The vantage point, published.
The full MEMS Journal archive — 441 articles across two decades of sensors, MEMS, and microtechnology.
IHS: sensor hubs market is growing fast
The demand for sensor hubs , dedicated processing elements used for low-power sensor processing tasks, is booming. In fact due to "always on" sensor processing trends and the limitations of battery technology , the overall market for all types of sensor hubs exceeded one billion units in 2015, and is projected to…
MEMS and IC manufacturing: intuition and the art of production tool development
by Ray Zinn Founder and CEO, Micrel Intuition is perceived to be second sight , clairvoyance, the supposed ability to perceive future or distant events . It is a word tossed about too casually in Silicon Valley , as though we manufacture mediums, not microchips . Entrepreneurial intuition does exist, but it isn't…
MEMS testing: eight fabrication problems you cannot see with a microscope
by Felix Beyeler, Ph.D. CEO, FemtoTools If you are working in academic research, the field of MEMS development can be very exciting, but it can also be quite stressful. You will spend long hours in the cleanroom and your professor is constantly pushing you to finalize the prototype fabrication in order to start…
MEMS foundry IMT partners with Silicon Catalyst
Innovative Micro Technology (IMT), the largest pure-play MEMS manufacturer in the United States , announced this week the signing of a partner agreement with Silicon Catalyst , reportedly the world's only startup incubator focused exclusively on semiconductor solutions. The partnership with Silicon Catalyst offers…
MEMS foundry Micralyne announces plans for growth, leadership changes
Following its acquisition by FTC Technologies , MEMS foundry Micralyne announced this week plans to expand its MEMS solutions and services business in 2016. Building on its current base of customers in several industries, the company plans to provide solutions based on its experience in MEMS chip design, packaging,…
Electroplating tools for MEMS applications: making sense of the current landscape
As the main semiconductor industry marches forward, the push to increase substrate sizes and automate production for high-volume runs continues. Given these trends, the lower volume MEMS applications that are made on smaller substrates sometimes get left behind. Electroplating tools exemplify this trend. Semitool…
CEA-Leti demos MEMS fabrication on its 300mm production line
In what may be a first for the MEMS industry , CEA-Leti has manufactured micro-accelerometers on 300mm wafers, a development that could lead to significantly lower MEMS manufacturing costs . Leti's fabrication platform, orignally developed with 200mm technology, is currently being transferred to an industrial…
Tronics and Airbus Group partner on RF MEMS switch development
Tronics , a designer and manufacturer of nano and microsystems, and Airbus Group , a multinational aerospace and defense corporation, announced this week their partnership for the development of capacitive RF MEMS switches and circuits. Under this agreement, Tronics accesses Airbus Group's patent portfolio through…
MEMS microphones: emerging technology and application trends
The market for MEMS microphones has been growing steadily and, according to our research, is estimated to reach approximately $1.2 billion in 2015 . Of the total market, almost $900 million is coming from smartphone, tablets, and wearable platforms. Additional applications include hearing aids, automotive , virtual…
Mechanical testing of MEMS devices: challenges and opportunities
MEMS testing has always been challenging. Now, with many emerging and new types of materials, device testing and characterization is becoming even more important. However, even at the R&D level, most MEMS testing techniques still only rely on electrical , rather than mechanical, measurements. We recently spoke with…
MEMS suppliers ride automotive safety wave
Suppliers of MEMS based sensors rode a safety sensing wave in 2014 to reach record revenues from automotive applications, according to analysis from IHS . Mandated safety systems such as electronic stability control (ESC) and tire pressure monitoring systems ( TPMS ), which attained full implementation in new…
Wireless health and wearables: huge opportunities for MEMS devices
by Mehran Mehregany, Ph.D. Professor, Case Western Reserve University According to a recent study by IDTechEx , there will be three billion wearable sensors by 2025, with about one third of these being new sensor types . It appears now that healthcare delivery could be the "killer application" for wearables. Along…
MEMS and sensors ASIC maker ACAM acquired by AMS
Austrian company AMS , a provider of sensors and analog IC solutions, has acquired German-based ASIC maker ACAM . The acquisition should strengthen ACAM's ASIC product portfolio for sensors applications due to AMS' much larger R&D, sales, and manufacturing resources. ACAM was founded 18 years ago and its unique…
Industrial IoT applications drive demand for MEMS devices
The rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) is driving demand growth for MEMS devices in application areas such as asset tracking systems , smart grid and building automation . Worldwide market revenue for MEMS devices directly used in industrial IoT equipment applications will rise to $120 million in 2018,…
MEMS foundry Tronics seizes sub-micron MEMS opportunities
Tronics has been manufacturing MEMS devices for 15 years with an emphasis on SOI and WLP , and has focused on specialized MEMS fabrication processes. As such, the company said recently that it is capitalizing on the growing number of sub-micron MEMS devices opportunities to expand its equipment and process base.…
SiTime to be acquired by MegaChips for $200 million
SiTime Corporation , a fabless maker of MEMS based timing chips, announced this week that it has signed a definitive agreement under which it will be acquired by MegaChips Corporation for $200 million in cash . MegaChips is based in Japan , with its stock publicly trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and claims to…
Wearable sensor market to expand sevenfold in five years
Driven by rising demand for fitness and health monitoring features as well as by improved user interfaces, shipments of sensors used in wearable electronic devices will rise by a factor of seven from 2013 through 2019, according to IHS Technology . The worldwide market for sensors in wearables will expand to 466…
Si-Ware developing portfolio of disruptive MEMS products
While some of the MEMS companies continue to face downward price pressures , there are many new products, devices and technologies that are in development . Many of these innovations will be launched in the marketplace in the coming months. One company that is contributing to this “new wave” of MEMS is Si-Ware…
Vesper plans to disrupt MEMS microphones market
Intending to improve the smallest audio component found in smartphones, wearables and Internet of Things ( IoT ) devices, a new Boston based sensor company called Vesper has designed a microphone that it says will enhance consumers' acoustic experience with voice capture and sound recording. Though such microphones…
Wafer level packaging for MEMS and IC applications
Advanced packaging , especially at the wafer level, is becoming increasingly important for MEMS and 3D stacking applications. FlipChip International ( FCI ), based in Phoenix, Arizona, is one of the service providers in this segment. FCI is an interesting company because they compete with larger players such as ASE…
MEMS maker mCube creates subsidiary to focus on indoor navigation business
mCube, a provider of MEMS motion sensors , announced this week the formation of a wholly-owned subsidiary, Ten Degrees , representing the first step towards the creation of an independent entity focused on indoor navigation. Ten Degrees claims that it has developed a core navigation engine that takes advantage of…
Knowles ships two million MEMS microphones for the hearing health industry
According to MEMS Journal's research , the market for hearing aids is approximately $14 billion in the US alone, with an estimated 9.5 million individuals wearing hearing aids today. The cost of high quality hearing aids remains high at $2,000 to $3,500 per unit. Inexpensive hearing aids can cost as little as $300…
Sensors for internal combustion engines: recent market trends and developments
The global market for sensors used in internal combustion engines (ICEs) is on the road of steady growth for the next few years, propelled by increasing utilization in engine management and exhaust aftertreatment, according to IHS . Sensor shipments for ICEs will top 1.34 billion units in 2019 , up from about 1.08…
MEMS based sensor maker InvenSense acquires Movea, Trusted Positioning for $81 million
InvenSense , a provider MEMS based sensor solutions, announced this week that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire Movea , a sensor fusion and context awareness software company, and Trusted Positioning (TPI), an indoor and outdoor location tracking software firm. InvenSense will pay approximately $81…