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The full MEMS Journal archive — 441 articles across two decades of sensors, MEMS, and microtechnology.
MEMS foundry Micralyne partners with Microplex to deliver metal TSV wafers
Micralyne , a MEMS foundry and sensors supplier, announced this week a collaboration with Microplex based in Placentia, California to develop and manufacture custom wafers with metal TSVs . The joint development of this technology leverages the specific expertise of each company to enable a metal TSV solution for…
Tronics opens MEMS production facility for healthcare applications
Tronics, a TDK Group company that designs and manufactures nano and microsystems, has announced the opening of a MEMS production facility located in Addison, Texas , near Dallas. The fab expands Tronics' MEMS development and manufacturing capabilities in North America . Tronics aims to utilize the full control of…
MEMS based scanning laser HUDs and LIDAR sensors for ADAS applications
As advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) applications continue to evolve and become more complex , there is an increased need for effective methods to present the safety alerts and other important information to the driver. Head-up displays (HUDs) is an emerging solution for consolidating ADAS data into one…
MEMS manufacturing: Materion acquires Heraeus Target Materials for $30 million
Materion Corporation announced this week that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the target materials business of the Heraeus Group , of Hanau, Germany, for approximately $30 million . The acquisition strengthens Materion's position in precious and non-precious target materials for MEMS,…
MEMS manufacturing: ULVAC Technologies increasing market penetration with plasma ashing system
ULVAC Technologies , a supplier of production systems, instrumentation, and vacuum pumps for technology industries has been selected by a global MEMS inertial sensor manufacturer to deliver an ULVAC ENVIRO-1Xa advanced plasma ashing system for running critical low-temp descum processes and high-temp bulk…
MIPI Alliance releases I3C interface specification for more seamless sensors system integration
The proliferation of sensors in mobile devices requires an increasing number of logic pins for sensor communication and control. In a typical application, multiple digital communication interfaces (e.g. SPI, I²C, UART, and others ) are used along with supporting logic signals for interrupt and sleep…
Automotive sensors: emerging trends with security vulnerabilities and solutions
Connectivity is used to increase traffic safety and to provide motorists with infotainment content , but connectivity also creates vulnerability. Increasingly connected vehicles are becoming targets for hackers that can access the vehicle’s electronic control units ( ECUs ), controller area network ( CAN ) bus…
Optical image stabilization: comparison of MEMS and non-MEMS technologies
MEMS Drive is a fabless MEMS based actuator device maker focusing on optical image stabilization (OIS) technology for mobile devices. The company raised $11 million in its series B round in October 2016, and is aiming to replace the currently dominant voice coil motor (VCM) technology with its MEMS based chip. The…
Biometric sensing in wearables: technology and application trends
Despite lower than expected sales, wearables continue to be a growing market segment . Consumers spent over $2 billion on wearables in 2015 and are increasingly demanding better performance. One emerging application area for wearables, accurate biometric sensing , is highly complex and requires sophisticated…
TDK to acquire MEMS maker InvenSense for $1.3 billion in cash
TDK Corporation and MEMS maker InvenSense entered into a definitive agreement this week with TDK agreeing to acquire all of the outstanding InvenSense shares for cash for a total acquisition price of $1.3 billion . The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies.…
Menlo Micro raises $18.7 million to commercialize MEMS switch
GE Ventures announced this week the launch of Menlo Micro , a new spin-out company from GE's Global Research Center, which will be commercializing a MEMS based switch . Menlo Micro is backed by $18.7 million from GE Ventures, Microsemi , Corning , and Paladin Capital Group . We spoke with Chris Giovanniello , Menlo…
SEMI and MSIG strategic partnership: what does it mean for the MEMS and sensors industry?
In September of this year SEMI and MEMS & Sensors Industry Group ( MSIG ) announced that they will be joining together in a strategic partnership starting on January 1, 2017. SEMI has 2,000 member companies and connects more than 250,000 professionals worldwide to advance the science and business of electronics…
MEMS maker InvenSense sees big opportunities for sensors in drone and virtual reality applications
With a saturated smartphone market where the number of sensor units per device appears to have peaked , MEMS product companies are pursuing new market opportunities. Two emerging sensor-rich applications are drones and virtual reality (VR) . Drones use an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for positioning,…
MEMS, sensors, and energy harvesting: where are the applications?
Energy harvesting (EH) has long been hailed as the remedy to replace primary batteries and provide reliable, perpetual power for applications ranging from industrial sensors, to tire pressure monitoring systems ( TPMS ), to medical implants. In reality, however, the adoption of energy harvesters has been sluggish…
Fiber laser bonding for MEMS applications
We recently spoke with Antti Peltonen , Sales Manager at Primoceler, about his company's fiber laser bonding process. In this detailed interview, Antti compares fiber laser bonding to traditional approaches such as anodic, fusion, and adhesive bonding techniques. He also provides pros and cons for Primoceler's…
MEMS manufacturing: comparison of ultrasonic and spin coating for photoresist deposition applications
As MEMS device topologies become more complicated, new photoresist deposition technologies will be needed. We recently spoke with Bennett Bruntil , Director of Electronics and Advanced Energy at Sono-Tek Corporation , about his company's experience with ultrasonic coating techniques. In this comprehensive…
Sensors attract $3.4 billion in funding over past decade
Developers of innovative sensors attracted $3.4 billion , or nearly 80% of the $4.3 billion funding for sensor modules over the past decade , underlining their importance in the fast-emerging IoT market , according to Lux Research. Overall investment in innovative sensors tripled between 2006 and 2015 , reaching…
MEMS foundry APM forms strategic partnership with UMC to enhance service capabilities
United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), a global semiconductor foundry, and MEMS foundry Asia Pacific Microsystems (APM), this week announced a collaboration to provide enhanced MEMS manufacturing services for mutual customers. UMC will leverage its 8-inch and 12-inch production capabilities with APM's 6-inch…
microGen appoints new CEO, continuing to develop energy harvesting solutions
Dr. Robert G. Andosca announced this week his resignation as President and CEO from microGen Systems to pursue new Internet of Things (IoT) technology interests both academically and via starting other new companies . "Robert has made significant inroads and brought this technology and company to be the leading…
MEMS device maker NextInput closes $5.1 million funding round
NextInput, a developer of MEMS based "force touch" sensor technology , announced this week that the company has closed its Series A1 funding round of $5.1 million . With this round, NextInput added new investors including Danhua Capital, UMC Capital, and Cota Capital. The company said that it has raised $13.1…
Automotive MEMS sensor unit shipments rose in 2015, even as revenue stalled
Although shipments of MEMS sensors used in automotive applications grew 8.4% in 2015 , revenues were flat compared to the previous year, reaching $2.7 billion . In contrast, the value of this market is expected to recover this year , rising 4.3% to reach $2.8 billion in 2016, according to IHS Markit . The…
MEMS foundry Micralyne expands executive team, outlines company strategy
The MEMS foundry marketplace has been experiencing more changes in the past few years and the competitive dynamics have been shifting. Micralyne , which has been in the MEMS foundry business for more than 30 years, was acquired by FTC Technologies in January 2015 and has since been actively expanding its management…
MEMS and sensors: the unsung heroes of technology
As the MEMS and sensors industry is facing commoditization pressures , many device makers are having trouble differentiating their products in the marketplace. How can companies better stand out from the competition by understanding how consumers rely on the sensors they produce? And, from there, how can they…
Tronics signs an industrialization contract for MEMS based gas detection
Tronics, a designer and manufacturer of nano and microsystems , has signed an industrialization contract with a leading supplier of gas sensors for industrial applications . This partnership amounts to approximately $750,000 and will lead in 2017 to pilot production of MEMS based optical gas detectors , with…