Overseas Trends

COMS 2004 in Canada, from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2
Sponsored by MANCEF, the 9th International Conference on
the Commercialization of Micro and Nano Systems (COMS 2004)
was held in Edmonton, Alberta from August 30th to September
2nd in order to discuss issues related to fostering MEMS
commercialization. Each day during the conference earnest
discussions were conducted on a variety of issues, including (1)general trends in industry, (2) starting an enterprise, (3)investment strategies for nanotechnology, (4) marketingstrategies, (5) equipment vendors, (6) technical trends andtopics, (7) technical transfer, (8) applications in specialized
fields, (9) technology for specific disciplines, (10) reliability,(11) foundries, (12) micro/nano technology design tools, (13)
NSF training program, (14) collaboration, and (15)dissemination and public relations.
I attended this conference as a representative from theMicromachine Center in order to investigate whether Japan could
take any cues from the conference with regard to measures forpromoting MEMS/micromachine commercialization. The following
is a summary of the results of this investigation and my own
impressions.
1) A total of about one hundred companies and institutions
from the four hundred members of MANCEF gave
presentations at this year's conference. Of the presenters,
three were administrative bodies, thirty-two universities andresearch institutes, fifteen public institutions, and forty-six
businesses. It is notable that only seven of the forty-six
businesses giving presentations were major firms, while theothers were small or medium venture businesses. A related
exhibition being held simultaneously included forty-one
exhibitor companies and institutes comprising thirteen
public institutes, fifteen MEMS companies, three softwarevendors, and several others, including news agencies andpatent firms.
2) There appeared to be about three to four hundred
attendees, of which about ten were from Japan.
3) The following are some of the presentations that left an
impression on me:
A. The national science advisor of the Canadian government
announced that they had invested funds and establishedresearch facilities in five locations with the goal of becoming
one of the top ten countries in nanotechnology by 2010.
B. A MEMS program representative from DARPA contended
that MEMS must be approached differently thansemiconductors due to the market scale, lot size, and othercharacteristics distinctive to MEMS. Specifically, therepresentative advocated the need for equipment andprocessing technology capable of performing processes foreach chip.
C. The senior vice president of Philips described the progress
made in developing LED light sources by system-in-package(chip-level packages), and began such open collaboration
activities as co-developing RF MEMS capacitors with Nokia anddeveloping bending displays by sharing facilities with Mi Plaza.
D. The Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute noted that,based on MEMS growth, some seventy thousand technicians
will be needed in the U.S. in 2005. The Institute also
reported on training programs that were started in 2002 withcooperation from NASA and Sandia National Laboratories.
4) Overall I felt that this conference provided an opportunity tocreate a structure of collaboration and systems from theperspectives of technology, capital, and education andstrives to foster MEMS/nanotechnology commercialization.
This objective differs greatly from that of theMST/nanotechnology trade fair at Hannover Messe, which
provides a venue for showcasing individual enterprises andtechnologies. Further, the major firms engaged in MEMS,
such as Texas Instruments, Intel, and Hewlett-Packard, do
not give presentations at this conference. This indicates thatat large firms capable of producing and procuring their own
products, conditions are quite different from those at
venture businesses, which must collaborate with each otherin respect of market share and capital.
5) On reflection, this is a good time to rethink the objectives
and status of Japan's micromachine exhibit. Neither theconference nor trade fair mentioned above has succeeded increating an opportunity to contact and communicate withusers. I felt that this conference had become nothing morethan a gathering for members of similar trades and suppliersof knowledge and technological sources. On this point, Japan
has diverse industries and numerous businesses that are
creating system products, in other words, the users ofMEMS and micromachines. Those involved in MEMS andmicromachines would place great value on an exhibition thatarranges collaborations between manufacturers and users.

The Shaw Conference Centre is built into the banks of Edmonton's river valley.
From the entrance, this pedway leads down, down to the conference area.

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