It’s a MEMS world

It’s a MEMS world

MEMS are everywhere, helping orient smartphone displays, controlling car airbags, acting as printer heads, and much more. On the Campus, the list includes medical devices as well.

Small devices, large functionality

MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) are “hot” because they’re so useful and inexpensive. They combine semiconductor technology with micrometer-sized mechanical and electro-mechanical devices and structures. Think of them as tiny machines on a chip, often including complex moving elements like micro-sensors controlled by microelectronics.

Being based on existing semiconductor technology means MEMS integrate a lot of functionality in an extremely small space and they’re cheap to manufacture. That’s why the list of applications is long and growing.

MEMS are used everywhere from consumer electronics, displays, sensors and actuators to microfluidics. Market research firm, Yole Development, expects the overall MEMS market will grow from US$ 10 billion in 2011 to US$ 18 billion in 2016.

MEMS for healthcare

The Campus is home to several companies active in this expanding market. Among them is Analog Devices. It produces a variety of devices including inertial sensors and MEMS microphones for tablets – replacing traditional hand-soldered microphones with more sensitive, more reliable, and easier to manufacture MEMS versions.

But on the Campus, Analog Devices is particularly focused on healthcare, one of the biggest growth areas for MEMS. MEMS are used in areas such as diagnostics, and they are an ideal solution in applications like activity and respiration monitoring, and fall detection.

“MEMS are important enablers for these applications, because they allow people to wear small monitoring devices rather than have sensors stuck to their body,” says Eddy Elings, Global Account Manager, Analog Devices. “And there is huge demand in home healthcare. With populations aging worldwide, devices like fall detection pendants let elderly people live independently knowing help will be called if they need it.”

As these wearable applications evolve, one of the key challenges will be to create even lower power MEMS, as well as constantly improving their performance.

Other companies active in MEMS on Campus include NXP Semiconductors, OCE, and Philips Innovation Services.