MEMS Journal -- The Largest MEMS Publication in the World

Rakon enters MEMS based oscillator market

Rakon, a New Zealand based provider of frequency control solutions, announced this week that MEMS technology is being utilized to develop new products to further broaden the company's oscillator product portfolio and capabilities.  Rakon's Managing Director, Brent Robinson says the company has looked into the technology for many years and the timing is now right to further diversify its offering to include MEMS based oscillators.

Ultrabooks spur massive growth in MEMS motion sensor sales

Intel's initiative to promote new features like indoor navigation and augmented reality in ultrabooks will spur dramatic growth in the sales of motion sensors for the next-generation notebook PCs, with revenue rising by a factor of 14 during the next four years.  Global sales of motion sensors -- including accelerometers, gyroscopes and compasses -- used in ultrabooks will expand to $117.3 million by 2016, up from just $8.3 million in 2012.  This equates to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 93.9 percent for 2012 through 2016, according to the IHS iSuppli.

Optical MEMS switch company CrossFiber raises $13.4 million, acquires OMM

CrossFiber, a developer and manufacturer of MEMS based photonic switches for use in data centers and next-generation telco fiber-optic networks, announced this week the completion of the final tranche of its Series D funding, now totaling $13.4 million.  The company said that the majority of the funds have been and will continue to be used for rapid expansion of manufacturing capacity, to meet the high demand for its family of photonic switches.  Southern Cross Venture Partners led the round, with participation from New Venture Partners, Arsenal Venture Partners and existing investors including Back Bay Management and PacifiCap.

MEMS for tunable RF applications: has the time finally come?

Everybody seems to be using their mobile phones for their business and social lives these days, so each new model brings increasingly more features to our portable devices. The problem is that all these new uses bring an explosion of frequency bands that must be packed into one portable device. This can lead to dropped calls and slower web browsing, frustrating users. The answer, according to San Jose, Calif.-based Cavendish Kinetics, is the company's tunable RF MEMS technology that provides 3G and 4G networks with improved RF communication. The company has raised a $10 million financing round with Qualcomm and other investors. We recently caught up with Dennis Yost, Cavendish Kinetics' CEO, to learn more.

MEMS energy harvesting startup MicroGen raises $2.6 million

MicroGen Systems announced this week that XTRION, a closely held holding company located in Tessenderloo, Belgium, completed the first investment round of the company.  The reportedly oversubscribed raise was a total of $2.6 million, which includes non-dilutive funds equaling $800,000 from a separate licensing agreement, and a contract with the NY State Energy Research Development Authority.  XTRION has holdings in multi-national semiconductor and MEMS companies, including a presence in the United States, Europe and Asia.

MEMSCAP and Hanking Group partner to expand in China

MEMSCAP, a provider of MEMS products and foundry services, announced this week that it has broadened the company's sales network in China by partnering with the Hanking Group.  The collaboration is aimed to expand MEMSCAP's geographic footprint and increase the company's presence in China. The Hanking Group will begin offering training and sales support for MEMSCAP's MUMPs and MEMS Multi Project Wafers (MPW) processes to MEMS design engineers in China.

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 space, mainly on the strength of their smartphones and tablets using MEMS devices like accelerometers, gyroscopes, microphones and bulk acoustic wave filters.  Apple, the top buyer, made MEMS purchases equivalent to $499.8 million, or roughly 23 percent, of the $2.1 billion consumer and mobile MEMS market, as presented in the table below.  Samsung, in second place, was worth $291.3 million to the industry, or 14 percent.  Apple's total last year was up 139 percent from $209.2 million in 2010, while Samsung's MEMS expenditure was up 45 percent from $201.2 million for the same period.

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 "unprecedented growth" of MEMS timing components within the $4 billion frequency control products market.

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 new phones.

RF MEMS devices promise to bring significant benefits to both consumers and cell phone network operators.  These benefits include fewer dropped calls, faster data transmission rates, improved reception and enhanced power efficiency.  Use in mobile phones and tablets is projected to expand the RF MEMS market by a factor of 200 by 2015, according to IHS iSuppli.  Sales of RF MEMS devices are expected to increase from $720,000 in 2011 to a projected $150 million in 2015.

DelfMEMS, an RF MEMS switch developer based in France, is expected to be among the players in this rush to commercialize RF MEMS devices for handset and tablet applications.  MEMS Journal recently interviewed Olivier Millet, founder and CEO of DelfMEMS.  We discussed the challenges involved in integrating RF MEMS devices into handsets, viable insertions points, product roadmaps, and competition from MEMS and non-MEMS technology providers.

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 of $166.75.  When additional costs are considered, IHS iSuppli estimates that Google will at least break even on sales of the 8GB model, priced at $199 -- and will make a modest profit on the 16GB version, which is priced at $249.