Expectations For The MEMS-ONE Project
Hiroyuki Fujita, Project Leader and Professor at The Institute of Industrial Science,
the University of Tokyo
As a variety of MEMS products led by automotivesensors are now entering the market, it is a safe bet
that the applications for MEMS will continue toexpand into other fields. Some areas that lookparticularly promising for MEMS are opticalapplications such as optical communication devices
and optical sensors; information systems such as
printers, displays, and data storage devices;micro/nano chemical systems and nano-biotechnology
applications; and nano-technology applications such asscanning probe microscopes.
In order to accelerate MEMS commercialization inthese diverse fields of application, it is important todevelop not only individual products, but also a more
complete infrastructure consisting of manufacturing
equipment to serve as a foundation for micromachinerelated industries, foundry services that undertake
production, and design and analysis software. Since
the development of such an infrastructure can reduce
development and manufacturing costs for individualproducts, there is an increased likelihood that thedegree of added value from MEMS can be usedeffectively toward the successfully marketing of MEMS
products, for which the market scale is not always
great.
The provision of a computer-aided design system isparticularly effective in reducing the costs of trial
production since the actual desired MEMS are
produced after freely designing and analyzing theshapes of mechanical parts on a computer. This
environment consists of a simulator for analyzing
processes and electrical and mechanical properties
suited to MEMS characteristics, and a database usedby this simulator. Since the content of a database for
manufacturing processes is heavily dependent on thedevice and its operating parameters, cooperation
between a foundry company and companies involvedin manufacturing the device is indispensable forconstructing an effective database. By standardizing
the manufacturing process and dividing the process
into design, analysis, processing, and evaluation steps,
a mechanical engineer will be able to apply a design
and analysis simulator effectively to obtain design
results approaching the desired final product, without
being conscious of the actual details in each process
step.
Now that MEMS technology has already madesignificant progress, manufacturing equipment andprocesses, as well as micromachines, actuators, andother devices developed for specific applications canbe used intact in other fields after only slight changes.
However, few businesses have the know-how foraccumulating knowledge acquired throughdevelopment processes in a form that can be used inother situations. Further, each business has limited
specializations and may not have the capacity toappropriate this knowledge to diverse fields ofapplication. Databases for accumulating intellectual
property on MEMS design and production in areusable form and simulators for applying thisdatabase to MEMS applied systems of various fields todemonstrate the functions of these systems are
expected to play a large role in overcoming suchlimitations.
In response to these demands, NEDO has
undertaken the MEMS Open Network Engineering
System of Design Tools (abbreviated as MEMS-ONE)project as a consignment project for a three-year
period beginning in 2004 with the aim of constructing
a database and simulation software conforming toJapan’s manufacturing environment and integrating
research findings to date. The activities of MEMS-ONE
involve conducting earnest research and development
through collaboration with companies that develop
design and analysis software, companies involved inmanufacturing MEMS products, and The National
Institute of Advanced Industrial Science andTechnology through coordination by theMicromachine Center. Databases for materials andprocesses have also been constructed with thecooperation of MEMS foundry companies anduniversities specializing in MEMS or numericalanalysis.
Upon completion, we plan to distribute a MEMS
design and analysis support system and database toeveryone at a very low price. The system is provided
with sufficient functionality for use by scientists andstudents studying MEMS for the first time, enablingthese users to simulate basic manufacturing processes
and to analyze the structural properties ofmanufactured devices. To meet more advanced
demands, various functions may be used to enhance
the performance of the system, including an interface
for connecting the system to existing or new
development software programs and a function
allowing users to expand the database.
It is my hope that this MEMS design and analysis
support system will be used at various levels, fromventure companies to large firms and from beginners
to experts, to assist in the implementation of MEMS
and industrial construction based on MEMS. I would
be pleased if our project helps to promote new
businesses by developing special analysis software andconstructing special databases on a common platform.

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