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Stable patterned electrets for MEMS based energy harvesters

by Mieke Van Bavel, Ph.D.
Science Editor, IMEC

Wireless sensor nodes are nowadays employed in many different application fields such as healthcare, automotive and predictive maintenance, but these sensors currently provide limited lifetime as they require significant power for operation.  Increasing lifetime, preferably unlimited, becomes possible with energy harvesting.  One promising way for power generation is vibrations, and an electrostatic transduction method can be employed to transfer mechanical into electrical energy.  An electrostatic energy harvester is, in essence, a movable capacitor which needs a high voltage source for power generation.  A patterned electret could operate as this voltage source.  In its most general meaning, an electret is a material that stores a quasi-permanent electric charge upon its polarization. It can be called the electrical equivalent of a permanent magnet.  It is an important component for a MEMS based energy harvester.

Lockheed Martin developing biomimetic, MEMS enabled air vehicles

Aerospace engineers have always been stimulated by the natural world, and have built and flown many bio-inspired vehicles.  Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories (ATL), headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, is currently designing and prototyping the Samarai family of vehicles, which are inspired by maple seeds.

When maple trees shed their seeds each spring, they float gently to the ground.  Their descent is stable and smooth because of their aerodynamically and mechanically simple design.  Lockheed Martin ATL is designing, prototyping and flying a family of unmanned vehicles that mimics the flight of those seeds, taking the basic shape and harnessing it with flight controls and avionics including MEMS inertial sensors.

MEMS and oceanographic research

by Paul Pyzowski, Guest Contributor

This past year’s massive oil spill in the U.S. Gulf Coast only reinforced the importance of the world’s oceans as a source of food, minerals, and energy, as well as the oceans’ impact on climate and human living conditions.  Although our scientific understanding of the oceans is still incomplete, microfluidics and MEMS technologies are helping to reveal their secrets.

MEMS based electronically steerable antennas

by John Maciel, Ph.D.
Chief Operating Officer, Radant MEMS, Inc.

Rapid beam scanning, beam agility, the performance of diverse functions such as multiple target tracking and fire control, reduced radar cross section (RCS), and reduced physical profile are some of the numerous performance benefits to military systems employing an electronically steerable antenna (ESA) in lieu of more typical, mechanically gimbaled antenna systems.  These gains are obtained at the expense of large increases in overall system weight, prime-power consumption, and cost when conventional discrete phase shifter or active transmit/receive (T/R) module control devices are employed. Arrays fabricated with these conventional discrete control devices are excessively heavy, costly, and consume more prime power than available for many applications.  Lightweight, low power, and low-cost are mission critical characteristics for elevated sensors such as those proposed for aerostat, airship and space-based antennas.  Other defense applications include warfighter protection and situational awareness, national missile defense, theatre missile defense and satellite communications. A lightweight X-Band ESA can be employed in a fire control radar for cruise missile (CM) defense precision track and engagement support, CM horizon surveillance, tactical ballistic missile surveillance and cueing, missile and artillery backtracking, and surface ship surveillance and tracking. The potential applications are diverse and permeate across all services, Air Force, Navy and Army.

Demand surges for high-value MEMS

Capitalizing on a gamut of hot-button issues ranging from global warming to aging populations, the market for high-value MEMS is set for very rapid growth in a large number of highly diverse segments, according to the market research firm iSuppli Corp.

Revenue for high-value MEMS is projected to reach $1.6 billion in 2010, up 29.7 percent from $1.2 billion in 2009.  Such revenue levels translate into equivalent MEMS shipments of 103.3 million units this year, compared to last year’s 86.8 million units.

RF MEMS startup DelfMEMS secures $1.9 million funding

DelfMEMS, an emerging player in the field of RF components and developer of MEMS switching solutions, announced this week that it has secured $1.9 million in venture capital funds. This investment comes from A2D Invest, Alliansys, Finorpa, Inovam, Rhône-Alpes-Création, as well as business angels and will be used for delivering stand-alone component products for instrumentation and defense as well as creating partnerships for integration into mobile phone front-end modules.

Other companies working on ohmic RF MEMS switches include Analog Devices, Radant MEMS, Panasonic, Omron, Baolab, RFMD and Ommic.  Startup company TeraVicta was also working on RF MEMS swiches, but went out of business in 2008.

Cell phone antenna troubles? RF MEMS come to the rescue

Assistance may be on the way for iPhone 4 users frustrated by dropped calls with the arrival of RF MEMS, devices that can improve the performance of antennas in cell phones, according to the market research firm iSuppli Corp.  Long plagued by technological hurdles and other disappointing setbacks, RF MEMS are finally ready for the big time, with revenue projected to double in 2010 and more than triple in 2011.

From slightly less than $4 million in 2006, global RF MEMS revenue is anticipated to climb to $8.1 million this year -- and then surge to $27.9 million in 2011, according to iSuppli.  By 2014, revenue will reach a whopping $223.2 million -- a far cry from the industry’s extremely modest beginnings.