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RF MEMS devices are tiny replacements for the dozens of discrete components used in conventional radios and hold the possibility of enabling an entire cell phone to be cast onto a single CMOS chip. Instead of duplicating the circuitry for each band that a cell phone serves, as is done today, RF MEMS chips use arrays of switchable devices to dynamically reconfigure a tunable radio – saving on size, cost and power consumption simultaneously. The goal has been the subject of multiple initiatives in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
I had recently written an article here on the use of MEMS in neuroscience research applications, and Colin Johnson penned a separate article on how MEMS are enabling systems to restore sight for the blind. This article focuses on the increasing use of MEMS for treating diseases and injuries of the central nervous system (brain and spine), including paralysis, Parkinson’s disease, and drug-resistant depression.
As background, according to Zack Lynch at the Neurotech Industry Organization, medical devices for treatment of nervous system disorders is a $7 billion market. Although small compared to the $120 billion market for neuropharmaceuticals, the neuro-device market is growing at 15% per year and is considered a real growth market, albeit one with considerable investment requirements and considerable risk.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been exploring ways to deploy sensors nationwide by riding on the existing infrastructure, such utility poles, street lights, traffic signals and government weather stations, all of which have been proposed as recipients of a nationwide deployment of MEMS sensors. The massive funding required for such a nationwide deployment has not materialized, and yet millions of MEMS sensors are being deployed in a worldwide wireless network – namely, inside laptop computers and smartphones.
Powered by the seemingly recession-proof performance of the mobile phone and consumer electronics segments, the market for MEMS sensors is set to return to growth in 2010 after two straight years of decline, according to iSuppli Corp. Approaching a point close to the historical peak of 2007, MEMS revenue this year is projected to reach $6.54 billion, up 11.1 percent from $5.88 billion last year. The double-digit expansion predicted for 2010 compares to a decline of 6.8 percent posted in 2009, on top of a 3.6 percent contraction in 2008, iSuppli figures show. The market is predicted to expand through 2014, by when it is projected to grow by another $3.3 billion to hit $9.8 billion -- equivalent to an annual growth rate of 10.7 percent throughout the 2009-2014 period.
Microbots based on MEMS have long been sought to collect environmental samples, to search for survivors in collapsed buildings and for other reconnaissance style missions that are ill-suited for people. Although decades in the making, one major “hang-up” for fully autonomous operation of such microbots remains – a locomotion source. The tiny mechanisms and electrical circuitry are relatively easy to cast, but currently there are no reliable locomotion sources on such a small scale.
Conventional FTIR spectrometers are characterized as bulky and sensitive to vibration and mechanical shock. This sensitivity causes spectrometer mirror plates to come out of adjustment thereby rendering the instrument to be unusable until it is readjusted. These weaknesses confine spectrometer application to laboratories with operation and readjustment performed by highly trained personnel.
MEMS switches have been in development for over 20 years at numerous industrial, academic and government research laboratories. Low insertion loss, high isolation, low power consumption, extreme linearity and the ability to be integrated with other electronics make MEMS switches an attractive alternative to other mechanical and solid-state switches. This seemingly simple device has been fraught with reliability and packaging issues that have prevented commercial success – that is, until now. Improvements in reliability and MEMS packaging have occurred at a rapid pace over the past 5 to 10 years. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has contributed significantly to the funding of these efforts as they look to apply this technology to future U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) programs.
Over a decade has passed since hope was raised worldwide that MEMS could make blindness a curable condition. Now the long wait is finally over, with all the necessary tests and clinical trials clearing the final hurdles. Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the final clinical trials for the Argus II retina developed by the Department of Energy's (DoE) Artificial Retina Project, based on the pioneering work of Mark Humayun at the Doheny Eye Institute of the University of Southern California and Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. Also this month, a second and simpler implant, called the "Implantable Telescope" by its maker, VisionCare Corp., received final FDA approval, making millions of legally blind worldwide eligible for the sight-restoring implant.
EV Group (EVG), a supplier of wafer bonding equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, and the Institute of Microelectronics (IME), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), announced that they have entered into a two-year cooperation agreement to advance 3D IC integration technologies. By minimizing interconnect length, 3D IC integration offers more flexibility in the designs and can operate at higher clock rates and consume less power. The development in 3D IC also significantly simplifies chip-to-chip communications and the data transfer among the processing elements, enabling faster signal and data throughput so that high-frequency and high-transfer rates can be achieved.
As the MEMS marketplace continues to evolve at a rapid pace, many new and exciting trends are taking shape. To provide some perspective, we recently spoke with Dr. Kurt Petersen, a MEMS industry veteran and highly successful entrepreneur who founded such companies as NovaSensor, Cepheid and SiTime. In this detailed interview, Dr. Petersen provides unique insights on the main current trends in the MEMS marketplace, venture capital, most promising MEMS startups as well as potential future “killer apps” for MEMS and energy harvesting technologies.
