MEMS Journal -- The Largest MEMS Publication in the World

MEMS foundry Micralyne appoints new President and CEO

The company has named John Harley, PhD, as President and CEO. Dr. Harley joined Micralyne in 2016 as Vice President of Technical Marketing and Business Development. His leadership and expertise in MEMS product development, technology transfer, business development, and strategic marketing have enabled Micralyne to excel in the MEMS market. Additionally, his technical insight has enabled the company's customers to apply the most advanced manufacturing capabilities in the biomedical, optical, and industrial markets. In his new role as President and CEO, Dr. Harley will bring his extensive MEMS technical and market experience to propel Micralyne to the next level.

Self-assembled monolayers: adapting the functionality of MEMS devices in future technologies

by Tony McKie
CEO, memsstar

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are a material that has come to the fore in a number of applications, such as biological and consumer electronics, as they have a wide usage scope. This article reviews SAM materials, their deposition methods, and the potential applications of these films.  At its core, a self-assembled monolayer is a molecule of two halves: a head group and a tail group. The head group is typically the functional side of the molecule, whose function is dictated by the head group itself. In some cases, this could be a molecule that allows for the binding of biological material in a lab-on-chip type of application. Another use could be to modify the surface energy that is present on the device surface itself in such a way as to reject the buildup of moisture on the sample surface, thus making the surface hydrophobic.

MEMS wafer maker Plan Optik launches new brand for stock products

In order to serve the high demand of wafers with fixed specifications more quickly, MEMS and semiconductor wafer maker Plan Optik has founded a new brand called Wafer Universe (https://waferuniverse.com), to provide off the shelf products. In addition to Plan Optik's main business of customized wafers, Wafer Universe is going to handle the range of stock products. By separating those two business areas and optimizing processes, Plan Optik says that Wafer Universe will be able to offer the shortest quotation and delivery time. There is a large variety of high-quality wafers made of different materials and in different sizes available from stock.

MEMS foundry SilTerra receives automotive certification

SilTerra, a leading CMOS and MEMS pure-play wafer foundry in Malaysia announced this week that it has received the IATF 16949:2016 automotive certification from SGS (Societe Generale de Surveillance), a world leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company with headquarters located in Geneva, Switzerland. The IATF 16949:2016 was launched in October 2016 to supersede and replace ISO/TS 16949 and it represents an evolution for quality management in the automotive industry. Manufacturers with the IATF 16949 certification are recognized for their ability to meet the demands of automotive manufacturing, promising superior process integration, customer confidence, and product performance.

SilTerra expands MEMS-on-CMOS platform for new applications

As the largest foundry in Malaysia, SilTerra has been developing its MEMS-on-CMOS platform and expanding it into new applications such as PMUTs for medical and fingerprint sensors, SAWs for timing devices, and BAWs for short range wireless RF transceivers. The company works with clients on basic proof of concepts, custom device prototype development, manufacturability assessments and volume production. We recently spoke with Arjun Kumar Kantimahanti, Senior Vice President of SilTerra’s MEMS, Sensors, and Life Sciences Business Unit.  In this detailed interview, we discuss SilTerra's history, it's current MEMS program, as well as it's roadmap and plans for the future.  We also spoke about emerging applications enabled by optical, RF, and ultrasonic MEMS devices. 

Sensors and FHE need each other: a look inside a key relationship

by Wilfried Bair
VP of Engineering, NextFlex

Flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) and sensor technologies are a perfect match for each other. Nearly every current application of FHE technology that either NextFlex or our partners are working on involve sensors, so it’s beneficial for both platforms to grow and thrive alongside each other. Of course, these benefits ultimately carry down to the applications that use both FHE and sensors, such as chemical sensing systems and human health/fitness monitoring devices. When we drill down into this topic, it shows a unique symbiotic relationship that’s critical to the development of next-generation manufacturing.

MEMS foundry IMT receives majority investment from Cerium Technology

Innovative Micro Technology (IMT) announced this week a majority equity financing led by Cerium Technology, an investment firm focused on innovation in the IoT market. IMT is a well-established player in the design and manufacture of MEMS devices. MEMS technology leverages the precision and scale of semiconductor wafer manufacturing to make micro and nano scale structures on silicon or glass that significantly improve the performance of devices that perform physical functions. IMT is one of the leading independent MEMS manufacturers in North America, partnering with innovative system vendors and fabless device firms worldwide to create and sustain competitive advantage. Proceeds from the financing will be used to increase R&D investments in the company's standard process platforms, upgrade existing equipment, and to complete the installation of IMT's new 8-inch wafer fabrication line.

Printed sensors and electronics: development challenges and emerging applications

As new sensor technologies continue to proliferate in existing and emerging applications, one especially promising area is printed-electronic sensors. We recently spoke with Dan Brewer, Executive Director of Marketing and Intellectual Property at Brewer Science, an active participant and one of the early entrants into this technology segment. The privately held company is based in Rolla, Missouri and was founded by Dr. Terry Brewer in 1981. The company got its start in semiconductor materials and specifically in materials used in front-end processes. They still claim to hold the largest market share in anti-reflective coatings for semiconductors, and they produce 70-80 types of materials used in lithography processes. From front-end materials, the company expanded to back-end advanced packaging materials, and from there to printed electronics.

MEMS foundry SilTerra unveils monolithic PMUT on CMOS platform

SilTerra, a Malaysian CMOS and MEMS foundry services provider, this week unveiled a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (PMUT) on CMOS platform for fingerprint sensing and medical imaging applications. According to the company, this unique process platform offers a monolithic solution and integrates the PMUT on top of the CMOS resulting in a single-chip solution. The PMUT is formed using a CMOS compatible piezoelectric materials and surface micro-machining techniques. Designers can choose any of the SilTerra's traditional CMOS, BCD, RF, and ultra low-power platforms in 180nm or 130nm nodes to build the PMUT on the top of these platforms. 

Micralyne showcases MEMS technology platforms for emerging sensing applications

The company will be showcasing standardized MEMS process technologies that advance the speed of commercialization of emerging sensing applications. Micralyne will be featuring MicraMOx, a MEMS process platform for highly miniaturized metal oxide gas sensors for environmental sensing applications. Localized gas sensing is critically important in industrial settings and in homes. Coupled with IoT use cases, miniaturized gas sensors enable economical and connected environmental sensing. Metal oxide gas sensors have been available for many years, but they required improvements in power consumption, cost, stability, and gas selectivity.