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FROM THE EDITOR: MEMS FOUNDRIES STREAMLINE SILICON SENSOR PRODUCTION.

Article Excerpt
Sensor companies that provide product (as opposed to strictly licensing technology) are most able to capitalize on market opportunities by continuously striving to enhance the efficiency, quality, flexibility, and throughput of their in-house or outsourced manufacturing processes. The most optimal manufacturing approach for a sensor company depends on the company's resources, products, sensing technology, and production volume.

For a company that provides silicon, micromachined sensors, SBD notes that in-house wafer fabrication is most justified and cost-effective for very high-volume manufacturing requirements. However, an outside MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) foundry can also be an effective and efficient means of producing silicon micromachined sensors for high-volume applications.

Adopting a fabless wafer processing approach can allow a company that supplies silicon micromachined sensors to focus on sensor design, without being encumbered by the overhead and expenses associated with equipping, running, and purchasing raw materials for their own wafer fab. However, if an outside foundry is used, a sensor company should ensure that the fab has stringent quality control procedures and is able to mass-produce sensors on schedule at an economical cost. It is also desirable that the outside fab be sufficiently flexible to be capable of producing sensors that meet the performance or packaging requirements for diverse markets/applications.

Dependence on a single outside foundry could be problematic if the foundry were to shift its priorities or encounter difficulties. Moreover, it is vital to ensure that a sensor company's intellectual property and proprietary technology are protected when using an outside foundry.

Having an in-house wafer fab can allow for very tight control over sensor production and facilitate a sensor company's agility and flexibility in responding to changing production requirements, particularly the need to rapidly ramp-up production volumes. A sensor company with an in-house wafer processing capability is well-equipped to efficiently develop and commercialize new products. In addition, a sensor company can leverage its in-house foundry to produce sensors or microstructures for other companies.

Silicon Microstructures, Inc. (Milpitas, CA, 408-577-0100 (www.si-micro.com), a manufacturer of MEMS-based (primarily piezoresistive) pressure sensors, accelerometers, and custom silicon microstructures, and, initially, primarily a fabless silicon sensor company, has, over the past 12 months or so, amassed a significant and expanding in-house wafer processing operation.

Moreover, since January, SMI, a subsidiary of Elmos Semiconductor AG (Dortmund, Germany)(FSE:ELG), has been engaged in a major renovation and expansion of its MEMS wafer foundry...

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