MEMS Journal -- The Largest MEMS Publication in the World

Omnitron Sensors raises $2.4 million to build next-generation MEMS based capacitive and optical sensors

Omnitron Sensors has successfully closed an over-subscribed $2.4 million Seed round, coming soon after being highlighted by TechCrunch and this year’s Demo Day at 500 Startups. The round was led by Corriente Advisors, with participation from Emerging Ventures, Stratminds, and Break Off, as well as others. “We are thrilled to back Eric Aguilar and Trent Huang, two impressive founders who we believe can revolutionize MEMS technology and create superior sensor products,” said Mark L. Hart III, Founder and CEO of Corriente Advisors.

Thorlabs acquires chemical sensors maker Coda Devices

Thorlabs announced earlier this month that it completed the acquisition of Coda Devices, a manufacturer of Raman-based solutions for analyzing the chemical composition of substances within a laboratory environment or in the field. Based in Menlo Park, California with an R&D center and production in Moscow, Russia, the Coda team will be integrated into Thorlabs' Spectroscopy Technology Group in Munich, Germany. Coda's Raman spectrometers employ patented coded-aperture technology, which reportedly samples over 1,000 optical channels simultaneously, to achieve more than 30 times the light throughput of analogous diffraction slit spectrometers, thereby overcoming the light collection and overall sensitivity limitations of a small entrance aperture.

Optical image stabilization: comparison of MEMS and non-MEMS technologies

MEMS Drive is a fabless MEMS based actuator device maker focusing on optical image stabilization (OIS) technology for mobile devices.  The company raised $11 million in its series B round in October 2016, and is aiming to replace the currently dominant voice coil motor (VCM) technology with its MEMS based chip.  The company is planning to use the funds from the most recent financing round to expand capacity and team, and to further customize their actuator to fit a wider variety of image sensors and customer requirements.  MEMS Drive is already working with OPPO, a Chinese smartphone maker, which announced an image stabilization feature based MEMS Drive’s technology at the Mobile World Congress in 2016.  We recently spoke with the company’s CEO Colin Kwan about the technology trends in this market segment, competitive dynamics, and application requirements.

Si-Ware's MEMS based spectrometer gaining traction in the marketplace

Depending on the performance, traditional spectrometers sell for $5,000 to as much as $100,000 per instrument.  Si-Ware Systems (SWS) says that its MEMS based Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer module enables instrument makers to sell their products at well below the current price levels.  There are different levels of performance and capabilities for spectrometers, and instruments for higher spectral ranges are more costly.  For example, mid-infrared (MIR) spectrometers tend to need cooled photodetectors which adds significantly to the cost.  The performance of Si-Ware’s module is not as good as the lab-grade spectrometers.  However, the company says that its module is good enough for many other applications.

MEMS based optical engine platforms: market and technology overview

With applications such as pico-projectors, head-up displays (HUDs), and gesture sensing, MEMS based optical engine platforms are quickly emerging to become the next “killer app” in the MEMS and microsystems component market.  We spoke with Matan Naftali, the CEO of an Israeli startup company Maradin that is active in the optical MEMS technology sector.  In this comprehensive interview, Matan outlines the competitive landscape and supply chain, discusses the ongoing trends with component prices, explains existing technology challenges, and provides an extensive list of applications.

Si-Ware Systems licenses its MEMS spectrometer technology to Hamamatsu Photonics

Si-Ware Systems (SWS), a provider of MEMS and IC solutions for industrial and consumer applications, has licensed its MEMS FT-IR spectrometer technology to Hamamatsu Photonics of Japan.  Hamamatsu is the world leading supplier of optoelectronics components.  The company announced its new FT-IR spectrometer last month.  According to SWS, the MEMS based spectrometer is the world's first single-chip spectrometer.  All of the optical components of the spectrometer are monolithically integrated on one chip using SWS's proprietary MEMS technology.

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.

Vuzix, Fraunhofer to develop MEMS based displays

Vuzix Corporation announced this week a strategic technology development partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS).  Vuzix and Fraunhofer IPMS have been engaged in the development of MEMS devices optimized for augmented and virtual wearable display solutions.  Vuzix said that this partnership will produce a key component that integrates both the display and optics into a monolithic display engine, with a goal of finally enabling sunglass styled video glasses.

MEMS based micromirror arrays for vision systems and display applications

by Murali Jayapala, Ph.D.
Senior Researcher, IMEC

The possibility to fabricate micromirror arrays has sparked a revolution in display systems.  Today, devices using micromirror arrays are already indispensable in many products, such as large-scale projection engines or portable projectors.  But the promise of micromirror technology is much broader --  it is the enabling force behind a range of research paths in spectroscopy, lithography, volumetric displays and optical networking, just to name a few.

Qualcomm MEMS to invest $975 million for a fabrication facility in Taiwan

Qualcomm MEMS Technologies announced this week the culmination of months of collaboration with Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs to expand the manufacturing capacity of  its MEMS based displays in Taiwan  with the construction of a new fabrication facility in Longtan.   The initial phase of the announced facility is expected to result in up to $975 million of investment by Qualcomm, and the facility is expected to be operational in 2012.