New Year's Greetings......1
MMC Activities..............2
MEMS-ONE Pj...............5
Column.......................6
Overseas Trends............7
Member’s Profiles .........8

New Year’s Greetings
It gives me great pleasure to offer greetings on the dawn of the year 2008, and toshare some of my thoughts at the beginning of the year.
The Japanese economy had seemed to be recovering. However, according to themonthly economic report for last year announced by the Cabinet Office, the figures
throughout the year were weaker across the board than comparable figures for theprevious year. The continuing rise in the price of oil is a concern. In the 20th century,
economic activity based on mass production and mass consumption propelled theTamotsu Nomakuchi
Japanese economy. In the new century and in a global society, however, this must be
Chairman, Board of Directors,
reexamined in the light of the remarkable pace of economic growth in developing
Micromachine Center
nations, the insufficiency and skyrocketing price of petroleum and other raw materials,
the environmental issues that are becoming more serious on a global scale and so on. For this reason, studies areunderway in an effort to determine how human beings can create sustainable development that achieves a balance
between environmental concerns and economic activity. Various proposals have been offered, including a report
entitled “The Key to Creating Innovation and the Promotion of Eco-Innovation” released by the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry.
The Micromachine Center is currently engaged in research and development of microelectromechanical systems(MEMS). Up to now, the Center has produced first-generation sensors and other single-function devices that focus on
miniaturization and increased reliability, as well as second-generation devices (fine MEMS) with even more advanced
functions. This year marks the start of the Project to Develop Technologies for the manufacture of Next-Generation
Devices that Fuse Different Fields. The goal of this project is to create third-generation MEMS devices (named Bio
Electro-mechanical Autonomous Nano Systems, or “BEANS”). BEANS are expected to find applications in a varietyof new fields in addition to existing application fields, including environment and energy, safety and security, healthcare and medical treatment and so on. It is hoped that BEANS will lead to technologies that can support thesustainable development of humanity.
The MEMS market in Japan is expected to expand at a rapid pace. According to a study commissioned by the New
Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and conducted by the Micromachine Center,
the MEMS market was JPY 440 billion yen in 2005 when first-generation MEMS devices were the driving force. By
2010, when the second-generation MEMS devices appear on the market, the market is expected to grow to JPY 1.17
trillion yen. And in 2015, when third-generation MEMS devices will hold sway, the market is expected to grow further
to JPY 2.4 trillion yen.
The Micromachine Center pursues research and development with a view to the future, in order to achieve
progress for the MEMS industry. The Center works diligently at a variety of activities aimed at supporting MEMS
industry growth and stimulation. One such activity that is important in terms of strengthening international
competitiveness is international standardization. Last year, the Micromachine Center initiated activities as an advisorygroup in Japan in the MEMS industry. As a result, the role and responsibilities of the Micromachine Center in theindustry is expected to become even more important.
The Micromachine Center will continue to pursue activities aimed at establishing basic technologies for
micromachines and MEMS and achieving industrialization.
On behalf of the Micromachine Center, I hope we can count on your further understanding and support. It is ourheartfelt wish that this year will be a rewarding one for you all.

Internet Home Page : http://www.mmc.or.jp/

MMC Activities“Boomer Avenue”
This was my first dream of the new year of 2008. It is my fervent hope that this dream isprophetic.
On a certain day during the decade 2030-2039, an elderly gentleman sits dozing in front of
his computer. The very comfortable living room is brightly lit by the sunlight streaming
through the trees on the virtual screen set in the wall of the house. This gentleman is a member of the so-called “babyboomer” generation, and he prides himself on the central role that his generation had continued to play in Japan’s
economic development. However, one by one his friends have all passed away, and inevitably his generation’s
influence on society has declined as that role has passed to the younger generation. Now, however, he has
considerable time on his hands, and so recently he started a blog entitled “Boomer Avenue” in which he writes down
his recollections.
He’s asleep right now, so let’s take a peek at the computer screen to see what he has written.
(Date: __________)
Today I have a deep sense of satisfaction. What makes me so content this morning is that the Project toDevelop Technologies for the Manufacture of Next-Generation Devices that Fuse Different Fields (BEANS
Project; 2008 - 2012) that we all began in 2008 was a resounding success. The success of the project spurredindividual companies to move ahead with the marketing of specific BEANS (Bio Electro-mechanicalAutonomous Nano Systems) devices. As a result, BEANS is everywhere around us, a part of our everyday
lives.
For instance, there is a BEANS “spacecraft” (an advanced endoscope capsule) right inside my own body.
Each day, it patrols my body and works to prevent illness. I can tell it where and how to patrol, but that’s toomuch trouble, so I have it on autopilot. Today I have the feeling it’s somewhere around my large intestine. It’s
like the parasite-like thing often seen when I was young that had the side benefit of almost completely
eliminating my allergic constitution. This, too, makes me happy. Many people use these BEANS “spacecraft” tomaintain their health. This has greatly reduced health care costs for the nation as a whole, helping to improve
our financial health as well.
The “spacecraft” has just issued a warning message that it’s almost out of gas. I guess I’ll have to refuel itwith an evening drink of that special “Bean-Scent” Japanese premium sake that I was finally able to get.
(Date: __________)
Today I’ll continue with my thoughts about BEANS. Last time I wrote about the BEANS “spacecraft” thatlives in my body. But BEANS are present in the outer world as well. They play a major role in maintaining
the air and water and other aspects of the global environment. Today I’ll talk about water.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the economies of China and India grew at an astonishing pace.
However, both countries experienced serious water problems, which has been a limiting factor for further
economic development. Also in Japan, water is insufficient in the Shikoku region and northern Kyushu
region almost every summer. Although there is a practically limitless quantity of seawater covering thesurface of the earth, there was a dramatic insufficiency of fresh water suitable for use as drinking water andwater for industrial production. In recent years, however, BEANS for turning seawater into freshwater haveappeared, and these promise to become our salvation in terms of resolving the problem of insufficient water.
These tiny freshwater conversion BEANS, which look like peas, will be spread like gravel on the filtrationequipment. The BEANS have a three-dimensional nanostructure that incorporates biological membranes. This
structure enables them to efficiently filter large quantities of seawater. Individual homes will be able to filter
the next day’s drinking water at night while the occupants sleep. Moreover, the sea salt that is a byproduct of
the filtration process is absolutely delicious. Supposedly it goes very well with the flavor of (real) boiled beans.
There seems to be no limit to the memories of this elderly gentleman concerning BEANS. After all, theachievement of Innovation 25 – the societal goal at the time – was given a great boost by the practical application of
BEANS. This explains his great sense of satisfaction.
We were on the point of leaving, not wanting to disturb his pleasant sleep, when we glanced at the computer
screen once more and this time saw an image on the screen. The “thought switch” was left on, and so it appeared that
we were looking at the dream he was having at that moment. It was extremely interesting. The basic content of the
dream was as follows.
Jack planted beans (Internet BEANS) in a field. Instantly, the beans sprouted into a tree that grew highinto the sky. Jack climbed the tree, up into the clouds, and discovered a towering pile of “knowledge” - thecrown jewels of human knowledge. Amidst this knowledge, he discovered MEMS Peadia (a database of MEMSrelated knowledge). For some reason, Jack was deeply moved. Looking around, he saw the same type of bean
plants sprouting out all over the place, and these began to connect up with one another. And they began tocome in contact with clumps of knowledge everywhere. Through the BEANS network that the Internet had
evolved, “knowledge” gushed from springs like water and spread to every corner of the earth.
The dream of this elderly gentleman may very well be prophetic. Speaking for myself, I plan to buy some Internet
BEANS and secretly plant them in my garden. Hopefully, I will soon be able to take a stroll in the heavens.

2

Toward the Popularization of Foundry Services and the Broad-Based Expansion of MEMS Industries
Kazushi Tomii, Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
Chair, Foundry Service Industries Committee, MEMS Industry ForumOf these, (1) common liaison plays the role of contact
point between the users and foundries, leading toincreased foundry use on the part of users. In terms of(2) publicity and educational activities, workshops areheld twice a year, and these have been particularly wellreceived by engineers who have had little experience
with foundry services. We will continue to hold theseworkshops and update their content.
The Committee is also helping to promote theMemsONE design and analysis tool in (3), in order tocreate an environment in which it is easier to use
foundries from a process perspective. With regard to (4),studies into the creation of a mechanism to enable rapid,
low-cost prototyping are underway, with the aim ofachieving broad-based expansion of MEMS industries.

1. Introduction
MEMS industries are currently in transition,
moving from their period of initial start-up to a periodof expansion. From now on, greater and greater speed
will be required for product development and creation
along with the expansion of the market for MEMS
products. As a result, foundries will play an even more
important role from the stage of initial development
through mass production.
For the past five years, the Foundry Service
Industries Committee in the MEMS Industry Forumhas actively worked to create a unique Japanese
network, with the aim of expanding MEMS industries
through foundry services. This article will introduce
the achievements of these activities and discuss issues
that remain to be resolved.

3. Future challenges and efforts
Through these activities, the Committee had beenable to provide users with a certain amount of
information from foundries, increasing the level of userawareness with regard to foundries. Future efforts will
aim to further increase use in order to achieve a broadbased expansion of MEMS industries overall. However,there are thought to be limits to the company-centeredefforts that have been conducted up to now. This isbecause, unlike semiconductors, there is no standardized
process and design environment for MEMS., As a result,mismatches are produced between users andmanufacturers in terms of specifications, costs and soon. This occurs particularly when small and mediumsized companies and venture companies pursue
development and prototyping. In order to resolve thisproblem, a mechanism to link users and foundrycompanies is thought to be needed in order to provide asmooth path to mass production. In a survey of MEMS
foundries conducted in the past by the Micromachine
Center, too, many respondents expressed the opinion
that the national government should work to build a
network to accelerate the process from development tocommercial application.
The Committee has just initiated a study of thepossibility of creating ready-made processes andcommon guidelines on the foundry side, as one phase of
the effort to promote the dissemination of MemsONE.
The Committee also plans to actively pursue theexchange of information with public research institutions
and local publicly-run trials in order to form a MEMS
network. If this mechanism can function on the practicallevel as a network system, it will accelerate the processof creating new MEMS on the part of small and mediumsized companies and venture companies, from thedevelopment and prototyping stage to the mass
production stage, resulting in broad-based expansion of
MEMS industries.

2. Activities of the Foundry Service Industries
Committee
The Foundry Service Industries Committee began its
activities in 2002 within the Micromachine Center. The
Committee has held regular discussions on common
issues faced by MEMS foundries, and its activities havecentered on public relations targeting MEMS foundryusers. At present, the Committee is made up of 11
diverse companies and organizations involved with MEMS
foundries. (Fig. 1)

Fig. 1 Members of the Foundry Service Industries Committee

Below are the major activities that have been
conducted, centering on the Foundry Service Industries
Committee:(1) Common liaison for foundry services(2) Educational activities (MEMS workshops, etc.) andjoint PR activities(3) Activities to promote MemsONE (MEMS design andanalysis tool)(4) Study for the purpose of broad-based expansion of
MEMS industries

3MemsONE Dissemination and Use
MEMS System Development Center
The MemsONE Project was initiated in FY 2004
with the goal of creating a software infrastructure to
support the promotion and development of MEMS
industries. The project ended in FY 2006 with theachievement of a beta version of MemsONE. An effort
was made to ensure widespread dissemination of
MemsONE throughout Japan during the term of the
project.
Accordingly, a project to disseminate theachievements of the MemsONE Project wascommissioned by the New Energy and Industrial
Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The
project has been renewed for this fiscal year as welland is currently underway. In order to establish an
infrastructure for dissemination, the project is placing
special emphasis on the following four efforts:

more than 400 licenses are in use. To distribute thebeta version, various types of email messages weresent to relevant entities. In addition, the beta wasreleased on the Committee’s website and was
exhibited at Exhibition Micromachine / MEMS and theInternational Robotics Exhibition. A video was also
used to introduce MemsONE functions, and the beta
version was further publicized through the use ofpanel exhibitions and the distribution of pamphlets. As
a result, the goal of at least 450 licenses is expected tobe achieved.
With regard to topic 3), technical support for users
with regard to operational procedures and analysis isthought to be indispensable in order to ensure
widespread dissemination of MemsONE throughout
Japan. The most effective type of user support is theholding of workshops with an environment in which
the beta version is already installed on multiple PCs.
This beta version installed on actual PCs is used toprovide guidance to users regarding GUI operations
and analysis procedures. It is hoped that such handson workshops will help disseminate the project’s
achievements. In order to hold these workshops, aclassroom with at least 30 PCs was needed, and thiswas made possible through the provision of classrooms
at the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University. Threecourses were prepared – a basic course and Applied A
and B courses – and the courses have been held since
July; plans call for the courses to be held six times at
the University of Tokyo and four times at Kyoto
University. The courses so far have been attended by
130 persons, and judging from survey results thecourses seem to have been effective. Moreover, in
addition to these regular workshops, two workshops
have been held at the request of other institutions inwhich the students (60 in all) brought their own PCs,
and this has also helped to expand the number of
MemsONE beta version users.

1) Activities to disseminate the MemsONE beta version

Widespread distribution of the MemsONE beta
version (achieved by the MemsONE Project) to users
in Japan, in order to secure users, determine userneeds and the status of use, and reflect the results infuture dissemination activities
2) Improvement and enhancement of MemsONE functions

Improvement and enhancement of those functions
whose improvement is a matter of particular urgency,
based on the results of the dissemination study andthe evaluation survey of the alpha version (the version
distributed as the midterm project achievement)
3) Achievement dissemination and user support activities

Provision of user assistance in the form of hands-on
regular workshops and seminars, held primarily inmajor metropolitan areas(User assistance regarding operational andtechnical aspects of the beta version is seen as
essential for the dissemination of project
achievements.)
4) Study activities for purposes of dissemination

Establishment of foundry services as
manufacturing centers that can take the place of
manufacturing equipment (which entails a large initialinvestment burden) in order to achieve widespreaddissemination of MemsONE and effect a broad-based
expansion of MEMS industries

It is hoped that the promotion of these topics will
have a beneficial impact on future productdevelopment. Accordingly, the topics will be promotedwith care and energy.

With regard to topic 1), distribution of the beta
version began in early June, and the beta has been
introduced to companies, universities and research
institutions and in publicly-run trials and so on. So far,

For inquiries regarding MemsONE, please contact
the MemsONE Support Center:
TEL(+81) 3-5835-1870
Email mems1-user@mmc.or.jp

Micromachine Exhibition

Hands-On Workshop (held at The University of Tokyo)

4

MEMS-LSI Chip Lateral Interconnects(High-Density Mounting Technology with Low-Temperature Chip Stacking)Mitsumasa Koyanagi, Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University
We are conducting research aimed at developing a new mounting technology using low-temperature chip
stacking for the high-density integration of heterogeneous devices and electronic parts, such as LSI chips, MEMS
chips, optical devices, and passive elements. This new technology fuses IC, MEMS, mounting, and micro-optic
technologies comprising 1) a technique for high-density mounting of MEMS and LSI chips on a flexible printed
circuit board using self-assembly, 2) a technique for high-density formation of microbumps on a flexible printed
circuit board, 3) a technique for forming crossover interconnects over chips mounted on a substrate, and 4) atechnique for forming passive elements on chips, such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, and coils. Here, I will
present our findings from investigations into MEMS-LSI mounting using self-assembly and the formation ofcrossover interconnects.
MEMS-LSI Mounting Using Self-Assembly
Numerous MEMS and LSI chips can be densely mounted together on a flexible printed circuit board using
the surface tension of liquid droplets. When mounting the chips facedown on a hydrophobic flexible printed
circuit board, as shown in Fig. 1, the underside surfaces of the multiple MEMS and LSI chips forming aplurality of microbumps are made hydrophilic and coated with an aqueous solution or liquid organic matter. At
the same time, hydrophilic areas are formed on the surface of the substrate for temporarily holding the chips.
These areas are also coated with an aqueous solution or liquid organic matter. The plurality of chips whose
underside surfaces are coated with the aqueous solution or liquid organic matter are flipped so that theirunderside surfaces are facing downward and are simultaneously lowered onto the surface of the substrate sothat the aqueous solution or liquid organic matter on the underside surfaces merges with that on the surface ofthe substrate. The chips are aligned on the substrate through self-assembly owing to the surface tension of the_1 µm
liquid and are bonded in place. This technique enables the chips to be positioned with an accuracy of +within one second.
Crossover Interconnects
We are developing a technique to form high-density lateral interconnects that cross over MEMS and LSI
chips mounted on a flexible printed circuit board through self-assembly. With this technique, it is important toform the copper interconnect patterns over the high chips so that the side surfaces of the chips are wellcoated, as shown in Fig. 2. To achieve this, we studied various techniques on insulating layer formation, hot
lithography, and copper electroplating. We succeeded in forming crossover interconnects with widths of 5–10
µm and a pitch of 10 µm.

Copper wire
Seed layer
Insulating film
Flexible printed
circuit board

Chip
Bonding area
Droplet
LSI chip(1) Forming bonding areas (2) Applying droplets (3) Chip placementon the flexible printed
to the bonding
circuit board
areas

Substrate(4) Positioning by
self-assembly(a) Cross-sectional structure

Chip

Cu Wiring
36 m

Substrate
Chip alignment

5 seconds after beginningalignment

10 seconds after beginningalignment

Fig. 1 MEMS-LSI mounting technology using self-assembly5(b) SEM image
Fig. 2 Crossover interconnect

Column

Frontiers of Future MEMS Devices: Process Integration
Nobuyuki Moronuki, Professor, Faculty of System Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University
Previous columns have introduced green, white,and blue devices as applications of MEMS devices we
could have twenty years from now. The processing
technologies needed to support these applications will
require severe specifications, such as the
manufacturing of microstructures in units ofnanometers over a range on the order of meters. Thismay be difficult to achieve through a simple top-down
approach based on the “copying principle” applied tocuthing, for example. While it may be possible tomanufacture nanometer-order structures according toprocesses applying the principle of self-assembly andthe like, developing such structures directly intometer-order structures will not likely be easy.
Therefore, our workgroup has been studying thedevelopment of technologies fusing manufacturing andassembly that can be applied seamlessly across both ofthese orders by merging a top-down process with abottom-up process, as shown in Fig. 1 (members of
the workgroup are listed in Table 1). Whileconventional machining and energy beam machining
can conceivably be combined for larger structures, itwould be necessary to control the temperature andother aspects of the environment to ensure precise
positioning, for example.
In addition, imprinting or other transfer techniques
would be essential to attain high-throughput, low-cost
manufacturing. Device designs themselves may also beaffected when one considers the possibility of further
developing the framework of simple shape transfers to
the transfer and assembly (integration) of specificfunctional materials and molecules, as well as
biotechnological devices.
A self-assembly process, i.e., a bottom-up approach,will likely be required for dimensional scales on theorder of nanometers or less. Moreover, rather than
producing uniform monolayers, we can imagine
techniques for fixing and orienting molecules based on
their location. The following are three features of thisprocess.

hand, the printing technology most suited to smoll lot
production is inkjet technology. While throughput islower, this technology is promising for processes
supporting individual, customized product designs.
There remains much room for research on materials
used with this technology. It is conceivable that future
processes may be able to deposit actual MEMS devices
containing biomaterials.
Scale extension is another important issue.

(1) Technology for manufacturing threedimensional nanostructures
The so-called 2.5-dimensional structures (columns,etc.) are produced through a combination oflithography and etching. Of course, higher resolutions
will be in demand. However, existing technologies are
not likely sufficient to support demands for threedimensional processing, such as the formation oftapers and free-form surfaces. It will also be necessary
to develop techniques for machining periodic threedimensional microstructures on nanometer scale.

Table 1 Members of the process integration workgroup(3) Interface control
Self-assembly can be performed locationselectively by modifying the wettability at specificlocations on a solid surface. For example, we expect tobe able to fix functional devices to only hydrophilic
portions of a substrate simply by drawing thesubstrate up from water in which the functional
devices are dispersed. It will be necessary to develop
many techniques including surface modification inorder to control the assembly of a variety of functional
devices. To achieve this in resolutions at the molecularlevel, extremely preoke interface control will be
required.
As can be seen from the above issues, it will not beeasy to implement comprehensive process integration.
However, we believe these technologies are critical for
implementing various applications and will produce agreat ripple effect.
Represented dimensionsmm

Top-down approach(Copying principle (transfer))
Ambient
Imprinting:controlCutting, grinding,transferring shapes andenergy beam machining
materials
Functional material
3D structures/
Scanning
devicesNanostructure-type

Substrate

Scanning(improved precision)

Sub-nm
Bottom-up approach
Self-assembly
functional membrane/
deviceControlling assembly andorientation of functional
molecules

Process material

Fig. 1 Next-generation processing

Nobuyuki Moronuki
Kiwamu Ashida
Gen Hashiguchi
Seiji Samukawa
Harutaka Mekaru
Ko Fuwa
Yasuhiro Igarashi
Chieki Mizuta
Koichi Tanaka
Nobuaki Kawahara
Takayuki Masunaga
Hirokazu Hashimoto
Masatsugu Tomotaka
Masao Kubo
Kazuo Asaumi(2) Large surface areas
Printing technologies must be applied to large
surface area applications of a poster size scale,enabling high-speed mass-production. On the other6

Tokyo Metropolitan University
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science andTechnology (AIST)

Shizuoka University
Tohoku University
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science andTechnology (AIST)ULVAC, Inc.
Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
Mathematical Systems Inc.
Sony Corporation
DENSO Corporation
Toshiba Corporation
Fujikura Ltd.
Fuji Electric Systems Co., Ltd.
Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
Mizuho Information & Research Institute, Inc.

Overseas Trends

Study of International MEMS Industry Trends- Study of MEMS Foundries in Asia As one phase of the Study of MEMS Industry Trends and the NEDO-commissioned “Project to Disseminate theAchievements of the MEMS-ONE Project,” a group from the Micromachine Center visited foundry companies andrelevant research institutions in Taiwan and Singapore, two of the centers for MEMS foundries in Asia, from
December 5 through December 12, 2007. The group held discussions regarding the current state of foundry businessand issues that must be resolved, as well as efforts to accommodate MEMS for integration and other future
deployment.
The group visited the following companies and institutions:

STaiwan• tMt (Touch Micro-system Technology): Foundry• apm (Asia Pacific Microsystems): Foundry• ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute):
MEMS Research Institution
MEMSTECH

SSingapore• MEMS Technology: Foundry• IME (Institute of Microelectronics): MEMS Research Institution• SIMTech (Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology):
MEMS Research Institution• IMRE (Institute of Materials research and Engineering):
Micro-nano Research Institution• ANF (Asia Nano Forum):
Small Tech & Nanotech Industrialization Support InstitutiontMtParticipating in the study were Isao Shimoyama, Professor of Tokyo University
and Chair of the Industrial Trends Study Committee and International Interchange
Committee; Masaharu Takahashi of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial
Science and Technology (AIST) who is also a member of the Foundry Service
Industries Committee and MEMS Personnel Training Committee, and Masao Arakawa
of Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. who is a member of the International Interchange
Committee (with the latter two individuals participating in the Singapore study only).
Participating from the MMC were Shunichi Adegawa and Junji Adachi. Mr. Arakawa iscurrently stationed at Panasonic Electric Works Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. in Singapore,and he provided support for the study activities in Singapore.

apm

The results of the study were reported as follows:– The number of MEMS foundries in Taiwan declined from six in 2001 to three in 2007.
– apm, the largest foundry company in Taiwan, entered a capital alliance in 2006 with UMC, a CMOS foundry.
The company is currently focusing exclusively on foundry business.
– Chip Sense, an affiliated company of UMC, was absorbed by apm in 2007.
– tMt is involved in both joint development with a Taiwanese company and foundry service business. In 2007, tMt
became a member of the Walsin Group as a 100% subsidiary of Walsin.
– CMOS/MEMS integration is the current trend. In Taiwan, alliances with MEMS foundries have been initiated or
explored, beginning with those of UMC and TSMC.
– MEMSTECH, the only MEMS foundry in Singapore, is pursuing device business as well. The company iscurrently focusing on the development and marketing of silicon microphones.
– MEMSTECH's foundry business is focused on fields in which the processes for the principal devices (sensors
and microphones) can be used.

7

Members’ Profiles

Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
1. Company Profile
Under the corporate philosophy “Alps creates newvalues that satisfy stakeholders and are friendly to theearth,” Alps Electric has been developing andmanufacturing products focused on five businessdivisions, while being true to its business domain of“perfecting the art of electronics.”
The Mechatronic Devices Division supports theelectronic industry with diverse product lines including
switches, potentiometers, sensors, and connectors. These
products are the result of condensing many years ofexperience in molding, machining, plating, andmechatronics technologies and have received high praise
for their performance and reliability.
By introducing advanced technologies into its
proprietary onboard electronic systems, the Automotive
Products Division has developed various devices andsystems that enhance automobile safety and comfort while
reducing environmentalR impact. These systems include
the Haptic Commander , which uses a tactile feedback
technology, as well as steering modules, and instrument
panel operation units.
Amid the dramatic changes in the communicationsindustry, the Communication Devices Division has used its
high-frequency circuit technology and other proprietary
technologies to develop tuners compatible withbroadcasting systems in various countries, communication
modules for next-generation information terminals, andtransceiver units for mobile phones. This division is also
engaged in the development of lenses and modules for
optical communications, and camera modules for mobile
phones.
The Peripheral Products Division develops devices
serving as interfaces between people and equipment. Thisdivision develops input devices such as GlidePoint TM
touchpads for laptop computers, display-related devices
such as highly transparent and responsive touch panels
making use of our micromachining technology, and output
devices such as compact photo printers and thermal
printers.
The Magnetic Devices Division provides a wide arrayof products incorporating magnetic materials, drawing on
our expertise in magnetic materials and thin-film
manufacturing and processing technologies cultivatedthrough many years of developing magnetic heads. These
products include magnetic sensors incorporating magnetic
sheets developed with our proprietary Liqualloy T M
material, and high-precision magnetic elements. Thisdivision strives to develop products contributing toadvanced functions and performance in a variety ofequipment ranging from compact digital devices toautomotive products.

We have also developed capacitive pressure sensors,which are characterized by low power consumption and highsensitivity. Hence, these sensors are suitable for suchapplications as automotive Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems(TPMS) and instruments used to measure blood pressure.
The magnetic sensors use highly reliable magnetic
elements. Because our sensors offer a wide detection
range and low performance deviation even at highsensitivity levels, they allow greater freedom in circuitboard design and sensor layout. Moreover, with their low
power consumption and stable operating temperature,these sensors expand the application possibilities in suchbroad fields as cell phones, personal computers,household appliances, and automobiles.
Piezoresistive sensors are suitable for compact
pressure detectors and have been used to perform highresolution detection by optimizing the digital circuit andtemperature compensation circuit. These sensors havepotential application ranging from portable navigation
devices to white goods.
Hence, Alps Electric has developed diverse sensors
with wide-ranging uses and applications. To create theseproducts, MEMS technologies will be indispensable.

3. MEMS Technologies at Alps Electric
Anticipating a future trend toward smaller and thinnerproducts having higher performance and functionality, ourinitial approach toward MEMS technology has been basedon the belief that the size and precision required inmolding technologies will evolve from millimeters to
micrometers and from micrometers to nanometers, andthat it will be necessary to dramatically increase thedegree of freedom in machining shapes. In MEMS
processing, we have pursued a fusion of MEMS processing
with precision machining cultivated through our switch
development and manufacturing. The technologies bornfrom this fusion have enabled us to form dies with a highaspect ratio and a high degree of freedom in sidewall
inclination, while allowing an extensive range of machining
dimensions (see Fig. 1). This MEMS technology is basedon the micromachining technologies we cultivated whendeveloping magnetic heads.
While to date we have developed MEMS technology as
one means of die machining, we also hope to develop
applications for MEMS in manufacturing the various
sensors described above. Using our own technologies, wehave implemented feed-through electrode formation on
glass capable of producing hermetically sealable
electrodes and hope to continue making contributions
toward meeting the compact high-performancerequirements of sensors.

2. SENSORINGTM

50

Aspect ratio

One of the product lines Alps Electric is currently
focusing its attention on is sensors. We currently develop
resistive sensors, capacitive sensors, magnetic sensors,and piezoresistive sensors. Setting our sights on thecontinually evolving sensor industry, we have begun
developing a business referred to as “SENSORING TM ”,
combining the base “sensor” with the progressive form
“ing,” expressing innovation and a desire to take on theindustry.
Resistive sensors take advantage of our company’s
expertise on resistors excelling in long lifetime androbustness that we accumulated through the developmentof potentiometers. Our resistive sensors are widely used in
not only consumer electronics, but also automobiles, inwhich high-reliability in extreme environments is essential.

Machining
DNA chip

10

MEMS processing

Future goal
5

Lens array
Light-guide plates
for backlighting
Nano machining

DVD diffraction grating

1
Machining
dimensions (m)

nm
10-9

m
10-6

mm
10-3

Fig. 1 Machining levels targeted through the fusion of
precision machining and MEMS technologies

MICRONANO No. 62
MICRONANO is published quarterly by Micromachine Center (MMC) to promote the international exchange of
information related to micromachines, R&D and other technical topics, and is circulated free of change. Please send
your comments about MICRONANO to the publisher :Keiichi Aoyagi, Executive Director, Micromachine Center (MMC)
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Internet Home Page h t t p : / / w w w . m m c . o r . j p /Date of Issue : February 15, 2008

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