Silicon Sensing Systems announced that it will expand its MEMS foundry in Japan, moving into a new purpose-built facility, reportedly allowing the company to meet significantly increased demand for its MEMS inertial sensors and sputtered thin film PZT MEMS device wafers. The new facility will increase floorspace to 3,000 square meters, which will immediately more than double current wafer throughput and deliver scope for a five-fold increase in output over the next five years, in line with the company's current market growth predictions. To keep up with the volume and price pressures in the thin film PZT MEMS sector, Silicon Sensing said it is already expanding its 8-inch wafer line production. This expansion forms part of a major two-year investment program which will upgrade tooling, capabilities, and capacity, and comes as Silicon Sensing celebrates 20 years in the MEMS business during which time the company has delivered over 30 million devices worldwide.
"Silicon Sensing is known for its own precision MEMS inertial sensors and has recently opened up its foundry to fabless customers who need a reliable source for their PZT based MEMS devices. In the last 3 years, we have seen strong demand as customers in many markets ramp up production and look for a reliable supply of effective, precision MEMS units. As a team, we are excited to be part of this significant evolution and growth in the business," said Eric Whitley, Business Development Manager at Silicon Sensing.
Photo: Silicon Sensing’s new MEMS foundry facility, based in Japan. Source: Silicon Sensing.
"This is an important milestone in the continuing evolution of Silicon Sensing. Our aim is to make a smooth transition from the current facility into our new, earthquake resistant building by the end of 2020. At the same time, we are adding many additional deposition and etch tools, including a new atomic layer deposition (ALD) tool to offer a solution for environmental protection of our PZT films for use in harsh environments," said Mr. Hiroshi Tanaka, General Manager of the site in Japan, who is overseeing the expansion plan.
Silicon Sensing launched its first sputtered thin film PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate) MEMS gyroscope sensor in 2010; the PinPoint gyro. Since then more than 10 million if these gyros have been produced and utilized in a diverse range of applications in automotive, industrial, and commercial markets. The comapny says that this gyro remains a best-selling product and has gained an excellent reputation as an ultra-reliable (0 ppm return in the past 3 years), precise, and affordable MEMS sensor.
Building on these strengths, Silicon Sensing has developed its thin film sputtering material and process technology to an advanced level. The company is supplying its PZT film to a global customer base for use in many varied MEMS devices such as mirrors, inkjet printhead nozzles, and acoustic devices. In many cases, Silicon Sensing is an enabler for the transition from use of bulk piezo-electric to thin film, with the associated benefits of economy, size, and power consumption.
Silicon Sensing is jointly owned by Collins Aerospace and Sumitomo Precision Products. The company was formed in 1999 and is today a market leader in MEMS based navigation and stabilisation technology. Silicon Sensing has supplied almost 40 million MEMS gyroscopes and accelerometers to thousands of customers since the company’s formation.
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