Recent Activities of the MEMS Industry Forumto business opportunities for the MMC’s supporting members
and contribute to the formation of TIA-NMEMS.

1. Overview of Plans for MicroNano 2010
The micromachine exposition MicroNano 2010 will be heldat Tokyo Big Sight on July 28–30, 2010. Having reached aconsensus on the basic concepts and goals for MicroNano 2010,
the Micromachine Center, which is sponsoring the event, andthe organizer Mesago Messe Frankfurt Corporation are now
working in concert on preparations for the event.
The turnout for MicroNano 2009 was heavily affected by thepoor economic conditions, and the event experienced its firstdecline in recent years in the numbers of exhibitors andvisitors. While the economic climate for fiscal year 2010 remains
uncertain, we hope to regain the momentum toward growthseen in previous years.
In an effort to attract more exhibitors and visitors, in 2010
the Exhibition Micromachine/MEMS will be held concurrently
with ROBOTECH, an exhibition on manufacturing technologies
for service robots utilizing MEMS sensors (an exhibition on
surface technology, SURTECH, will also be held concurrently).
The MEMS Industry Forum (MIF) is also considering adding
more concurrent events, such as a workshop on Nanoimprint
Technologies and a workshop for our international affiliates.
The MIF is conducting promotional activities leading up toMicroNano 2010, including participation in the International
Robot Exhibition and addressing robot MEMS in our MEMS
workshops. We are also working on plans to enhance the MMC
concierge service at the Exhibition Micromachine/MEMS, aswell as to provide the most valuable technical information,business information, and business opportunities in one locationfor exhibitors and visitors. Please consider participating inMicroNano 2010 as an exhibitor or visitor. This event is not tobe missed!

Workshop with LETIITRI signing

3. Study on a human resource development Program
While the economy is at a standstill due to the recession,
there is no doubt that the MEMS industry will continue to growin the long-term. With the market for MEMS expected to growto some 2 trillion yen, the need to develop skilled personnel toaccommodate this market scale has become urgent.
The MIF is studying a new education and training programin which the Micromachine Center would play a pivotal role.
While personnel training projects have been conducted at AIST
and at public institutes in northern Kyushu and the Kansai area,
this program is aimed at expanding the training projects
nationwide in the next fiscal year through a subsidy from theKanto Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry. Entitled “theInnovative Micro/nano Personnel Training Program”(provisional title), the program would restructure and reformthe current curriculum, including the addition of new courses,
and would be aimed at developing not only experts infabrication processes and device design, but also personnel
capable of bridging the gap between technological seeds andmarket needs to produce commercial products.

4. Formation of the Tsukuba Nano-tech Innovation
Arena N-MEMS

2. Networking International Affiliates
The MIF actively pursues collaboration with its international
affiliates. In addition to transmitting information from Japan andcollecting the latest technical information from around the world,
information exchange with international affiliates is directly
linked to the concept of “open innovation” embodied in theformation of the Tsukuba Innovation Arena Nano (TIA-Nano).
In October 2009, a second joint workshop with CEA-LETI of
France was held at AIST Tsukuba, where both parties gained adeeper understanding of robot MEMS, sensor networks, and 3Dintegration. We are currently exploring the possibilities forcontinued collaboration with LETI.
Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI)
became our 19th international affiliate on November 25. At thesame time, we held a joint workshop at the University ofTokyo’s Komaba Campus to cultivate a better understanding
with the ITRI and explore the potential for future collaboration.
In addition to these workshops, the MIF shared information
with the Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center (BSAC) and theMEMS Industry Group (MIG) of the U.S. and IMEC of Belgium,and discussed possibilities for intercourse with Canada and theNetherlands. It is hoped that these activities will eventually lead

Creation of the Tsukuba Nano-tech Innovation Arena NMEMS is an endeavor aimed at the promotion of advanced
research requiring a high capital investment that individualcompanies generally cannot afford and the enhancement ofdesign and trial production capabilities needed for pioneering
MEMS applications. The endeavor has been gaining momentum
with the June establishment of an executive council and aseries of workshops held through the support of METI. The
Micromachine Center is studying a draft on a strategy andorganization aimed primarily at forming N-MEMS.
The BEANS Project and the research organization for
GMEMS (high-performance sensor networks and low
environmental impact fabrication processes), which has been
proposed for a supplementary budget or the budget for the next
fiscal year, are in position to make of the core of N-MEMS. We
will continue to propose strategies for using Japan’s strengths
to overcome our intense global competition and will conduct
studies in cooperation with the Micromachine Center’s
supporting members on forming N-MEMS.

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