Following the signing of a Master Research Collaboration Agreement between IME and Seiko Instruments Inc (SII) in September 2006, the two companies have come together to work on another project based on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology.

The Master Research Collaboration Agreement encompassed a broad range of collaborations in MEMS design and fabrication, as well as IC design. The research objective in this latest collaboration is to develop a vacuum-sealing process technology for MEMS devices. Vacuum or hermetic sealing is essential for the packaging of MEMS devices or sensors comprising ultra-sensitive moving components in micro or nano scales. Good quality vacuum sealing reduces friction between the air and the moving micro/nano structures, and is a key feature of high performance devices. The new technology developed will be applied in one of SII's new silicon MEMS products in the near future.

Mr. Masao Kasuga, VP and SGM of Corporate Technology Division, SII, said, "With the establishment of our R&D centre in Singapore in May 2006, we have extensively embarked on collaborative research with A*STAR research institutes like IME. Through this international industry-government partnership, we hope to strengthen our technological development capability by fostering global R&D resources, recruiting local developers, and understanding global technology trends and needs."

Mr. Masao Kasuga, VP and SGM of Corporate Technology Division, SII, at the signing ceremony with Prof. Kwong Dim-Lee, Executive Director of IME.