Activities of the Micromachine Center / 1
Activities of the BEANS Laboratory / 5
Members' Profiles / 8

Topic

The Micromachine Center
An Overview of FY 2010 Project Planning
In FY 2010, the Micromachine Center (MMC) intends to continue its contributions to the development of Japan’s
industry through activities for establishing basic technologies related to micromachines, MEMS, and other micro/nano fields
and activities designed to improve the environment for developing industrial fields. Plans for FY 2010 projects wereapproved at meetings of the Council and Board held in March. Based on these plans, the MMC will be improving andintensifying its activities in various projects including research studies on micro/nano fields, data collection and provision,
the promotion of domestic and international standards, the promotion of exchange and collaboration among businesses in
MEMS and other industries, activities to improve the infrastructure for MEMS development, and dissemination andpublicity activities.
Among the new activities added to this year’s schedule are plans to develop micro/nano personnel training programs
nationwide and to inaugurate the Japan MEMS Enhancement Consortium (JMEC; provisional name) that will coordinate
with the Tsukuba Innovation Arena (TIA) framework. We are also committed to strengthening our support and cooperation
for the BEANS Laboratory as a member of this organization, including its research project Gdevice@BEANS, newly added
this year for the development of a high-sensitivity sensory network and processes having low environmental impact.
The diagram below lists major projects slated for this fiscal year.

All projects conformto Article 4
in the Bylaws(1) Research studies project (surveys on technological trends at home and abroad, etc.)(2) Data collection and provision project (the collection and provision of micromachineand MEMS-related materials both in Japan and overseas)(3) MEMS Industry Forum projects. Policy recommendations. Collaboration with industry and academia

Investigation into industry
support for the TIA framework

JMEC (provisional name)

Collaboration. Improvement of the infrastructure for MEMS development(expansion and strengthening of the MEMS foundry network, personnel training, distribution of MEMSPedia, etc.). Information exchange among businesses in MEMS and other industries

The Tsukuba
Innovation Arenaframework(METI, AIST, et al.)(opening of the MEMS Mall, holding of the micromachine exposition MicroNano 2010,
participation in the World Micromachine Summit, participation as an exhibitor at Hannover
Messe (Germany), dispatch of overseas fact-finding missions, etc.)(4) Standardization project (promoting MEMS standardization as a domestic deliberative bodyand international secretary of the IEC)

(5) Dissemination and publicity projects(publicizing and releasing information related to micromachines and MEMS)(6) Other projects. Promotion and dissemination of MemsONE and standardization projects (commissioned by NEDO). BEANS Laboratory projects (support and cooperation in the Gdevice@BEANS)

ion

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lab

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Overview of the Micromachine Center’s FY 2010 Project Planning

1

The BEANS
Laboratory(Gdevice@BEANS)

Activities of the Micromachine Center

Research Studies and Standardization Activities
1. Survey of Industrial Trends

2. Survey of Technological Trends at Home or
Abroad (Second Semester)

The Industrial Trends Study Committee is continuing its
study begun last fiscal year on the types of tools employing
MEMS technology (MEMS-Inside) and the uses for these tools(MEMS applications), as well as the state of affairs for MEMSrelated businesses. The Committee compiled this information
into its 2009 report on challenges and strategies for the
expansion of Japan’s MEMS industry.
MEMS has already been incorporated as a practicaltechnology in numerous products, including such recognizabledevices as airbag sensors for automobiles, print heads,
controllers for game consoles, and image stabilizers for digital
cameras, and many more applications are anticipated. Further,as illustrated in the following graph, the types of companies
making up the MEMS industry are expanding into diverse
sectors of business.
200

187

Note: the no. of companies is cumulative
180

fabrication

160
20

120

80
63

20

■ Precision instruments

equipment

Electrical devices
73

9
54

13

17
17 Mechanical devices

34

0
2000

2001

■ Nonferrous metals

17

20

2002

2003

6
2004

■ Steel■ Ceramics

1219■ Electrical devices■ Mechanical devices

64

44

39
28

84

13

15

17

2005

2006

2007

2006 (Istanbul, Turkey)
2007 (Kobe, Japan)
2008 (Tucson, Arizona (U.S.))2009 (Sorrento, Italy)
2010 (Hong Kong)

120■ Transportation

12

60
40

17
15

94

100

140

communications

140
120

■ Information/

Presentation number

No. of companies

Precision instruments■ Other■ Miscellaneous

161
142

In the second half of the FY 2009 survey of technologicaltrends at home or abroad, the Committee conducted a survey of
MEMS 2010 (the 23rd IEEE International Conference on Micro
Electro Mechanical Systems). The 23rd conference was held inHong Kong on January 24–28 2010.
MEMS 2010 drew 885 abstract submissions, which is thelargest number in the history of the conference. By region,
Asian had the most submissions with 425, accounting for 48%,
or approximately half, of the total. From the submitted
abstracts, 298 papers were accepted for an acceptance rate of
34%. By region, North America had 130 papers accepted for an
acceptance rate of 46%, Asia had 113 accepted for a rate of
27%, and Europe had 55 accepted for a rate of 31%.
Fig. 1 shows the numbers of presentations by country overthe past five years. Of particular note are the sharp rise in
America’s number of presentations and the steady increase inpresentations from Taiwan and China.

■ Petroleum/rubber■ Chemicals

Japan’s MEMS industry is configured of a group of dominantcompanies that follow a vertical integration model, as opposedto the horizontal division of labor employed in overseas groups,
such as STMicroelectronics and foundries for analog devices
and MEMS. Japan’s model is less efficient because its
technology, expertise, and facilities are scattered, and Japan
does not conduct sufficient activities aimed at market
penetration and growth for MEMS devices. Thus, in terms of
cost competitiveness, which will be an important factor in the
future of industrial competitiveness, Japan’s model may beinferior to that used overseas.
To strengthen the MEMS industry in Japan, we must
effectively utilize our technology, expertise, and facilities
through collaboration between public institutions andbusinesses. It would also be ideal to have activities
choreographed by industry and public institutions to facilitate
Japan in changing its focus from technological and applied
development through standardization to market growth andmass production.

100
80
60
40
20

U.
J a S.
p
Ta a nGe iwa
rm n
an
Ko y
re
Ne
a
th ChiSw erla na
itz nder s
Be landlg
i
C um
Si anang da
ap
Sw oreedenUKF
Ho ran
ng ce
Ko
n
Is g
r
Ire aellandIt
Au alyDe stri
nm a
ar
Eg k
yp
In t
di
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0

Fig. 1 Number of presentations by country over the past five years
Fig. 2 shows the numbers of presentations broken down by
specific technological field. As can be seen in the graph, thethree most popular fields were fabrication technologies (nonsilicon), fluidic, and mechanical sensors.
80
70
60
50
40
30
20

Features of Japan's MEMS industry Commonalities in successful cases

Challenges for the MEMS industry in Japan
Effectively utilize MEMS technology, facilities, and expertise scattered throughout Japan(horizontal collaboration)
Market penetration and growth for MEMS (change in focus)

OthersTechnologies outside
the above categories

Power-MEMS

OpticalRF-MEMES

Cells & Subcellularcomponents
Tissue/Organ & Medical
Applications

Fluidic

OthersBiomacromolecules

Cost competitiveness for individual devices

Radiation/Material
Substance Sensor

Japan's weakness

Mechanical Sensor

Japan's strengths
Develop devices incorporating thecustomer's wishes and develop a wide
range of applications

Material

0

System for market penetration andgrowthActuators

10

Develop highly discriminating MEMS
devices meeting the user's expectations

Design and Modeling

In addition to technological competitiveness,cost competitiveness will become
increasingly important

Large manufacturers of consumer
electronics drive MEMS development
through vertical integration
Japan lags behind in MEMS foundries
that support a horizontal division of labor

Packaging Technologies

Consumer electronics is an area of
future growth

Fabrication
Technologies(Silicon)
Fabrication
Technologies(non-Silicon)

MEMS market

1-1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-6 1-7 2-1 2-2 2-3 2-4 2-5 2-6 2-7 2-8 2-9 2-10 3-1

Fig. 2 Numbers of presentations broken down by field2

Activities of the MEMS Industry Forum
1. Preparations for MicroNano 2010
The micromachine exposition MicroNano 2010 will be heldat Tokyo Big Sight on July 28–30, 2010. The MEMS Industry
Forum (MIF) and the organizer Mesago Messe Frankfurt
Corporation are currently finalizing plans and arrangements forthe exhibits, seminars, and other concurrent events. The
following is a schedule for the major seminars.
• International Micromachine/Nanotech Symposium: July 28,
afternoon, Conference Area A• BEANS Project Seminar: July 29, Conference Area B• ROBOTECH Seminar: July 30, Conference Area B
As with last year’s exposition, there are also plans to holdthe MEMS Industry Forum Workshop as a venue for the MIF todisseminate information, and the Workshop on Industry andUniversity Cooperation focusing on information presented byuniversities promoting industry-academia collaboration. We
would like to encourage any institution looking for an
opportunity to introduce their activities, particularly in thelatter forum, to contact us.

The 2nd Committee to Promote the MEMS Industry Forum (Jan. 29)

3. Participation in the 5th Tsukuba Innovation
Workshop
The 5th Tsukuba Innovation Workshop was held on February
15 and 16 at the auditorium of AIST Tsukuba Central to discuss
the requirements for making the Tsukuba Innovation Arena(TIA) genuinely effective. The 5th Workshop was attended byleaders from noted overseas R&D centers involved in
nanotechnology (IMEC, LETI, Fraunhofer, et al.) and featured
lectures on management and networking, as well as a panel
discussion. During the N-MEMS session on the second day, theMicromachine Center gave an overview of the Japan MEMS
Enhancement Consortium (JMEC; provisional name) currently
under consideration.
Representatives from Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center(BSAC) and LETI shared their expertise and philosophy on how
to implement research projects to get the best results anddescribed their related activities at Korea’s National NanoFab
Center and in Singapore. We were impressed with how candidly
the speakers from overseas were in relating their own
experiences and offering advice, and felt the workshop was very
meaningful and rewarding.

2. The Committee to Promote the MEMS
Industry ForumThe 2nd Committee to Promote the MEMS Industry Forum(Chair: Kazuo Kyuma, senior managing executive officer at
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Advanced Technology R&D
Center) was held on January 29, FY 2009 at the Shoko Kaikan(Kasumigaseki), 6 th floor conference room. The committee
meeting was attended by representatives of eleven member
companies, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry(METI), and the New Energy and Industrial Technology
Development Organization (NEDO), as well as Isao Shimoyama,
vice-chair of the MIF and professor of the University of Tokyo.
Among the features of this meeting were a report on the current
fiscal year’s activities and achievements by the MIF, a discussionof the future approach for advanced R&D projects such as
BEANS, and a lively exchange of opinions on the MEMS R&D
center at the Tsukuba Innovation Arena.
Member companies expressed their expectations for the
BEANS Project, the Gdevice@BEANS project that was selected
this year through a public invitation from NEDO to utilize theresults of the BEANS Project, and the Tsukuba Innovation Arena
N-MEMS (provisional title JMEC) being promoted by industry,
academia, and government. Some attendees noted thesignificance of becoming competitive internationally as individualcompanies by concentrating research at a national research
center, as well as the importance of promoting both international
collaboration that includes Asia, and open innovation.
Representatives from METI and NEDO expressed a hope for
utilizing national projects and research centers, while
distinguishing between applications for concentrated in-house
resources and applications for external resources. Additionally,
the organizations requested information related to application indemand.
We hope to continue providing such a venue to bring
together industry, academia, and government for an exchange of
opinions and to incorporate the results of these meetings in theactivities of the MIF.

4. Nationwide Expansion of the Personnel
Training Program
It is our belief that favorable industrial growth can beachieved through the systematic implementation of personnel
training required for MEMS-related industries. In the next fiscal
year, the MIF plans to establish a committee for promoting
personnel training built around members of organizations in allparts of Japan that are involved in collaboration amongindustry, academia, and government; to formulate a master planfor the personnel training program; and to provide coordination
among research centers.
The New Industry Research Organization in Hyogo
Prefecture, the Kitakyushu Foundation for the Advancement ofIndustry, Science, and Technology, and an organization for
promoting collaboration among industry, academia, andgovernment at Tohoku University will serve as head offices for
operations in their respective regions, while AIST Tsukuba willfunction to implement a portion of the courses and to act as an
overall advisor. The MMC will serve as the secretariat for thesecommittees and plans to bear the role of head office for
operations in the Kanto region and Japan overall. Since there
has been a large demand for personnel training nationwide, we
ask you all for your support and cooperation in this project.

3

Dissemination and Publicity Projects
1. The 14th MEMS Seminar

technologies and services for diagnosing MEMS-specificprocesses and analyzing failure modes.
The technical forum that followed the MEMS seminar
involved guest exhibitors and stimulated an enthusiastic
exchange of technological information. Afterward, the venue
was changed to more relaxed surroundings for an informal
gathering, where committee members of the FSIC, lecturers,
and other participants engaged in a lively exchange of ideas.

The 14th MEMS Seminar on “New MEMS technologies (design,
processing, and evaluation) and their product applications” washeld on February 5 this year at the Hyogo Prefecture Citizens’
Hall in Kobe, Japan. A total of thirty-seven people participated in
the Seminar, which was organized by the Foundry Service
Industry Committee (FSIC; chair: Fumihiko Sato of Omron
Corporation) under the Micromachine Center (MMC).
Through the support of the New Industry Research
Organization, this year’s MEMS seminar featured lectures byrepresentatives of MEMS-related companies in Hyogo
Prefecture and its neighboring prefectures, as well as a catalog
exhibition during an ensuing technical forum. The program
given below illustrates the rich variety of events included at the
14th MEMS Seminar.
(1) “Advances in MEMS integration and fusion and
expectations for the creation of new industries,” Susumu
Sugiyama, professor of Ritsumeikan University(2) “Micronano molding technologies for MEMS devices,”
Tadashi Hattori, professor of the University of Hyogo(3) Presentations by the FSIC (machining and joining
technologies)
ULVAC, Omron, Olympus, National Institute of Advanced
Industrial Science and Technology, Panasonic ElectricWorks, and Hitachi(4) An introduction of technologies by MEMS companies in the
Hyogo area
Sumitomo Precision Products, Silicon Sensing Products(5) MEMS device evaluation technologies
Daiichi Kagaku, Oki Engineering(6) Presentations by the FSIC (design and analysis
technologies, etc.)
Nihon Unisys Excelutions, Mizuho Information & ResearchInstitute, Mathematical Systems Inc., and the committee
chair, Fumihiko Sato
(7) Technical forum
FSIC, Silicon Sensing Systems Japan, Kasen Nozzle Mfg. Co.
The following topics were discussed at the 14 th MEMS
Seminar.
In his lecture entitled “Micronano molding technologies for
MEMS devices,” Prof. Hattori pointed out the need for
personnel training and drastic cost reductions in manufacturing
processes in order to ensure the market success of products
employing MEMS technologies, and explained how a molding
technology using micro-molds will be a key technology.
Progress toward establishing and standardizing anevaluation technology for MEMS devices is lagging behind thatfor semiconductor devices, but this element technology is ofutmost importance for developing products that incorporate
MEMS. Highly reliable MEMS devices and products will beattainable by using the results of prototype evaluations as
feedback in device design. On this topic, we heard lectures ontechnologies and equipment for controlling the local
environment of microdevices with great precision and

The 14 t h MEMS Seminar

2. The Release of MemsONE Version 3.0
January 20 of this year marked the release of MemsONE
version 3.0, a design and analysis support system for MEMS.
Developed by an industry-academia joint research consortium
comprising nine businesses, thirteen universities, one research
institute, and one association, MemsONE is Japan’s first softwaretool aimed at providing support for efficient MEMS design anddevelopment. MemsONE is not only a useful tool for the mostsophisticated MEMS researchers and engineers, but also
eliminates the stress for researchers and engineers in other areas
who are novices or less experienced in the field of MEMS inaccessing the most advanced MEMS-related data and know-how.
The following are some of the enhanced features included inthis latest release.
(1) Added the boundary element method to electric field
analysis(2) Added an all-in-one setup for boundary conditions inthermal nanoimprint analysis(3) Expanded the analysis scale for dynamic systems(4) Improved the hexahedral mesh generator(5) Improved the mask CAD(6) Added a function for generating solids (comb-fingers andmeander beams)(7) Enhanced the function for adding analytical models in the
MEMS circuit simulator(8) Upgraded the knowledge database from 1,700 to 3,400 items(9) Upgraded the material database from 203 to 388 items
Details of the latest version are provided in the MemsONE
Corner of the MMC’s Web site. To access this page, please visit
the URL http://www.mmc.or.jp/mems-one/ (Japanese only).

4Activities of the BEANS Laboratory

An Overview of Projects Planned for 2010
First administered directly by the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry in 2008, the Hetero-functional Integrated
Device Technology Development Project (the BEANS Project)
was converted last year to a commissioned project under the
New Energy and Industrial Technology Development
Organization (NEDO). The BEANS Project is now entering its
third year, which is the interim evaluation year. We will be
implementing the following R&D projects (1)–(4) in order toachieve our interim goals. Owing to a supplementary budget
carried forward from last year, we have also added a fifth R&D
project, but the details of this project will be provided in thenext issue.

In addition to achieving defect-free silicon nanostructureswith an aspect ratio of 30 or greater using neutral beam etching,we will also control the sidewall inclination andisotropic/anisotropic nature of etching. We will demonstrate thesuperiority of ultra-low-damage etching in producing MEMS
structures to conventional techniques. We also hope to improve
the speed and selectivity for the formation of 3D structures
through nano-domain modification with a femtosecond laser.
2) Bottom-up-technology for heterogeneous integrationof materials and functions on 3D platform
As an example of highly conformal supercritical-fluid
deposition on 3D nanostructures, we will form functional film
through conformal deposition of oxide film, metal film, andorganic film on the surface of microchannels having an aspectratio of 30 or greater, or complex 3D surfaces. We will also
develop a technology for site-selective formation of functional
nanostructures, such as nanoparticles, nanodots, andnanotubes, on probe arrays or pillar arrays.
3) 3D nano-fabrication for aerospace applications
Since our interim objectives of developing a basic
technology for the optimal structural design of filters for
multiband observation from space, element and basic
processing technologies, and basic evaluation techniques were
met last year ahead of schedule, this fiscal year we will branch
off and study practical applications of these technologies.

1. R&D Project (1): Development of bio/organic
material integration processes
1A) Bio/nano interface treatment
We will develop a process for forming lipid bilayers thatfunction stably for more than two hours in order to establish a
research foundation for future implantable devices andultrasensitive molecular measuring devices. Based on the
results of forming molecular imprinted interfaces throughelectron beam-induced polymerization, and molecular surface
modification of biocompatible polymers, we will select materials
and techniques for forming biocompatible interfaces. We willfurther evaluate high multistage reactivity based on microbialmodels using carbon dioxide fixation, for example.
2A) Biomaterial higher-order structure formation
In order to create a foundation for future pharmacokinetic
screening and artificial organ research, we will conduct
experiments to implement glucose-responsive fluorescent gel
beads in mice and verify the effectiveness of the beads to find asuitable implanting location. We will also acquire guidelines on
selecting a technique for inducing the formation of billiary
canaliculi by controlling the spatial organization of cells.
1B) Organic/nano interface treatment
We will narrow the organic nanostructure formation
processes by means of nanoimprint lithography and the filling
process in order to create a research foundation for highly
sensitive and efficient organic devices using synthetic organic
materials such as future organic semiconductors. We will also
study a new technology for crystal growth control, whereinorganic materials are filled using nano-marking. In addition, we
will propose device designs making use of orientation, createfunctional devices with unique light and electronic properties,
and verify the effectiveness of the processes.
2B) Organic material higher-order structure formation
In order to create a research foundation for highly sensitiveand efficient organic devices using synthetic organic materials
such as future organic semiconductors, we hope to establish
processes for forming self-assembled nanostructures such asorganic molecular nanopillar structures having a less than 50 nm
diameter, organic molecular nanoporous structures with uniform
pores of less than 100 nm diameter, and mesh or linear structures
having a less than 100 nm line-and-space (L/S) pattern.

3. R&D Project (3): Development of large-area
continuous process of micro/nano structure1) Non-vacuum, large-area deposition techniques ofhigh-quality nano/micro materials
We will install and set up a gush-type atmospheric pressureplasma deposition apparatus and develop a basic process forforming films with electronic functions and films withmechanical functions. We will also clarify the specifications forequipment capable of covering larger areas by studying
scanning techniques. We will also develop a large-areananomaterial coating technology capable of depositing auniform film thickness within 10%, with a patterning
resolution no greater than 200 µm.
2) Continuous nano/micro-machining and integration
process for fiber substrates
We will develop a film coating process for fiber substrates
employing a die coater with a high speed of 10 m/min or
greater. We will also establish a 3D patterning technology forthe curved surfaces of fiber substrates, a reel-to-reel imprinting
technology having a high feeding speed of 5 m/min or greater,
and a 3D hollow fiber formation technology. In addition, we willdevelop a basic weaving integration process for weaving
heterogeneous fiber substrates.

4. R&D Project (4): Building up of a knowledge
database for hetero-functional integrated
device technology development
Functions and categorization considered by the Knowledge
Database Compilation Committee will be incorporated in theknowledge database system. We will also upgrade the functionsof the database system and continue to accumulate more datafrom the BEANS centers and the four working groups to enrich
the database.

2. R&D Project (2): Development of novel fabrication
technology for 3D nano structures
1) Top-down fabrication of monolayer-flat, defect-free
3D structure

5

Activities of the BEANS Laboratory

Achievements and Activities of the BEANS Project
Presentations for the BEANS Project given at MEMS 2010
were (1) “MEMS-based exposure module for continuous
lithography process on fiber substrates” given by the Macro
BEANS Center, (2) “Core-shell gel wires for the construction oflarge area heterogeneous structures with biomaterials” given by
the Life BEANS Center, and (3) “Transplantation of aneurospheroid network onto the rat brain” also given by theLife BEANS Center.
The achievements of the BEANS Project have been
generating much interest, often receiving coverage on televisionand in newspapers and trade and business journals. Recently,
Shoji Takeuchi, associate professor at the University of Tokyo,
and Chihaya Adachi, professor at Kyushu University, wereinterviewed several times about their research activities for anarticle in the January 2010–and final–issue of Nikkei
Microdevices. The title of the article is “Generating Demand for
a Supernatural World That Transcends Nature through Device
Technology. ”
The most important goal of R&D in the BEANS Project isthe creation of intellectual property. In fact, all researchers in
the project are assigned a quota for the number of patents orideas they must produce. We have been applying a new type of
IP management within our collaborative system of businesses,
universities, and national research institutes, and recently had
the opportunity to introduce this management system to agroup of Japanese and foreign professionals in intellectual
property at the International Patent Licensing Seminar 2010.
Organized by the National Center for Industrial Property
Information and Training (INPIT), a well-known organization in
the field of IP management, this international conference washeld at Hotel Nikko Tokyo on January 25–26. During a panel
discussion on the “Current situation and future issues for IP
management in the R&D consortium,” a panelist from theInteruniversity Microelectronics Center (IMEC) of Belgium
representing Europe, a panelist from the Center for Information
Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) of
Northern California representing the U.S., and a panelist fromthe BEANS Project representing Japan introduced their styles
of IP management and anticipated future challenges. Since thetopic was relevant to present-day research consortia, there
were many enthusiastic questions from the standing-room-only
audience of more than 400 attendees, making the seminar
extremely rewarding.

The five research centers of the BEANS Project (Life
BEANS Center, Life BEANS Center Kyushu, 3D BEANS Center,
3D BEANS Center Shiga, and Macro BEANS Center) and thehead office of the BEANS Laboratory have been conducting
R&D on biomaterial integration processes, organic material
integration processes, 3D nanostructure fabrication processes,
3D nanostructure fabrication for aerospace applications, andlarge-area continuous micro/nanostructure fabrication
processes and have been developing a knowledge database on
hetero-functional integrated device technology.
Through FY 2009, the BEANS Laboratory publicized its
research findings at national and international academic
conferences through 100 presentations and completed
applications for 23 patents. In just the fourth quarter of FY 2009
(i.e., from January through March 2010), our organization gave
presentations at such international conferences as the 23rdIEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical
Systems (MEMS 2010 held in Hong Kong on January 24–28)
and the 3rd International Symposium on Micro/Nano Technology(held at Seoul National University on March 21–24). Some of
the major conferences in Japan at which we presented theachievements of the BEANS Laboratory included the 24th Japan
Institute of Electronics Packaging (JIEP) Annual Meeting (heldat Shibaura Institute of Technology on March 10), the 2010
Japanese Society for Precision Engineering (JSPE) Spring
Meeting (held at Saitama University on March 16), the 57 th
Spring Meeting, 2010 sponsored by the Japan Society ofApplied Physics (held at Tokai University on March 17–20), the
9th Congress of the Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine(held at the International Conference Center Hiroshima on
March 19), and the Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan(SCEJ) 75th Annual Meeting (held at Kagoshima University on
March 18–20).
The BEANS Laboratory gave three presentations at MEMS
2010, an international conference held in Hong Kong this year.
The MEMS conference is the principal event on micro/nanotechnology in the world and is held annually, while being
rotated among the regions of America, Europe/Africa, andAsia/Oceania. The 23rd installment was held in Hong Kong since
it was the Asia/Oceania region’s turn to host the event. A totalof 75 oral presentations and 223 poster presentations wereselected for the conference for an overall acceptance rate of
33.7%.

Hotel Nikko Tokyo, the venue for the International
Patent Licensing Seminar 2010

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre,
the venue for MEMS 2010

6

The Launch of Gdevice@BEANS
In response to a call for research proposals from the New
Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization(NEDO), the Hetero-functional Integrated Device Technology
Development Project (the BEANS Project) added a new R&D
project entitled “Research and development of an advanced
sensor network system and environmentally friendly
processes,” which was launched in FY 2009 and will be pursued
through FY 2010. The research project is divided according tocontent into a part submitted in response to the call for
research proposals and a part made possible by the accelerated
pace of the BEANS Project. The BEANS Project proposal sent
to NEDO was adopted on March 10.
With problems of the environment and energy resources
now acknowledged as global issues, there is strong pressure on
every country and industry to implement more eco-friendly
measures. Specifically, it is vital to conserve resources and work
toward high efficiency and low environmental impact in orderto reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. With thisbackdrop, the newest BEANS R&D project is aimed atdeveloping a sensor network system capable of monitoringenergy usage in real-time, controlling the air conditioning
system, and the like. The project calls for constructing a clean
room as a testing ground and installing an 8-inch MEMS
production line therein. Numerous high-performance MEMS
sensor modules will then be arranged in the clean room toprovide detailed information. Wireless communications will beessential for installing sensor chips freely within the network.
Therefore, we will attempt to identify any technical issues suchas what type of integrated MEMS sensor chip will be compatible
with wireless communication LSI and can be configured of alarge number of multifunctional sensors while being microsized
inexpensively.
Concurrently, we will be developing environmentallyfriendly MEMS fabrication technologies, such as the use of analternative gas for deep etching and low-temperature waferlevel packaging. Further, in order to develop and manufacture
prototypes for hetero-functional integrated devices andintegrated sensor devices more effectively and efficiently, we
will be formulating high-quality processes for an 8-inch MEMS
production line, gathering process recipes to support newmaterials and new structures, improving the design technology
for controlling process machinery, and researching anddeveloping technologies for processing environmentallyfriendly, biocompatible polymers.
The BEANS Laboratory has adopted a spirit of open
innovation. By making use of the infrastructure in place at the
Tsukuba Innovation Arena N-MEMS aimed at the developmentof new technologies and industries and establishing a research
center at Ritsumeikan University, we can take advantage ofthese assets to carry out more efficient and effective R&D.
Please follow our progress in this project, as we intend to get
the best results possible during this one-year period.

1. Development of an advanced sensor network system. Produce a prototype of a sensor network system for sensing energy consumption, temperature, pressure, air volume, foreign particles,gas, etc. in a MEMS clean room for large-diameter wafers in order to analyze the effects on energy savings and reducing carbon content.
. Formulate new sensing principles aimed at the development of advanced integrated sensor chips capable of wireless communications
with a wireless-independent power supply and having a small size and low profile and a highly sensitive sensing capacity.

2. Development of environmentally friendly processes. Develop an efficient etching process for deep etching of silicon that has low environmental impact through an alternative gas to SF6.
. Integrate various heterogeneous devices at the wafer level.
. Use polymer MEMS to reduce the environmental impact of processes and devices.
. Improve yield, quality, and throughput by designing and prototyping devices and processes using large-diameter test element groups,
sharing information between the design and inspection stages, and providing design feedback from the inspection and measurement data.
. Implement information sharing at the design stage with consideration for environmental impact.

Advancedsensor module

Developing environmentallyfriendly processes. Deep etching technology. Joining technology. Smart fab system. Smart prototyping

Time

Node ID

21:22:30
21:25:13
21:40:20
21:41:40

201
53
125
16

Green sensor network
Visual energy consumption
Wireless sensor
terminal(four times)

Wireless sensor
terminal(four times)

Wireless sensor
terminal(four times)

Wireless sensor
terminal(four times)

Developing an advanced
sensor network andsensor modules. Management of energy andprocess gas. Green working environment

Tsukuba Innovation Arena
N-MEMS

7

OtherMembers’ Profiles

Mechanical Engineering Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd.
1. Introduction
The Mechanical Engineering Research Laboratory(MERL) is one of six research laboratories belonging to
Hitachi, Ltd. With about 380 researchers, MERL utilizes its
basic mechanical systems technology to support a widearray of products, from large-scale infrastructure
installations, such as high-speed rail cars and large-capacity
high-speed elevators, to compact information equipment,such as magnetic and optical disks.
Hitachi’s first involvement with micromachines camewhen its Central Research Laboratory and Hitachi ResearchLaboratory began developing semiconductor sensors in the
1970s. MERL began working with micromachines in earnest
in 1991 when it participated in the Micromachine Project
headed by the Micromachine Center. During this project,
MERL worked on developing micro-sized pumps and othermechanisms, challenging the limits of conventional
micromachining that simply reduced the size of traditional
mechanical structures. Today, we are committed to R&D on
3D micromachining aimed at producing mechanicalelements through semiconductor micromachining
technology. We are also designing unique micromachined
structures capable of emulating the functions ofconventional machinery. Thus, machining technology anddesign technology are essential to our R&D activities. The
next section will outline our efforts in research anddevelopment.

2. R&D Activities
As we approach the twentieth year of our R&D activities
on micromachines at MERL, the direction of our research
has shifted. The general focus of research in the
micromachine field is said to have changed fromdetermining how to make them, to determining what to
make. Similarly, MERL’s focus in R&D has changed fromdeveloping micromachine technology to developing
applications for this technology. However, in order to verify
the applications, it is vital to have our base machining
technologies in place to be able to develop key
micromachined parts quickly. Our micromachine room isapproximately 585 m2 and equipped with various production
facilities that we work hard at maintaining and expanding.
One feature of these facilities is that they allow us to
implement 3D micromachining on a variety of materials,
including silicon, glass, metal, and resin. We have thiscapacity because different materials are needed for thedifferent business areas that the Hitachi Group handles,

such as silicon and semiconductor thin films used in thefields of sensors and actuators, glass and resin used inbiotechnology and medicine, and metal and glass used inchemosynthesis.
MERL is also conducting R&D on wafer-level bonding
technologies for assembling micromachines formed on
various substrates and possesses the facilities to support
such technologies as diffusion bonding, eutectic bonding,fusion bonding, and anodic bonding. Our packaging
equipment can replicate actual environments of use byforming wiring to 3D structures and connections tointerposers as a means of interfacing between prototype
micromachines and the physical world.
MERL evaluates the functions of packaged
micromachines in fluidic devices using a microfluidic system
to perform actual analysis and chemosynthesis. For sensors
and actuators, we evaluate their dynamic characteristics
using our various test facilities. We are also capable ofconducting reliability tests on micromachines using our
expertise cultivated in electronic devices.
Thus, MERL has prepared an R&D environment thatallows us to carry out the entire process of prototyping,packaging, and evaluation necessary for proceedingsmoothly in the development of applications.
Lastly, I will give a brief description of MERL’s design
technology. In micromachines, the design must be
sufficiently reliable to avoid numerous repetitions of trial
production and evaluation. To achieve such reliability, it isimportant from the design stage to carry out developmentthat considers not only links between known micromachine
structures and manufacturing processes, but also how suchmicromachine structures can be used. To this end, MERL isdeveloping techniques for linking structural designs andpackage designs for micromachines. As always, it is easier
said than done, but we will continue working toward thisgoal while drawing on our twenty years of accumulated
experience.

3. Conclusion
At MERL we have worked on the development ofvarious micromachine-related technologies and are now
conducting a support service to provide consulting outsideof the company on well-established micromachinetechnologies. For more information on Hitachi’s integrated
support service, please visit the i-engineering Web site
below.
http://www.hitachi.co.jp/rd/i-engineering/contents4.html

MICRONANO No. 71
MICRONANO is published quarterly by Micromachine Center (MMC), BEANS Technical Research Association(BEANS . TRA) to promote the international exchange of information related to micromachines, R&D and othertechnical topics, and is circulated free of change. Please send your comments about MICRONANO to the publisher :Keiichi Aoyagi, Executive Director, Micromachine Center (MMC)
MBR99 Bldg., 6F., 67 Kanda Sakumagashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0026, Japan
Tel : +81-3-5835-1870, Fax : +81-3-5835-1873
Internet Home Page h t t p : / / w w w . m m c . o r . j p /Date of Issue : Jun 18, 2010