MEMS, Microfluidics and Microsystems Executive Review

Freescale looks to expand its MEMS product portfolio

Freescale Semiconductor has been a major player in the MEMS industry with its automotive sensors business and, more recently, with its growing portfolio of consumer MEMS based applications.  We recently spoke with Dave Monk, Automotive Operations Manager for the Sensors and Actuators Solutions Division at Freescale, about his company's current MEMS related products as well as business prospects and trends for the future.

Stem cells and microfluidics

Aldagen, a venture funded startup with a set of technologies to identify and isolate stem and progenitor cells, has recently announced a partnership with IMT to develop a microfluidic device for clinical cell sorting.  We recently spoke with the President and COO of the company, Ed Field, and discussed Aldagen’s business model, marketing and regulatory approval efforts as well as its ongoing round of financing.

MEMS and nano from a VC's perspective

Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a Menlo Park venture capital firm, has been actively investing in “small tech” startups and currently has approximately 20 MEMS and nanotech companies in their portfolio.  We recently spoke with Warren Packard, Managing Director at DFJ, who currently oversees a number of the firm's micro and nano portfolio companies.

MEMS oscillators, has their time come?

by Jérémie Bouchaud and Bernardo Knoblich, Wicht Technologie Consulting

WTC has recently seen an increasing amount of  interest in MEMS oscillators with several startups making important announcements.  WTC believes that MEMS oscillators have a promising future, but notes the warning signs of confusion and inflated expectations.   This article summarizes our view on this exciting topic.

RF MEMS: a brief history and future trends

One of the most exciting and rapidly growing set of applications in our industry are those involving RF MEMS.  We recently spoke with Dr. Dan Hyman, the founder and CEO of XCOM Wireless, about RF MEMS history, current challenges and future trends.

In this thoroughly comprehensive interview, Dr. Hyman shares his expertise and insight, and offers intriguing predictions about the future potential of RF MEMS devices. 

MEMS resonators continue to show potential

Startup companies are continuing to work on replacing traditional quartz  resonators with the more advantageous MEMS  devices.  We spoke with Discera's President and CEO Tom Willey about his company's recent activities, competition and future plans.

Sonion MEMS scales up its microphone business

We recently published a review on the current status of MEMS  microphones.  While Knowles Acoustics remains the market leader, companies such as Sonion and Akustica are also going after this exciting opportunity. 

We spoke with Dr. Jacob Philipsen, President of Sonion’s MEMS division, about the company’s current activities, competition, product pipeline and the process of transferring the microphone technology from a university lab prototype to a mass produced commercial product.

MEMS commercialization: from prototype to mass production

Minimizing time to market and efficiently transitioning products from R&D to production is a vital element for success in the MEMS industry.  We recently spoke with Henne van Heeren, founder of EnablingM3, a consulting company with a focus on MEMS commercialization, about transition costs, possible pitfalls and tips to ensure that the process goes smoothly.

Biomedical applications for MEMS and microfabrication

BioMEMS has been talked about as one of the most promising areas of microfabrication technologies.  We recently spoke with Dr. Leslie Field and Neha Choksi of SmallTech Consulting  about the current and future applications of BioMEMS as well as technologies which are now being commercialized by startups and Fortune 500 companies.

MEMS packaging: history and current trends

MEMS packaging has traditionally been especially challenging because nearly every process and device require a unique approach.  We recently spoke with Dr. Ken Gilleo, President of ET-Trends, a consulting and intellectual property firm focused on emerging technologies and device packaging.