Column

Where is MEMS Headed Next?
Tsuneyuki Miyake, Deputy Editor of Nikkei Microdevices, Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.
It is clear that numerous industries involved insemiconductors, electronic parts and components,
cellular telephones, broadcasting, and the like haveinvested human and financial resources in MEMS. Thisis likely because recent advances in MEMS technology
and improvements in the infrastructure (design andproduction) have lowered the entry level required fordeveloping MEMS devices. The continuous massproduction of inkjet heads and mass-production ofdevices used in consumer equipment, such as
accelerometers and silicon microphones (see left
diagram below), are two factors that have facilitatedthe use of MEMS.
Recently companies have begun integrating MEMS ofvarious types from other industries into their own corebusinesses. I think this is particularly embodied bytrends in the semiconductor industry over the past year.
For those readers who have followed MEMS andmicromachines over the years, it must feel that thematerialization of such trends was a long time in coming.
The question is where is MEMS headed next? In
this IT (information technology) age, wireless sensor
networks will be used to incorporate enormous
amounts of information from the real world into thecomputer world, enabling anyone to reference andmanage this information. There have been many
predictions on when this scenario might come about(see right diagram below), but there is great potential
for MEMS contributing to sensors and tiny powersources in these circumstances. Corporate players
who can harvest the added value of MEMS are still
looking forward to this day with anticipation.

When glancing through recent industrial news on
MEMS and micromachines, I noticed that thesetechnologies have drawn attention from various
industries and that there is a trend toward
undertaking MEMS business activities. The following isjust a sample of some of the headlines over the past
six months (all taken from the MEMS International
news Web site at http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/MEMS/).
“RFMD Introduces MEMS Switches for Use in
Mobile Phones and Announces Plans to Build a New
Facility” (Nov. 28, 2007), “OMRON to Construct a
200-mm line for MEMS Production” (Dec. 13), “U.S.
Company Technitrol Acquires Denmark-based Sonion”(Jan. 10, 2008), “Wireless Crop-Monitoring Network
Deployed in Vineyards” (Jan. 30), “Mitsumi Show:Mitsumi Electric Developing a 3-axis Accelerometerwith 2.8 mm per side” (Feb. 21), “ST and Veredus
Market Lab-on-chip for Rapid Detection of Influenza”(Mar. 24), “iSuppli to Conduct Market Research on
MEMS and Solar Cells” (Apr. 7), “NHK Proposes a
New User Interface for TV Remote Controller with
Built-in Motion Sensor” (Apr. 24), “NTT DoCoMo
Invests in MEMS Gyro Startup” (Apr. 30), “TSMC
Announces Full-Entry into MEMS Market” (Apr. 30),
“EPCOS Acquires NXP's RF MEMS Business” (May2), “Toshiba Jointly Develops a DNA Chip for
Monitoring Infectious Disease in Animals” (May 30),and “Toshiba Unveils Technology to Encapsulate
MEMS Devices in Front-end Process” (May 31).

PeriodApplications

1990 -tMEMS built into equipment

tEstablish mass-productiontMEMS devices

tAccelerate low-cost technologies

tIntegrated MEMS

tDevelop standards for productiontMEMS integrated devices

tDeveloping an IP core for MEMS

(inkjet heads, etc.)

2000 -(accelerometers, etc.)

2005 -(devices merging CMOS and LSI, etc.)2010 -from semiconductor manufacturers

Impact on the MEMS industry

Major players in production
Equipment manufacturers
Automobile manufacturers

and expand production infrastructure

Semiconductor manufacturers
Parts manufacturers
Semiconductor manufacturers
MEMS foundries

processes and advance integration
with LSI production

Silicon/MEMS foundries
Semiconductor manufacturers

functions

Real world information systems
2010s

Application
Start of industry

Personal computers
1980s

Digital consumer electronics
2000s

Leading players

Intel Corp.,
Microsoft Corp.

Apple Inc.,
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic), Google Inc.
Nokia Corp., Sony, etc.

High added value players Intel
Required devicesMicroprocessors, DRAM, HDDs

Apple, ARM Ltd.
SoC, flash memory, wireless chips

Google Inc.?
Sensors, wireless chips, tiny power sources
MEMS foundries
MEMS technology

Major infrastructureof industry

Silicon foundries
Miniaturization technologies and their roadmap

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