a. Opening of the MEMS Mallb. Holding of the MicroNano 2009 general exhibitionc. Holding of Exhibition Micromachine/MEMS
d. Expansion of the international affiliate network
e. Participation in the 15th World Micromachine Summit
f. Participation as exhibitor as Hannover Messe
g. Dispatch of overseas fact-finding missions and exchangeof researchers

MEMS wafer-to-wafer bonding strength(8) Investigative study on overseas standards
Conducted a study on Japan’s response to the escalating
number of proposals for MEMS standards in South Korea andother countries overseas (including standards related to RFMEMS and bending test methods).
(9) Adoption of thin film material tensile test method
standard as a JIS

3. MEMS Industry Forum projects (for policy
recommendations and industrial exchange andvitalization)

4. Dissemination and publicity projects
MMC will continue to publish and distribute newsletters, holdexhibitions, and otherwise disseminate information on
micromachines and MEMS to educate the public and make suchinformation widely available. We are collecting referencematerials and documentation related to micro/nano technologies
from universities, industrial circles, public organizations, andother sources in Japan and overseas. This documentation will beconsolidated with reference materials for surveys studies
conducted at MMC and will be made available at the MMC
archives for browsing and searching. Information will also be
provided internally and externally through MMC’s Web site.
We will continue to perform dissemination and publicity
activities in 2009, striving for efficiency and effectiveness. In
addition to our Web site and the quarterly magazine
MICRONANO, the MMC-MIF Monthly (Japanese only), and theMicro-Nano Express newsletter issued in collaboration with theBEANS Laboratory, we will also jointly operate an exhibit with
the BEANS Laboratory at Exhibition Micromachine/MEMS.
The 20th Exhibition Micromachine/MEMS will be held at
Tokyo Big Sight as part of MicroNano 2009. The event isscheduled for July 29–31.

MIF was established as a special project committee with thegoals of supporting the further development of MEMS
industries and contributing to the international competitivenessof Japan’s industry. Membership in MIF is composed primarilyof companies in MEMS-related industries. MIF performs theactivities listed below in collaboration with affiliated academies,regional centers, and overseas institutions. This year’s goals are
to improve its administrative function and further expand itsactivities.
(1) Policy recommendations(2) Collaboration with industry and academia(3) Improvement of the infrastructure for MEMS
development
a. Expansion and upgrading of the MEMS foundry network systemb. Promotion and dissemination of MemsONE (mentioned earlier)c. Strengthening of collaboration among regional public
foundries and local clusters
d. Implementation of personnel training projects(4) Information exchange among businesses in MEMS
and other industries

Research Studies and Standardization Activities
1. Survey of Technological Trends at Home and Abroadfrom the above surveys were summarized in the FY 2008 Survey
Results for Field-Specific Trends.

This survey has been conducted every year since 1993 tocollect and analyze in detail the latest technological data in Japanand overseas in order to follow trends in technology. Recognizing
the growing importance of such trends in Asia, the MMC
conducted surveys of presentation categories and trends in fieldspecific presentations at APCOT 2008 in the first half of last fiscal
year. The same surveys were conducted in the second half of theyear for MEMS 2009, which is an annual focus of our surveys.
The Asia-Pacific Conference on Transducers and MicroNano Technology (APCOT) is an international conference heldin the Asia-Pacific region to present R&D findings in the MEMSand nanotechnology fields. The conference has convened
biannually since 2002 when the first conference was held in
Xiamen, China. Since then, the conference has been held in
Sapporo, Japan in 2004, Singapore in 2006, and, most recently,Tainan, Taiwan on June 22–25, 2008 (Sun-Wed). A total of 589
papers (compared to 571 at the previous conference) weresubmitted for APCOT 2008, with 205 submissions from Taiwan(109 previously), 117 from Japan (66 previously), 111 fromChina (137 previously), 51 from South Korea (48 previously),and 10 from Singapore (110 previously). Of the 589
submissions, 377 papers were accepted, resulting in an
acceptance ratio of 64.0%.
MEMS 2009, the 22nd IEEE international conference on
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) was held inSorrento, Italy on January 25–29, 2009 (Sun-Thu). A recordhigh 856 papers were submitted for the conference, withsubmissions from Asia accounting for more than half the total(405 papers, or 47%). Asia was followed by North America with254 submissions and Europe with 197. As usual, the conference
organizers were very selective, choosing only 276 of thesubmitted papers for a mere 32% acceptance ratio. The findings

2. Standardization(1) IEC status
A Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) for Japan’s
proposal on fatigue testing methods of thin film materials wasreferred to the IEC, put to vote on March 20, and adopted as an
IEC international standard on April 7, becoming the fifthinternational standard related to MEMS and the fourthsubmitted by Japan. We also submitted a draft to the IEC inFebruary on fatigue testing methods using resonant vibration,
developed under METI’s activities for standards certification.
While committee drafts (CDs) on RF MEMS switches, FBAR
filters, bending test methods, and testing methods for wafer-towafer bonding strength proposed by South Korea are currently
under review, Japan has submitted many comments, which arebeing weighed to reflect Japan’s opinion. Japan has drafted
proposals on a die shear text, 3-point bending test, and blister
test as the primary testing methods for wafer-to-wafer bondingstrength. Testing methods for micro-pillar compression andthermal expansion coefficients recently proposed by South
Korea in August of last year were not approved, because thenumber of participating nations in the project remains at three,short of the required four.
(2) Research and development
METI has commissioned the MMC to perform researchstudies on standards certification for accelerating life tests(2006–08), standard test pieces for calibration (2006–08),
bonding strength tests for MEMS materials (2007–08), andmicro-gyroscopes and electronic compasses (2008–10). A draft
proposal for a standard on accelerating life tests has alreadybeen submitted to the IEC, while drafts on standard test pieces

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for calibration and testing methods for bonding strength
reflecting the results of round-robin tests currently being
conducted at overseas research institutions are scheduled forsubmission to the IEC around June this year. The MMC has
completed an analysis of results for round-robin tests conductedon micro-gyroscopes at research institutions in Japan, as well asa study on standardization items for electronic compasses.
(3) Standardization topics in FY 2009
Three topics were proposed for METI’s 2009 collaborative
research and development project for international standards:
measuring methods and notation for MEMS shapes, bending
test methods for micro-cantilever beams, and bulging testmethods. Of these, measuring methods and notation for MEMS
shapes was adopted and submitted for public review. This is athree-year project to research measuring methods and notation
on parameters for shapes characteristic to MEMS devices, suchas side wall shapes, angles, and aspect ratios in threedimensional MEMS structures, and for writing up a draft
proposal for an international standard on measuring shapes ofMEMS devices, and submitting the draft proposal to the IEC. A
written proposal was submitted jointly with Kobe University.
(4) Establishment of the SC 47F national committee in the IEC
While the MMC has been carrying out activities for the IEC

for some years, a national mirror committee corresponding tothe IEC body was established at the MMC as the IEC assemblyin charge of reviewing MEMS standardization was upgradedfrom a working group to a subcommittee (SC 47F). It wasdecided that the SC 47F national committee would beestablished in the IEC from 2009 based on the need fordeliberating bodies to clarify national and international stances.

IEC SC 47F plenary meeting held in Tokyo

Recent Activities of the MEMS Industry Forum(chair: Fumihiko Sato of OmronCorporation) was held at theGrand Hotel Hamamatsu inHamamatsu, Japan. It was thefirst time held in the Tokairegion. The seminar mainly
targets beginners in MEMS field
and middle class engineers ofthe member companies.
The 12th MEMS Seminar
Entitled “MEMS Design andProcessing Techniques and Their Applications,” the seminar wascosponsored by the Organization for Hamamatsu Technopolis
and the Innovation and Joint Research Center of Shizuoka
University and was held concurrently with Hamamatsu Messe
2009 organized by the Organization for Hamamatsu Technopolis.
The “MEMS Design and Processing Techniques and TheirApplications” seminar covered a wide range of topics throughacademic lectures on advances in MEMS integration and fusionand expectations for the creation of new industries (Prof.
Susumu Sugiyama of Ritsumeikan University) and MEMS
design techniques using electric equivalent circuits (Prof. GenHashiguchi of Shizuoka University); a lecture on stealth dicing(a fully dry process) gaining popularity in MEMS massproduction plants (Naoki Uchiyama of Hamamatsu Phototonics)
as an introduction to technologies used in MEMS businesses in
the Tokai region of Japan; lectures on MEMS devices,processes, and simulations developed by member companies of
the FSIC; and talks on MEMS technology and trends, MEMS
foundries, and the MEMS Open Network Engineering System of
Design Tools (MemsONE).

The MEMS Industry Forum (MIF) was established with thegoals of supporting the further development of MEMS industries
and contributing to the international competitiveness of Japan’sindustry. Membership in the MIF is composed primarily ofcompanies in MEMS-related industries. The MIF conducts
various activities in collaboration with affiliated academies,
regional centers, and overseas institutions to encourage
exchange among and vitalization of MEMS-related industries.
This article describes some of the recent activities at the MIF.

1. Initiation of MEMS Personnel Training Projects
The market for micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS)
is expected to grow to 1.17 trillion yen in 2010 and to 2.4 trillion
yen in 2015. In order to develop a sufficient number of skilled
personnel to accommodate this expansion in the MEMS market,
the MIF is examining ways to implement MEMS personnel
training programs aimed at improving in-house personneltraining at companies with the strategy of stepping up thenumber of MEMS skilled personnel in stages to meet expectedindustry needs, enhancing MEMS personnel training throughindustry-academia collaboration, and improving theenvironment to make MEMS fields more accessible to personnel
wishing to transfer from other fields.
The MIF is currently helping out with a personnel training
program spearheaded by the National Institute of Advanced
Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) entitled “Personnel
training program for pioneering new innovative projects related
to micro/nano mass production and applied device fabrication.”
The MIF has also begun a study in concert with regional
consortia on a tangible personnel project aimed at expanding
practical personnel training with industry-academia
collaboration and offering more MEMS lectures and training
courses for working people, as well as launching a Web site for
personnel training in MEMS fields. During 2009 the MIF plans
to work with regional consortia, public research institutes, anduniversities to build the foundation for integrated course
management with curricula structured around the local
characteristics of each region.

3. The 17th MEMS Advanced Technology ForumThe forum was established to encourage the exchange ofideas among industry and academia and to disseminate
information and raise awareness on micro/nano technologies. It
mainly targets skilled researchers and engineers of the membercompanies. Held three times annually, the forum invites experts
from universities, the AIST, and other organizations to givelectures on cutting-edge technologies in the micro/nano andMEMS fields.
The 17th MEMS Advanced Technology Forum was held onFebruary 17 (Tuesday) at the MMC Techno Salon, where the2. The 12th MEMS Seminar
On February 6, the 12th MEMS Seminar organized by theMEMS Foundry Service Industry Committee (FSIC) of the MIF

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