with motion. An accelerometer, for instance, capacitively senses a moving "proof mass" that responds to displacements of just a few microns. However, a MEMS device's sensitivity…
Overview of TSV process options
There is an increasingly expanding interest in through-wafer via (TWV) and through-silicon via (TSV) technologies. In this comprehensive interview , we discuss TWV and TSV process options with Chris Gudeman , VP Process Development at Innovative Micro Technology. Dr. Gudeman comments on material and process…