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The full MEMS Journal archive — 441 articles across two decades of sensors, MEMS, and microtechnology.
Apple and Samsung are top consumer and mobile MEMS buyers
Apple and Samsung Electronics remained the two largest buyers of MEMS devices for consumer and mobile applications in 2011, solidifying their command and expanding their influence over the market, according to IHS . Apple and Samsung last year accounted for a combined 37 percent of the consumer and mobile MEMS…
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For the past 14+ years, since our founding in 2003, we have been focused on MEMS technologies and emerging applications. Over the years, we have read or published over 8,500 stories, interviews and articles. We have also developed a personal direct network of 8,450+ professionals in MEMS, sensors and semiconductor…
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MEMS Journal is providing a MEMS IP brokerage service to find partners who will: license, support technology transfer and/or accelerate commercialization of your MEMS technologies and IP. Sell, Buy or License You can use our service to sell, buy or license patents, IP or technological "know-how" for your MEMS IP…
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MEMS Journal is the largest MEMS publication worldwide. We are the only independent publication that provides comprehensive coverage of the latest developments in the rapidly emerging MEMS industry. Our Weekly Newsletter reports on the top MEMS stories from 9,200+ sources worldwide. We cover the most notable MEMS…
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Recruit Top Talent Save Time and Money Get an Edge Over Your Competition To engage us to work on your company's executive and engineering searches, contact us at recruiting@memsjournal.com . MEMS Journal has been providing comprehensive recruiting services in the MEMS and semiconductor industry since 2005. Over the…
MEMS oscillator maker SiTime receives investment from Knowles and Vectron
Knowles Electronics and Vectron International, both owned by Dover Corporation, announced this week that they have entered into a strategic partnership with SiTime Corporation . The partnership, which includes a cash investment by Knowles and Vectron, brings together three companies with the goal of driving…
RF MEMS switch market: overview and emerging trends
Expectations of the use of RF MEMS devices for mobile phone applications have gone through many cycles of hope and disappointment. We may now be finally entering in the mass adoption phase with the first high-volume application, WiSpry’s MEMS based tunable impedance matching device, incorporated in one of Samsung's…
Google's Nexus 7 tablet integrates MEMS motion sensors
The entry-level 8GB version of Google's new Nexus 7 media tablet carries a bill of materials (BOM) of $151.75 , according to preliminary findings from IHS iSuppli . When manufacturing expenses are added, the cost increases to $159.25 . The high-end model with 16GB of flash memory has a $159.25 BOM, for a total cost…
Piezoelectric MEMS oscillators: comparison to quartz crystals and capacitive MEMS solutions
Integrated Device Technology (IDT), has recently released its new piezoelectric MEMS , or pMEMS, based oscillators. According to the company, crystal oscillators are complicated to manufacture and unreliable compared to pMEMS. IDT's new devices are more convenient, accurate and feature low-jitter timing references…
MEMS timing chip maker Sand 9 raises funding from Intel Capital
Sand 9 , a MEMS technology company developing precision timing products for wireless and wired applications, announced this week that it has raised a total of $23 million in its Series C financing round led by Intel Capital with significant participation from Vulcan Capital . Intel Capital and Vulcan Capital join…
Bosch retains lead as top automotive MEMS supplier
Bosch GmbH Automotive Electronics of Germany retained its position as the world's top supplier of automotive MEMS in 2011, according to an IHS iSuppli report. Booking $625 million in revenue last year, Bosch's 19 percent expansion from $524 million in 2010 outpaced the 14 percent growth of the automotive MEMS…
Si-Ware launches development platform for MEMS inertial sensors
Si-Ware Systems (SWS), a provider of IC and MEMS based solutions for industrial and consumer applications, announced this week that it has launched its inertial sensor development platform . According to the company, the platform is a tool for sensor developers that can be used to evaluate an inertial sensor, such…
Silex developing magnetic MEMS
Silex Microsystems , recently ranked by Yole Développement as the world's largest pure-play MEMS foundry, announced this week that it has been awarded a nearly $450,000 research grant from VINNOVA , the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems, to develop cutting-edge ferromagnetic materials for use in…
RF MEMS for smartphones: what are the best opportunities?
As smartphones and tablets continue to drive the sales of MEMS devices for consumer electronics , most of the focus thus far has been on inertial sensors – MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes . Additionally, MEMS based microphones and pressure sensors are seeing continually increasing adoption. RF MEMS technologies…
Digital vs. analog MEMS microphones
Driven by their widespread use in top-selling mobile devices like Apple's new iPad and iPad 2 , market revenue for digital MEMS microphones is set to overtake the analog segment next year for the first time ever. Revenue for digital MEMS microphones will reach $315 million in 2013, compared to $261 million for the…
MEMS foundry Tronics returns to strong growth with $15.2 million revenue in 2011
Tronics is reporting that it is growing strongly again. After an uninspiring 2009 and 2010 , business started picking up in late 2010, and remained very healthy throughout 2011 . The company had a revenue of $15.2 million in 2011, with a net profit of $1.24 million . Tronics said that it secured important new…
Silicon-germanium (SiGe) technology for MEMS and NEMS fabrication
by Xavier Rottenberg, Ph.D. Research Engineer, IMEC Much of the future growth in the MEMS market is expected to come from products that are still in the early stages of development, or are yet to be invented. There is a considerable potential for new products in which innovative MEMS are integrated with highly…
Gyroscopes become top consumer and mobile MEMS device
Gyroscopes were the top revenue generator in 2011 in the dominant consumer and mobile segment of the MEMS market, thanks to record sales of Apple's iPhone and iPad devices from during the final quarter of last year. Gyroscopes netted $655.4 million in 2011, up a notable 66 percent from $394.5 million in 2010,…
MEMS based wireless sensors: how to power them?
Currently, the primary way to power MEMS based wireless sensors is a conventional battery . In addition, vibrational and thermal energy harvesters are starting to see limited use in some cases. Other approaches for power generation include micro fuel cells , as well as microscale combustors that burn hydrocarbons…
ISSYS receives $1.5 million grant for the development of MEMS based pediatric cardiac implants
Integrated Sensing Systems, Inc. (ISSYS) and the University of Michigan announced that they have received a $1.5 million National Institute of Health ( NIH ) grant titled "Novel Micro-Implant To Measure Intracardiac Pressure In Congenital Heart Patients." Dr. Martin Bocks , a pediatric cardiologist at the…
Through substrate vias: opportunities for CMOS MEMS and 3D integration
TSVs , or through substrate vias, have become an increasingly important building block for CMOS MEMS integration, as well as for stacking of multiple IC chips . In this interview, we spoke with Tomas Bauer , VP of Sales and Business Development at Silex Microsystems about his perspective on the latest TSV trends .…
Automotive MEMS components: the impact of 2011 natural disasters
In an ironic twist, the terrible disasters that struck Japan and Thailand in 2011 actually helped to expand the market for automotive MEMS sensors and actuators, as car electronic systems makers sought to expand their supply chains to mitigate the risk of supply shortages. Automotive MEMS revenue in 2011 amounted…
MEMS foundry IMT appoints new CEO
Innovative Micro Technology (IMT), announced this week that Craig Ensley has joined IMT as President and CEO effective immediately. He succeeds Dr. John Foster , who is resigning from the company to become the CEO of one of IMT's major customers . Mr. Ensley brings over 30 years of executive leadership and…
MEMS foundry Silex joins $17.5 million program to develop RF solutions for 4G mobile systems
Silex Microsystems , the world's largest pure-play MEMS foundry , announced this week that it has joined an international European Union-funded program aimed at developing a new technology platform for advanced RF solutions for 4G base stations and mobile handsets . The program, "Energy-efficient piezo MEMS tunable…