The vantage point, published.
The full MEMS Journal archive — 441 articles across two decades of sensors, MEMS, and microtechnology.
Special Event: MEMS Testing and Reliability Workshop
Co-produced by MEMS Investor Journal and MEPTEC MEMS testing and reliability assurance are some of the most critical processes to ensure high yields and profitability. According to recent studies, the total world MEMS test equipment market generated revenues of $50-$60 million in 2007, at a growth rate of…
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…
MEMS technology to boost storage density
Flash memory chips are predicted to begin slowing down their bit density growth in the next few years due to lithography related constraints. Nanochip is one of the startup companies which is working to get around these limitations. The company is developing a new class of ultra-high-capacity storage chips based on…
RF MEMS switches deliver on early promise
by Jérémie Bouchaud and Bernardo Knoblich , Wicht Technologie Consulting Few MEMS components have created so much excitement, and then such disappointment in so short a time. Is this component finally in production? Will there be an interesting market? And for whom? We have been following RF MEMS switches since…
BioMEMS for heart repairs
According to Professor Pierre Dupont , there are currently two approaches to perform repairs inside the heart – open heart surgery and catheter interventions. Dupont, who recently was awarded a $5 million NIH grant to perform work in this area, believes there is a better way. Interestingly, he picked MEMS as the…
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.…
Silicon carbide and harsh environment MEMS applications
For high temperature or corrosive media environments , silicon carbide can be a material of choice and has the potential to open up new applications and markets . We recently spoke with Professor Roya Maboudian of UC Berkeley about the history of silicon carbide, comparisons to silicon and other materials as well…
Bridging the MEMS commercialization gap
Silicon Valley Technology Center (SVTC) was recently sold by Cypress Semiconductor to Tallwood and Oak Hill venture firms. The company provides process development and commercialization services and expects to have $40-50 million in profitable revenue this year with 30 percent of their business coming from MEMS…
MOEMS: history, current status and future trends
While MOEMS, the combination of micro-optics and MEMS , have been slowed down by the telecom downturn in the early part of this decade, these technologies are now making a comeback . In addition to telecom , MOEMS applications include sensors, projection and mobile systems and devices . We recently spoke with Dr.…
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…
TeraVicta and the RF MEMS switch market
MEMS based switches for RF circuits are one of the most promising applications in the field. We spoke with TeraVicta’s President and CEO Ray Burgess about his company’s recent activities, plans for the future as well as the size and growth potential of the MEMS based switch market.
A Universal CMOS MEMS Process?
Unlike the semiconductor industry, MEMS devices have been traditionally manufactured using a variety of highly-specialized processes geared for each specific device. This variety of MEMS fabrication processes has contributed to higher commercialization costs and longer times to market . While there are established…
RF MEMS for better cell phone performance
Everyone has experienced dropped calls and choppy cell phone signals . As cell phone manufacturers are continually looking to ensure that consumers are satisfied with their devices, WiSpry is one of the companies which is now providing components to make it easier for phone designers make their products more…
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…
Stem cells and microfluidics
Aldagen, a venture funded startup with a set of technologies to identify and isolate stem and progenitor cells , has recently announced a partnership with IMT to develop a microfluidic device for clinical cell sorting. We recently spoke with the President and COO of the company, Ed Field , and discussed Aldagen’s…
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 oscillators, has their time come?
by Jérémie Bouchaud and Bernardo Knoblich, Wicht Technologie Consulting WTC has recently seen an increasing amount of interest in MEMS oscillators with several startups making important announcements. WTC believes that MEMS oscillators have a promising future , but notes the warning signs of confusion and inflated…
RF MEMS: a brief history and future trends
One of the most exciting and rapidly growing set of applications in our industry are those involving RF MEMS . We recently spoke with Dr. Dan Hyman , the founder and CEO of XCOM Wireless , about RF MEMS history, current challenges and future trends . In this thoroughly comprehensive interview , Dr. Hyman shares his…
MEMS resonators continue to show potential
Startup companies are continuing to work on replacing traditional quartz resonators with the more advantageous MEMS devices . We spoke with Discera's President and CEO Tom Willey about his company's recent activities, competition and future plans.
Sonion MEMS scales up its microphone business
We recently published a review on the current status of MEMS microphones . While Knowles Acoustics remains the market leader, companies such as Sonion and Akustica are also going after this exciting opportunity. We spoke with Dr. Jacob Philipsen , President of Sonion’s MEMS division , about the company’s current…
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…