MEMS, Microfluidics and Microsystems Executive Review

MEMS gyro maker InvenSense files for IPO

After raising a total of $38 million in venture capital funding since the company’s founding in 2004, MEMS gyro maker InvenSense has filed for IPO this week.  The company’s main focus has been MEMS gyro sensors for consumer application segments such as console and portable video gaming devices, digital television and set-top box remote controls, handset and tablet devices, remote controlled toys and other household consumer and industrial devices.

InvenSense is reporting that it has shipped over 60 million units of their products.  The company’s net revenue was $7.8 million, $29.0 million and $79.6 million for fiscal years 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively.  For fiscal year 2010, net income was $15.1 million and net cash provided by operating activities was $20.2 million.

What do MEMS, Hollywood and video games have in common?

by R. Colin Johnson
Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal

Two major motion pictures and two popular video game releases recently used a MEMS motion suit to enable live actors to control virtual characters in real time.  Actors in MEMS-sensor-studded suits performed the action scenes, but computer generated imagery (CGI) was what you saw.  The same MEMS motion suit that enabled the lifelike characters in Iron Man 2 and Alice in Wonderland, also enabled the recent video games Kill Zone 2 and Borderlands.

Bosch Sensortec pursuing consumer MEMS market

While volumes for consumer MEMS applications are rapidly increasing, so are competition and downward price pressure.  We recently spoke with Frank Melzer, CEO of Bosch Sensortec, about effects of the recession, company growth and product positioning.

MEMS gyroscopes become ubiquitous in smartphones

by R. Colin Johnson
Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal

Designers of next-generation smartphones are feverishly adding MEMS gyroscopes to the accelerometers that already grace high-end mobile handsets today.  Besides providing enhanced sensitivity for gaming apps, gyros will also enable location-based services that work indoors.  Every major handset vendor is expected to introduce smartphone models with gyroscopes before the end of 2011.

Nanotubes increase MEMS sensitivity

by R. Colin Johnson
Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal

Many MEMS sensors have a moving part that responds to environmental stimuli with motion.  An accelerometer, for instance, capacitively senses a moving "proof mass" that responds to displacements of just a few microns.  However, a MEMS device's sensitivity could be vastly increased if motions as small as a few nanometers could be sensed.

Now Tel Aviv University claims that standard MEMS devices can sense nanometer-scale motions by switching from capacitive sensing to sensing the change in resistance in a tiny carbon nanotube.  Resistance changes in nanotubes can be detected when they are stretched by just a few nanometers, allowing them to multiply the sensitivity of a MEMS sensor by as much as 100 times.

Qualtre preps solid state MEMS gyros

by R. Colin Johnson, Contributing Editor
MEMS Investor Journal

A new MEMS gyroscope architecture with no moving parts will debut later this year from Qualtre Inc. (Marlborough, Mass.).  The startup's inertial sensor designs are based on bulk acoustic wave (BAW) propagation.

Qualtre was formed back in 2007, but its first round of venture funding of $5 million came in 2008 from Matrix Partners (Waltham, Mass.)  and Pilot House Ventures (Boston).  Since then the development team has been working on commercializing the BAW technology conceived at the Georgia Tech microelectronics lab by Professor Farrokh Ayazi, who is now on sabbatical and serving as Chief Technology Officer at Qualtre.

MEMS enabled high-resolution seismic sensing

The oil and gas industry requires high-quality seismic data to accurately assess exploration prospects for commercial viability and to effectively monitor producing reservoirs. 

At International Petroleum Week 2010 last week, HP and Shell announced a collaboration to develop a wireless sensing system to acquire high-resolution seismic data on land. “We think this will represent a leap forward in seismic data quality that will provide Shell with a competitive advantage in exploring difficult oil and gas reservoirs, such as sub-salt plays in the Middle East or unconventional gas in North America,” said Gerald Schotman, Executive Vice President for Research and Development and Shell.

We spoke about this project and collaboration with Rich Duncombe, an HP Strategist at the company’s Technology Development Organization.

MEMS and university tech transfer

Kionix was founded in 1993 to commercialize MEMS technology and intellectual property from Cornell University.  We recently spoke with Dr. Greg Galvin, founder and CEO of the company, about his experiences with MEMS tech transfer, acquisitions, as well as Kionix' current status and future plans.

Inertial MEMS sensors for consumer applications

by Richard Dixon and Jérémie Bouchaud, Wicht Technologie Consulting

The market for MEMS  inertial sensors (accelerometers and gyroscopes) is set to grow from $835 million in 2004 to over $1360 million in 2009 — a CAGR of 10%.  Currently, the main applications are in the automotive industry.  These markets are well established and growth rates range from a stagnant 1% for airbag acceleration sensors up to 8% for gyroscopes used in ESP units and GPS navigation assistance.

Much more exciting for MEMS  inertial sensors is the market opportunity for mobile applications and consumer electronics (see table). Over the next few years, we predict annual growth rates exceeding 30% for accelerometers.  Mobile phones in particular will provide multi-axis accelerometers with interesting opportunities in menu navigation, gaming, image rotation, pedo-meters, GPS navigation and the like. Gyroscopes are largely servicing markets for image stabilization  and HDD protection in camcorders.

Cell Phones and MEMS

Cell phone based games are hot in the Far East.  Samsung, the fifth largest cell phone maker in the world, is now incorporating MEMS accelerometers to allow users enhance their gaming experience with action and sports games.  Our take is that while enhancements allowed by MEMS are not critical to the performance of the phone, they can nevertheless help the manufacturers sell more units by differentiating their products from competition.