The IEEE held its annual gathering of the MEMS community at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson earlier this year and graciously allowed me to visit the conference. Because the venue was a short drive from Phoenix, it was an opportunity I didn’t pass up.
At first glance, it seemed the room was mostly devoid of commercial MEMS firms – with presentation after presentation from academic researchers. "Out of a hundred of these academic papers, maybe two or three will see commercialization," remarked David Harris, director of business development for the Bennington Microtechnology Center.
] Devices, plus a few
less well-known ones like SFA, Inc. and Silicon Clocks.Without recounting the entire conference (you can visit www.mems2008.org for more info), hereís a sample of topics that caught my eye:
- "Self-powered discharge-based wireless transmitter," Cornell University. A nickel-63 radioactive isotope thin film decays, vibrating a nearby cantilever structure that generates a 264 MHz signal with a range of about 3.6 m. The signal can be modulated by changing the DC voltage bias on the thin film. Power can last for a century using the minimally radioactive isotope.
- "Explosive trace detection with FBAR-based sensor," University of Southern California. A Film Bulk Acoustic Resonator (FBAR) is coated with antibodies (tuned for specific explosives like TNT or RDX) immobilized on the back side of the sensor. When the selected explosive is exposed to the sensor, it binds to the antibody and shifts the resonant frequency.
- "Dual drug delivery device for chronic pain management," University of Michigan. Using microvalves and two reservoirs each holding 18 ml of drugs, this 80 g unit can deliver medication in microdoses for years.
- "Contact lens with integrated inorganic semiconductor devices," University of Washington. Really small LEDs are fabricated on the PET substrate of a contact lens for possible use as a heads-up display.
- "Electrothermal microgripper with large jaw displacement and integrated force sensors," Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands). "Large" is a relative term here, but this unit has a motion of up to 32 micrometers and a minimum detectable force of 770 nN. It grasps objects measuring 8 to 40 micrometers.
Iím sure there were many others worth mentioning, but even from this small sample, it is evident that this conference had a lot going on in a lot of different areas.
I also had a chance to chat with Freescaleís Dave Monk, from the automotive side, and Ken Lenk, from the consumer side, to learn more about the commercial side of the industry. We talked about Freescale ramping up fab capacity for MEMS using their 8" lines to help meet increased demand. "In terms of process, thereís advanced digital like 45 nm, thereís mixed signal, and then thereís MEMS," Monk said. "Itís a question of capacity, not really yield. We have to build and test a lot to get the volumes out the door."
Monk also commented that MEMS sensors are having an impact on four main automotive areas: airbags, stability control, tire pressure monitoring, and engine management. The big push is on wireless tire pressure monitoring, now mandated in all 2008 U.S. passenger vehicles. Freescaleís MPXY8300 is a single package pressure sensor, accelerometer, 8-bit MCU, and RF transmitter.
Lenk went in a different direction, talking about a "life-size experience" for gaming, building on what units like the Wii have accomplished. He stated that Freescale is working closely with Microstaq to implement pressure sensing as a means to improve the efficiency of commercial air conditioning units.
Itís exciting to see some of these MEMS technologies, the science fiction stuff of years ago, now making a real impact on everyday systems. As technology progresses and becomes mainstream, perhaps some of the ideas presented at this conference will become the must-have commercial devices of the future.
