We are entering a new era of smart products. More companies than ever before are relying on sensors of all kinds to create products with higher levels of intelligence, which will lead to smart homes, smart buildings and smart systems.
Enabling the development of these smart products are MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) devices with GPS, RFID, fluidic and wireless sensing capabilities. These will be the key drivers of growth for MEMS. At the same time, concurrent opportunities for microcontrollers will be generated.
By marrying microelectronics and micromachining technology, offshoot MEMS devices offer unprecedented levels of functionality and reliability, all integrated in a complete systems-on-a-chip. Smart products have the ability to sense the environment, process the information and activate the desired outcome. With MEMS, these capabilities are achieved in hairbreadth dimensions, making it possible for manufacturers to produce clever, compact and convenient products.
Challenges
The widespread adoption of MEMS technology, however, is dependent on cost economies besides higher performances. MEMS is also inherently multi-disciplinary, combining electrical, semiconductor and mechanical design. Designers need to think three-dimensionally and many have limited expertise in micro-fabrication.
Further, MEMS packaging is more challenging than IC packaging because of the diversity of MEMS devices. Packaging can be the single most expensive and time consuming task in a company’s overall product development programme, as dedicated research to find a suitable fabrication process is often required.
IME Solutions
IME has been offering MEMS packaging solutions since 1993. From its initial work in inertial sensors, it has kept ahead of technological trends to produce integrated technology platforms such as optical MEMS and BioMEMS.
Scientists and engineers from four divisions – Semiconductor Process technology (SPT), Integrated Circuits & Systems (ICS), Microsystems, Modules & Components (MMC) and Bioelectronics & BioMEMS (BEBM) – work in synergy and have successfully demonstrated integrated systems and processes, including RNA and DNA extraction chips, single crystal-based Si nanowire sensors, stack-chip based SiP (system-in-a-package) for advanced memory and high speed IC packages. Many of the developments have been patented and cited in international professional journals.
IME’s expertise spans the entire spectrum of MEMS research, from design, Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), to process technology and packaging. This is supported by state-of-the-art 8” CMOS and post-processing laboratories, aligned with industry manufacturing practices to ensure cost-effective compatibility.
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IME can fabricate Si-based nanophotonics on 8" wafer by using DUV lithography and dry etchig process. |
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In line with its mission to add value to industries in Singapore, IME extends its expertise and capabilities to companies, through collaborative research projects or licensing of patents for commercialisation. Additionally, companies can access IME’s R&D foundry services, selecting from a menu of standardised fabrication packages or opting for a tailored scheme to meet their specific needs. This provides companies with affordable access to MEMS technology and allows them to respond more quickly to market demands.
Future Directions
MEMS applications cover nearly every sector from transportation, industrial, communications, and medical to consumer electronics.
Market analysts project global market for MEMS devices and production equipment to grow from US$5 billion in 2005 to US$12.5 billion through 2010, at an average annual growth rate of more than 20%. Among the applications, life sciences, automotive and consumer product applications will continue to dominate the market, with an estimated collective share of over 78% by 2010, while the market for telecommunications and information technology will grow appreciably.
The market push for greater product intelligence will drive MEMS research worldwide. The availability of cost-effective microcontroller chips has been an accelerating influence. Nonetheless, research breakthroughs to achieve competitive pricing are still required for smart systems to take off.
IME will direct more resource towards developing modularised MEMS platform technologies, so that its foundry service users can gain shorter R&D time at lower cost. IME will work on linkage technology between traditional MEMS and advanced nanometer-scale devices. Its R&D effort within this scope will support the commercialisation process of devices for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, as well as nanophotonics for sensing and display widely applied in a variety of industries.
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MEMS design and simulation expertise at IME can support customers to foresee the characteristics of complex three-dimensional movable microstructures. |
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IME will continue to explore synergies between previously unrelated fields, and through MEMS, develop building blocks and new technologies which will form the catalyst for a smarter and better world.
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