Keynote SpeakerPanelist
Gunar Lorenz, Ph.D.
Senior Director Technical Marketing Sensors
Innovating For A Greener Future: The Role Of MEMS Microphones In Driving Sustainable And Energy Efficient Consumer Electronics
Day 1 / 14:15 - 14:35
As a globally leading supplier of MEMS microphones, Infineon has been driving audio innovation by enhancing SNR, AOP, and power consumption to pioneer new use-cases such as ANC in TWS and studio-quality audio recording with laptops. As the trend for better audio in communication and recording continues, new requirements have moved into the focus of device manufacturers. Sustainability, including extending the lifespan of products, recycling, and eco-design, is no longer an afterthought but has become a major sales argument. EU authorities are accelerating the trend through regulations and ecodesign labels, with the goal of shifting to a circular economy model and moving away from a linear economy model that consists of producing, consuming, and dumping.
MEMS microphones are particularly vulnerable components requiring external shielding against liquids, dust, light, ultrasound, compressed air, and electromagnetic interference. Through forward integration, our next generation of XENSIV™ MEMS microphones will take care of their own protection, thus lowering integration, testing, and repair costs. At Infineon, we believe that our next generation of XENSIV™ MEMS microphones can contribute to more sustainable and energy-efficient consumer electronics while maintaining superior audio quality.
MEMS Panel Discussion
Day 2 / 09:00 - 09:40
Dr. Gunar Lorenz is heading the technical marketing and application engineering for consumer sensors at Infineon Technologies. Gunar joined Infineon in 2016 as system project manager responsible for Infineon’s first open market MEMS microphone. Prior joining to Infineon he worked as director of system-level simulation at Coventor, where he and his group invented and developed Coventor’s MEMS/IC co-simulation design environment MEMS+. The original ideas for MEMS+ are embodied in his PhD carried out at Robert Bosch R&D Center in 1999. Gunar graduated in mechanical engineering at the TU Braunschweig in Germany and received his PHD in electrical engineering from the TU Bremen in 1999.
Company Profile
Here at Infineon, we combine entrepreneurial success with responsible action to make life easier, safer, and greener. Barely visible, semiconductors have become an indispensable part of everyday life. We play a key role in shaping a better future – with microelectronics that link the real and the digital world. Our semiconductors enable efficient energy management, smart mobility, as well as secure, seamless communications in an increasingly connected world. Infineon designs, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of semiconductors and system solutions. The focus of its activities is on automotive and industrial electronics, communication and information technologies, IoT, sensor technology and security. The product range comprises standard components, software, customer-specific solutions for devices and systems, as well as specific components for digital, analog, and mixed-signal applications.
Keynote SpeakerPanelist
Dr. Stefan Majoni
Director Foundry MEMS
Crossbreeding of MEMS, CMOS, CSOI, Optics and Assembly
Day 1 / 10:05 - 10:35
This presentation will describe one aspect of the increasing complexity in MEMS foundry services including the resulting challenges and potential solutions.
The clear separation of raw wafer production, MEMS- and ASIC-manufacturing as well as packaging trend to vanish. Just some examples:
- The raw wafer type CSOI requires MEMS processing and application of the product design.
- Using the ASIC as cap for the MEMS requires stringent adaption of ASIC- and MEMS-design and -topography, as well as postprocessing of CMOS wafers in MEMS fabs.
- Also the combination of MEMS and ASIC portions on one piece of silicon drives the need for mixed-mode fabs
- Many MEMS types are made in ASIC facilities and in some cases, it is a pure question of definition, whether a product is named MEMS or ASIC, for example CMUTs or immobile optical MEMS architectures. This trend is accelerated by the need of typical CMOS tools, like ArF lithography for certain MEMS, like in some medical applications.
- 3D stacking of CMOS, MEMS and III/ / V semiconductors drive new production approaches
- Many more
Conclusions
Cost, size and performance requirements drive not only the transition from macromechanics to MEMS. It also supports an integration of MEMS and ASIC. Obviously, the alignment of ASIC and MEMS technology is crucial for the set up and the success. Additionally, some MEMS require processes, which are today available typically only in ASIC fabs, like lithography for narrow line widths, which are beyond i-line capability.
Cavity SOI is arising as a new category of raw wafer material. It provides additional options for future MEMS technologies. Since the mask layer “cavity” is designed depending on the product, a cooperation or merge of MEMS and raw wafer production is required.
The wafer fab to run such kind of mixed-mode device has to produce and control CMOS, MEMS and some assembly processes including cross contamination aspects.
MEMS Panel Discussion
Day 2 / 09:00 - 09:40
Stefan Majoni studied chemistry in Hannover and completed his PhD in solid state physical chemistry in 1994
He developed semiconductor lithography processes for DRAMs with IBM and ASICs with Philips.
Since 2005, he joins the Bosch MEMS team in several management positions, primarily in development and partly in production.
Stefan currently drives MEMS foundry service as director for Bosch.
Company Profile
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 428,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2023). According to preliminary figures, the company generated sales of 91.6 billion euros in 2023. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. As a leading IoT provider, Bosch offers innovative solutions for smart homes, Industry 4.0, and connected mobility. Bosch is pursuing a vision of mobility that is sustainable, safe, and exciting. It uses its expertise in sensor technology, software, and services, as well as its own IoT cloud, to offer its customers connected, cross-domain solutions from a single source. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to facilitate connected living with products and solutions that either contain artificial intelligence (AI) or have been developed or manufactured with its help. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.” The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 470 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. The basis for the company’s future growth is its innovative strength. At 136 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 90,000 associates in research and development, of which roughly 48,000 are software engineers.
Speaker
Pat Walsh
Managing Director NA/EU
AMEC Company Update and Offshore Manufacturing Plan
Day 1 / 16:35 - 16:40
An introduction of AMEC to the major mems manufacturers in Europe focusing on strong company growth and showing AMEC as an international company. As the business level for AMEC with international customers increases, AMEC is expanding its manufacturing to Singapore. The status and plan for the new manufacturing facility and R&D Center will be shown.
Pat Walsh is a veteran in the semiconductor industry with at least 38 years of experience and currently serves as Managing Director of AMEC handling North America and Europe region. He started his career as a Process Engineer making DRAM chips before switching to GaAs manufacturing as a Member of Technical Staff for defense and aerospace applications. Moving on, he transitioned to work in Semiconductor equipment manufacturing companies like Applied Materials and Lam Research where he progressed from engineering to sales and subsequently executive management. Prior to joining AMEC, Pat was working in a large investment bank managing leasing and financing of semiconductor equipment for clients.
Company Profile
Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. China (AMEC, stock code: 688012) is an innovative Asia-based semiconductor equipment company with a range of proprietary fabrication solutions designed to advance technology, increase productivity, and reduce manufacturing costs for leading global manufacturers of semiconductors and LEDs. Headquartered in Shanghai, the company is an entrenched supplier of dielectric and TSV etch tools, helping chipmakers build devices at process nodes as low as 5nm and beyond. In addition, AMEC’s MOCVD system has become a market leader in China for producers of LEDs and power devices. AMEC products are used today by technology leaders in Chinese mainland and Taiwan region, as well as Singapore, Korea, Germany, Italy and so on.
Panel Moderator
George Harris
VP Global Test Services
MEMS Testing Panel
Day 1 / 16:45 - 17:15
George joined Amkor in 2020 and is currently responsible for Global Test Services operations. Prior to joining Amkor, George led teams and factories for II-VI Inc on VECSEL GaAs products for 3D imaging and preceding that spent 30 years at Texas Instruments engaged in work on memory, analog and SOC products. He holds six US and EU patents on circuit design, wafer fab processing, test and manufacturing controls. George earned masters and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering from Syracuse University.
Company Profile
Amkor Technology, Inc. is the world’s largest US headquartered OSAT (outsourced semiconductor assembly and test). Since its founding in 1968, Amkor has pioneered the outsourcing of IC packaging and test services and is a strategic manufacturing partner for the world’s leading semiconductor companies, foundries, and electronics OEMs. Amkor provides turnkey services for the communication, automotive and industrial, computing, and consumer industries, including but not limited to smartphones, electric vehicles, data centers, artificial intelligence and wearables. Amkor’s operational base includes production facilities, product development centers and sales and support offices located in key electronics manufacturing regions in Asia, Europe and the United States. Learn more at https://amkor.com
Speaker
Angeline Tee
Deputy Director Business Development
Accelerating MEMS Product Validation and Commercialization with IME ScAlN MEMS Platform
Day 1 / 12:55 - 13:15
There is strong interest in PiezoMEMS due to its unique piezoelectric effect property that enables precise control of mechanical motion, actuation, and sensing at the microscale, potential for miniaturization and integration, and their applicability across a wide range of applications.
However, piezoMEMS commercialization faces several challenges such as manufacturing scalability, integration challenges, reliability and rigorous testing and market adoption.
Addressing these challenges requires a collaborative effort among research institutions, MEMS manufacturers and industrial players to invest in research and development, materials and process characterization & optimization and reliability testing to drive a successful commercialization of PiezoMEMS devices. The 1st of its kind “Lab in the Fab” concept by Institute of Microelectronics (IME), ST Microelectronics and ULVAC, focusing on Piezo MEMS technology aims to accelerate and ease the transition from POC to volume production with the development of PiezoMEMS platforms.
IME ScAlN MEMS platforms integrates advanced modelling, simulation, and design tools with a comprehensive MEMS process building blocks, to enable faster prototyping and optimization of MEMS devices. These ScAlN MEMS platforms with distinct features will be showcased with examples of devices implementation for various applications, and are now available for application in MEMS-based products like speaker, PMUT, RF filter, etc.
Angeline Tee has over 25 years of international experience in the Semiconductor and MEMS industry. Currently serving as the Business Development Deputy Director at IME, ASTAR, Angeline actively engages with industry leaders and identifies business development opportunities to create and capture value for industry partners and contribute to Singapore’s economy.
Angeline has earned an Honor’s degree in Bachelor of Applied Science (Materials Engineering) and a Master of Science (MSc) in Electrical Engineering from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Furthermore, she holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Birmingham, which adds a strategic and managerial perspective to her skill set.
Her career in MEMS began at EG&G Heimann Optoelectronics, where she successfully commercialized the MEMS accelerometer for automotive airbag applications. Throughout her professional journey, Angeline has gained extensive experience in various areas, including research and development, process engineering, marketing, and business development. She has worked with both small start-up companies and large corporations, accumulating a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the field. Angeline’s technical proficiency in MEMS technology led her to assume the role of product marketing manager at GLOBALFOUNDRIES where she spearheaded the business development of GLOBALFOUNDRIES’s newly setup MEMS BU in 2010. Subsequently, she joined XFAB in Germany, and played a pivotal role in China regional marketing, supporting the sales team in market expansion.
With her diverse skill set, extensive industry experience and strong academic background, Angeline hopes to contribute significantly to both technological advancement and innovation creation in the MEMS industry.
Company Profile
Speaker
Maksym Plakhotnyuk, Ph.D.
CEO & Founder
Atomic-Layer Advanced Manufacturing
Day 1 / 16:40 - 16:45
In parallel to additive manufacturing leading the revolution in traditional manufacturing, the same principles can revolutionize traditional thin film deposition techniques. Where lithography and vapor phase deposition techniques struggle, for example, with device development for rapid innovation or incompatibility with the used chemistry, additive manufacturing can shine. Indeed, several approaches are in development for 3D nanopriting.1,2,3
Atomic Layer Deposition, and in more general Atomic Layer Processing, offers a unique opportunity for localized 3D processing/printing due to its two-step process. While simple in theory, due to well-developed examples of Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (sALD), in practice miniaturization of sALD requires substantial effort into the creation of suitable micro-nozzles. Uniquely, ATLANT 3D has developed proprietary Spatial ALD micronozzles, naming the process microreactor Direct Atomic Layer Processing – µDALPTM. 4
In recent years, the team at ATLANT 3D has been able to significantly develop the technology to reduce the µDALPTM resolution, increase material capabilities, assessable morphologies, and develop new instruments for industrial scalable manufacturing. All of which enabling the development of novel MEMS sensors which will be covered in this talk including examples of recent development done by ATLANT 3D’s technology which is not possible with other thin film deposition techniques and lithography.
[1] Kundrata I. et al., ALD/ALE 2022 [Int. Conf.], 2022
[2] de la Huerta C. A. M. et al., arXiv, 2020, 0523.
[3] Winkler, R. et al., J. Appl. Phys., 2019, 125, 210901
[4] Kundrata I., et al., Small Methods., 2022, 6 (5), 2101546
Dr. Maksym Plakhotnyuk, is the CEO and Founder of ATLANT 3D, a pioneering deep-tech company at the forefront of innovation, developing the world’s most advanced atomic-scale manufacturing platform. Maksym is the inventor of the first-ever atomic layer advanced manufacturing technology, enabling atomic-precision development of materials, devices, and microsystems. A scientist with a Ph.D. in Nanotechnology, he has deep expertise in nanotechnologies, renewable and exponential technologies, semiconductor processing, solid-state physics, and material science. A Fulbright scholar, Hello Tomorrow Grand Winner, and proud Ukrainian, Maksym has earned global recognition for his work.
Company Profile
ATLANT 3D has mastered control of matter at the atomic scale, ushering in a new era in manufacturing. For research teams and manufacturers working at the frontiers of technology, we’ve created what was once thought unattainable: a system that builds materials and devices, atom by atom, with unprecedented precision and speed.
While others are constrained by traditional manufacturing limits, our breakthrough technology makes it possible to create the seemingly impossible, from next-generation quantum computers to devices that can operate in the harsh conditions of space. By replacing complex, resource-heavy processes with precise atomic-scale fabrication, we’re transforming technology while making manufacturing sustainable. We’re providing innovative teams the power to build technologies today that will define tomorrow’s world, using fewer resources to achieve greater possibilities.
Based in Copenhagen and London, with operations in the US, ATLANT 3D partners with research institutions and industrial companies to expand the boundaries of technological possibility.
ATLANT 3D is redefining microfabrication with its patented Direct Atomic Layer Processing (DALP®) technology. Our NANOFABRICATOR™ platform enables localized atomic layer processing for rapid material discovery, prototyping, and scalable device fabrication—bridging the gap from lab to fab.
Beyond hardware, we offer Pilot Projects and Joint Development Services to validate new materials and device architectures. A-HUB, our Microfabrication-as-a-Service (MaaS) centre, provides R&D teams with atomic-scale precision without the need for costly infrastructure.
From concept to fabrication, ATLANT 3D partners with academia and industry to drive next-generation innovations beyond conventional limits.
Panelist
Alex Waldauf
Director Product Marketing Management
MEMS Testing Panel
Day 1 / 16:45 - 17:15
Alex Waldauf was one of the founders of Cohu’s Rasco GmbH business unit in 1998 and has been Cohu’s Director of Product Marketing Management since June 2020. Mr. Waldauf was previously Vice President of Platform Engineering from June 2017 to May 2020, and Vice President and General Manager from January 2011 to May 2017. Mr. Waldauf has also held various management positions in engineering and sales & service. Prior to joining Cohu Mr. Waldauf spent six years at Multitest, where he held key positions in RnD & engineering.
Mr. Waldauf holds a Mechanical Engineering degree (Ing.) from the Austrian School of Technology in Salzburg.
Company Profile
Cohu (NASDAQ: COHU) is a global technology leader supplying test, automation, inspection and metrology products and services to the semiconductor industry. Cohu’s differentiated and broad product portfolio enables optimized yield and productivity, accelerating customers’ manufacturing time-to-market.
Cohu offers the broadest portfolio of equipment and services for back-end semiconductor manufacturing, including a one-stop-shop for test and handling equipment, thermal subsystems, interface solutions, vision inspection and metrology, and MEMS test solutions. Cohu’s enhanced product portfolio gives our customers the best possible combination of technologies to match their business and technical needs. We provide our customers with outstanding products and services that reflect our commitment to operational excellence, innovation, and market leadership.
Additional information can be found at www.cohu.com.
Speaker
Pierre Jallon
CTO
A IoT Based Solution for Gas Leak Map
Day 2 / 13:35 - 13:55
An innovative solution able to provide real-time gas leak maps for gas network and industrial sites will be presented. This solution is being developed in collaboration by eLichens (a gas sensor leader), CEA LETI (a world-wide level research institute) and GRDF (the French gas distributor leader) and its ambition is to develop:
- A low cost 10-ppm sensor for CH4 detection
- A connected station that includes this sensor and allows remote monitoring of gas leak through a web interface
- A gas leak map computed from a network of connected stations deployed on an industrial site.
This solution will be low cost, easy to deploy and will provide real time monitoring. It will detect gas leaks in real time either continuous or temporary (related to some process or conditions).
Pierre Jallon is the CTO of eLichens. He joined eLichens in 2019 and is responsible of the technology development, IP management, product roadmap and prototyping. He is in particular in charge of the development of the gas leak identification offering for eLichens, from prototyping the solution up to market analysis and strategic positioning of the product. Prior to join eLichens, Pierre has been working with CEA LETI as lab manager in health department and in the field of wearable technology. Pierre used to be part of the scientific staff of CEA LETI, he holds a PhD in signal processing and a MBA with a specialization in innovation management.
Company Profile
eLichens is a based in Grenoble and develop innovative solution based on gas sensors for the industrial safety and the leak detection and repair markets. The offering includes gas sensors, connected stations for remote monitoring of gas leaks and data viewer and analytics to manage networks of these stations, quantify and locate leaks. These solutions are based on unique MEMs based IR emitter that has been developed in partnership with CEA LETI and protected by more than 55 patents. eLichens has successfully produced and sold ten of thousands of sensors in the industrial safety market. eLichens is now extending its offering with a new innovative sensor – called 1 ppm sensor – designed for the leak detection applications on industrial and biomethane sites.
Speaker
Samira Nik
Programme Manager – Quantum Technologies and Electronics
Let’s Mobilize Digital Innovation in Europe
Day 1 / 12:35 - 12:55
Digital technologies are indispensable in today’s interconnected world. They drive economic growth, empower individuals, enable social networking, increase access to educational resources, empower telemedicine, enhance efficiency and productivity, and many more. Europe has been the birthplace to many scientific breakthroughs in the field of semiconductor and quantum technologies, but it is lagging in translating scientific achievements into market products. Often European innovators and start-ups struggle to raise necessary financial support to bring their products from lab to fab or scale up. European Innovation Council (EIC) as the largest public fund organization in the world that aims to identify, develop, and scale up breakthrough technologies and game changing innovations in Europe. This presentation will introduce EIC digital activities as well as EIC Funding opportunities for digital technologies, from responsible electronics to quantum technologies, in 2023.
Samira obtained a PhD in Materials Science from the Applied Physics Department of Chalmers University of Technology, specialising in superconducting quantum devices, nanoelectronics and materials characterisation.
After her postdoctoral fellowship in nanoelectronic devices, she became an R&D project manager in one of the leading foundries in the semiconductors industry in Sweden, where she developed the expertise to create proof-of-concept of innovative piezoelectric sensors and energy harvesting devices. Samira learned even more about the practical obstacles that scientists and startups face through her role in the cleanroom management team in one of the largest nanoelectronics hubs in the world, IMEC, Belgium.
Samira transitioned from technical to policy work with becoming Project Manager – Innovation in the European Standardisation Organisations (CEN-CENELEC). In this role, she worked very closely with the European Commission and National Standardisation Bodies for creating a stronger connection between R&I communities and industry.
Since April 2022, Samira works a Programme Manager for Quantum Technologies and Electronics in EC European Innovation Councils and SMEs Agency, where she is responsible for developing visions for technological and innovation breakthroughs, the active management of portfolios of EIC supported projects to support these visions, and bringing together stakeholders to put these visions into reality.
Company Profile
The EIC is Europe’s flagship innovation programme to identify, develop and scale up breakthrough technologies and game changing innovations.
Speaker
Maurus Tschirky
Senior Strategic Marketing Manager
EVATEC – Mastering Deposition Technologies from Core to Package
Day 1 / 16:20 - 16:25
While deposition of Advanced Functional Materials remains at the core of building up MEMS devices, their combination and integration has become key for gaining traction in today’s applications.
From active piezoelectric sensing or actuating elements to heat dissipation layers, antireflective coatings, EMI shielding or stress compensation – the ultimate challenge is the Integration of Various Technologies into one device or package. Expertise in Material Science and Integration Technologies is what the market expects. Supporting manufacturers with a variety of deposition technologies such as PVD, PECVD and PEALD alongside clever tool concepts (batch, single wafer or inline), our customers benefit from EVATEC’s wide range of Know-How in Semiconductors, Optoelectronics, Advanced Packaging and Photonics.
Maurus Tschirky is Senior Strategic Marketing Manager at Evatec. He is globally responsible for the market segment MEMS in terms of strategy and strategic project and customer acquisition. His genuine interest in advanced functional materials with piezoelectric and magnetic properties emphasize his dedication to the MEMS and Sensors market in particular. Maurus had a number of positions in the PVD-equipment industry (Balzers, Unaxis, Oerlikon and now Evatec) ranging from Application Engineer, System Engineer, Project Manager to Product Manager over the years and also spent 3 years leading a research section at CSEM in Neuchatel, Switzerland. He has a first Degree in Control Electronics from the University of Applied Sciences in Buchs, followed by a Masters in Business Engineering / International Marketing from the Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Technik in Zurich, Switzerland.
Company Profile
Evatec delivers complete thin film deposition solutions in Advanced Packaging, Semiconductor, Optoelectronics and Photonics – from UBM /RDL processes in FOWLP and FOPLP applications, to deposition of high performance piezoelectrics like AlScN for 5G networks or NIR bandpass filters for 3D sensing, face and gesture recognition in our smart devices. We deliver tailored production solutions with batch, cluster or inline architecture according to your substrate format, throughput, process and fab integration requirements. Evatec’s Advanced Process Control (APC) technologies set new standards in deposition through ‘in situ” capability for control of film properties during the deposition cycle. Reduce your process development times, enhance repeatability and yields or increase tool throughput.
Speaker
Dr. Sandro Koch
Business Unit Manager Acoustic Sensors and Systems
Si Schottky Photodiodes: New Horizons for Short Wavelength Infrared (SWIR) Sensing
Day 2 / 15:05 - 15:25
Photodiodes for the short wavelength infrared range enable enhanced vision and imaging in terms of distance, ruggedness against atmospheric disturbance, and chemical analysis compared to the visible. The penetration of these sensor, which today are mainly used in defense and machine vision applications, into other market segments such as automotive, consumer, and biomedical, are hampered by economic and technical limitations of the established technologies (scalability, complexity, spectral range). The concept of Si Schottky photodiodes for infrared detection was actively pursued in the 1980s and 1990s and recently resumed to tackle today’s challenges.
Fraunhofer IPMS will give insights into its silicon-based Schottky photodiode technology. We will also discuss the impact of device structure on the performance and its unique features as a compelling alternative for opening up new horizons on the SWIR roadmap. This talk is aimed at researchers, engineers, and decision-makers interested in exploring new alternatives to conventional photodiodes and seeking a reliable development partner to support their innovation efforts in SWIR applications.
Dr. Sandro Koch completed his physics studies at the Dresden and received his PhD in applied physics in 2015. He then joint Fraunhofer IPMS as a research scientist and held several research management positions focusing on MEMS-based acoustic and photonic sensors. Currently, Sandro Koch is working as business unit manager “Acoustic Sensors and Systems” on the development of MEMS modules in the audible and ultrasonic range and their transfer to industry.
Company Profile
Fraunhofer IPMS is a leading international research and development service provider for electronic and photonic microsystems in the application fields of Smart Industrial Solutions, Bio and Health, Mobility as well as Green and Sustainable Microelectronics. Research focuses on customer-specific miniaturized sensors and actuators, MEMS systems, microdisplays and integrated circuits as well as wireless and wired data communication, neuromorphic and quantum computing. Services range from consulting and design to process development and pilot series production.
The Fraunhofer IPMS is one of 75 institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the leading organization for applied research in Europe. With nearly 32,000 employees Fraunhofer operates with an annual budget of €3.6 billion, €3.1 billion of which is generated by contract research — Fraunhofer’s core business model.
The range of services includes wafer processing, characterization & testing, assembly and interconnection technology and the organization of external and supplier services. At the Center Nanoelectronic Technologies (CNT), Fraunhofer IPMS offers applied research, process and material development on 300 mm wafers for microchip producers, suppliers, device manufacturers and R&D partners. 4000 m² of clean room space is available for processing customer orders as well as laboratory space for over 80 processing and analytical tools.
Speaker
Michael Pate, Ph.D.
Director of Audio Technology Development
Improving the LLM experience with sensor provided context
Day 1 / 14:55 - 15:15
Large Language Models (LLM’s) are a truly transformative technology that will alter many aspects of our lives. It has quickly become apparent that the usefulness of these LLMs is multiplied by the exactness of the prompt, leading to a rise in prompt engineering. In this presentation we will discuss how sensors on devices will play a significant role in helping generate more useful and contextual prompts and how audio and voice might play a role in the future of this technology.
Dr. Michael Pate received advanced degrees from Texas Tech University and Denmark Technical University concentrating in the design of Class-D amplifiers for audio systems. After completing his Ph.D. work he began at Texas Instruments where he led the design of some of the highest power integrated Class-D amps on the market. From there Dr Pate moved to product definition roles at Cirrus Logic, Audience and Knowles Electronics where he focused on mixed signal audio, DSP and algorithms and MEMS microphones respectively. He now works at Google as the Director of Audio Technology Development where his team builds experiences like Active Noise Cancellation, Audio Magic Eraser, Clear Calling and many more.
Company Profile
A problem isn’t truly solved until it’s solved for all. Googlers build products that help create opportunities for everyone, whether down the street or across the globe. Bring your insight, imagination and a healthy disregard for the impossible. Bring everything that makes you unique. Together, we can build for everyone.
Speaker
Dr. Erwin Hijzen
Program Director
MEMS Ultrasound Technology: More Than Medical Imaging
Day 2 / 15:25 - 15:45
Micromachined Ultrasound Technology is primarily known for its use in medical ultrasound imaging. There are, however, many more applications of this technology, both in- and outside of the medical domain. We will show several applications for which MEMS technology is a differentiator, and the technology platforms i m e is developing for those applications.
Erwin Hijzen received his PhD in Applied Physics from the Delft University of Technology. After that he has worked for Philips and NXP in the area of semiconductor technology, holding different R&D positions. He is currently working for IMEC, as director for the MEMS ultrasound program.
Company Profile
Imec is a world-leading research and innovation center in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. Imec leverages its state-of-the-art R&D infrastructure and its team of more than 5,500 employees and top researchers, for R&D in advanced semiconductor and system scaling, silicon photonics, artificial intelligence, beyond 5G communications and sensing technologies, and in application domains such as health and life sciences, mobility, industry 4.0, agrofood, smart cities, sustainable energy, education, … Imec unites world-industry leaders across the semiconductor value chain, Flanders-based and international tech, pharma, medical and ICT companies, start-ups, and academia and knowledge centers. Imec is headquartered in Leuven (Belgium), and has research sites across Belgium, in the Netherlands and the USA, and representation in 3 continents. In 2021, imec’s revenue (P&L) totaled 732 million euro.
Further information on imec can be found at www.imec-int.com.
Speaker
Matan Naftali
CEO
How do MEMS start-ups play in the big pond of AR/VR world?
Day 2 / 09:40 - 10:00
The AR/VR market is considered to be a pivot market for the CE industry. It is a big pond, crowded by the strongest players in the world, with very deep pockets, and a lot of technological gaps to bridge, in order to bringing a viable product to the market. Among the missing parts to bridge is a display engine. One of the promising technologies for such a display engine is Laser beam Scanning, based on MEMS scanning mirrors. This technology is not new, however it had never met the needed requirements for the market in terms of performance, size and maturity. It is happened that most of dominant LBS players are start-ups, and also fabless. How do MEMS start-ups play in this big pond? What is the synergism between the big players and the start-ups? Could a fabless mode work for these start-ups? My talk will focus on all of these questions, with specific example for our day to day challenges at Maradin.
Years of experience from the working floor of MEMS manufacturing to managing an extraordinary development team. Matan worked at SCD Israel and founded IMH which he sold in 2013. Matan holds tens of patents & publications in the MEMS area. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, and MBA, from the Technion, Israel.
Company Profile
Maradin Ltd. provides one of the world’s most advanced Laser Beam Scanning (LBS) solutions, serving as core components for AR/VR and automotive displays.
Founded in 2008, Maradin is privately held, with headquarters and a design center in Israel. Maradin operates in a fabless mode, with a comprehensive patent portfolio.
As of today, Maradin has development agreements with Automotive Tier#1 companies and consumer market leaders, looking to position itself as leaders in these emerging markets.
Speaker
Thomas Russell
CEO and Co-Founder
About Mesoline’s Emerging 3D Micro Printing Technology, Microchannel Particle Deposition (MPD), Used for MEMS & Sensors
Day 1 / 12:15 - 12:35
Microchannel particle deposition (MPD) is a wafer-scale thick-film deposition process used to accurately and in a scalable way deposit nanoparticles. Unique features include: 1) full wafers patterning in 15-minutes, 2) structures can be deposited with a size ranging from 1 – 50 microns and with high aspect ratios up to 5 and 3) full 3D-control of the printed structures. In addition, I can share some of the applications we’re focusing on such as: 1) printing sensing electrodes for metal oxide gas sensors, 2) printing of getters for microbolometers and 3) printing of porous electrodes for biosensing applications.
Metal oxide gas sensor example: Traditionally, sensing elements of metal oxide gas sensors are fabricated using drop-casting. Our MPD process is used as a superior alternative to fabricate these MOX sensors as its 10x more scalable, further reduces the form factor and lowers the power consumption by 5x. In addition, our MPD technology allows for the deposition of sensing element arrays, which enables detection of environmental gasses for safety, wildfire detection, methane detection, NOx/greenhouse gases.
Thomas Russell is the CEO and co-founder of Mesoline. After earning a bachelor’s in physics from the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands, Thomas moved to Los Angeles to complete his master’s degree at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he studied the application of microchannel particle deposition (MPD) technology under prof. Harry Atwater.
In 2017 he spun-out Mesoline from this research, which led to him being recognized as a Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneur in 2019. In the same year, after relocating to the Netherlands to expand Mesoline, Thomas raised a $2.5M Horizon 2020 grant from the European Commission and several $M from private investors, which enabled him to further accelerate the development of the MPD technology to a reliable process.
Currently, he’s working on ensuring further growth of the company, market entry of Mesoline with the MPD technology and overseeing the buildup of a new production facility in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Company Profile
Mesoline has developed and is scaling up a fundamentally new micro-fabrication process, micro-channel particle deposition (MPD), used to deposit nanomaterials. This wafer-scale thick-film deposition process is a cost-effective and scalable platform technology that enables next generation semiconductor devices such as MEMS & Sensors and other ultra-miniaturized products.
Founded in 2017, Mesoline is headquartered in the Netherlands and enjoys strong financials. Mesoline provides MPD as a contract manufacturing service to semiconductor companies.
Panelist
Giuseppina Saracco
Sales Engineer Manager
MEMS Testing Panel
Day 1 / 16:45 - 17:15
Giuseppina Saracco received her master’s degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Rome “Tor Vergata.” With a background in optical technology, she began her career as an Optical Technical Development Engineer at Ericsson in Pisa. Looking for new challenges, she moved to Milan, where she joined SIAE Microelettronica as a Test Automation Engineer. Since 2017, she has been an integral part of the Microtest team. Initially as a Test Engineer, currently as Sales Account Manager.
Company Profile
Founded in 1999 in Altopascio (Lucca) by the intuition of its three founding, over time, Microtest has become a technological partner of some of the world’s leading microchip manufacturers, skilled in developing innovative solutions, thanks to a solid engineering team and good production flexibility. Microtest is a leading supplier of innovative, automated testers (ATE), ovenless burn-in solutions and device handling equipment for automotive, industrial, power, MEMS and medical device markets. By In 2004, Microtest reached a milestone and also broadened its service offering to the “test house” segment – enhanced by a direct presence in the Far East, with an office in Malaysia. In April 2022, Equity final Xenon Private Equity acquired a majority stake in Microtest, spurring its international expansion strategy.
Speaker
Senni Laaksonen
VP Research and Development
Fan-out Wafer Level MEMS Packaging for Automotive Applications
Day 1 / 10:35 - 10:55
MEMS inertial sensors, including gyroscopes and accelerometers, are key components in automotive applications like electronic vehicle stability control, advanced driver assistant systems and autonomous driving. The challenging automotive reliability requirements need to be considered when selecting the sensor packaging concepts.
Fan-out wafer level packaging (FO-WLP) provides large number of IOs and offers interesting opportunities for multi-die packaging with minimum package dimensions. Typically combined MEMS sensors for motion measurement are packaged in various standard or proprietary configurations, ceramic cavity packages, pre-molded plastic cavity packages, over-molded SOIC, PBGA. The demand is towards smaller foot print & height, lower cost and better robustness to vibration. FO-WLP offers some excellent characteristics, like small size and low stress to sensitive MEMS dies. Murata presentation is focused on explaining the FO-WLP Multi-die Inertial Sensor concept (gyroscope, accelerometer and IC), which was developed in EU collaboration project and evaluated against automotive requirements.
Senni Laaksonen has 20 years experience of providing inertial sensors to the automotive industry. She started her career at VTI, a company which has been the market leader in low-g accelerometers for safety critical applications since early 1990s. Senni joined Murata when the company acquired VTI in 2012. She has been working in various positions in VTI/Murata from product design to process development and project management and is currently responsible of the Research and Development activities of Murata Finland. Senni and her development teams work closely with automotive industry to provide new innovative inertial sensors for the customers. Future development in Murata is focusing to provide cutting edge products to the ADAS and autonomous driving applications.
Company Profile
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and sale of ceramic-based passive electronic components & solutions, communication modules and power supply modules. Murata is committed to the development of advanced electronic materials and leading edge, multi-functional, high-density modules. The company has employees and manufacturing facilities throughout the world. For more information, visit Murata’s website at www.murata.com.
www.murata.com/en-global
Research, Production and Sales of Electronic Devices made from fine ceramics
Speaker
Eric Aguilar
CEO
Transforming the Sensor Market through a New Topology for MEMS
Day 2 / 12:00 - 12:20
MEMS technology has become an integral part of our daily lives, enhancing the safety of our vehicles, empowering our smartphones with advanced sensing capabilities, and paving the way for groundbreaking AR/VR experiences. However, in recent years, fundamental innovation in the field of MEMS has been limited. This presents a prime opportunity for disruption, and Omnitron has risen to the challenge by introducing a revolutionary “New Topology for MEMS” that delivers an order of magnitude improvement in actuation power and sensitivity, heralding a new era in MEMS technology.
Leveraging a clever rearrangement in silicon processing techniques and a novel packaging methodology, Omnitron’s “New Topology for MEMS” offers a 10x improvement in capacitance per unit area, 5x deeper trenches, and a batch-level pretilt offset. On top of that, this topology, which has been proven through fabrication, is a scalable, cost-effective, and high-performance solution for the mass production of advanced sensors.
The speaker will elucidate the significance of this innovative topology by showcasing a 15mm MEMS step-scanning mirror designed for long-range LiDAR applications. This mirror provides a Figure of Merit (FOM) 5x better than any other MEMS mirror on the market.
An award-winning entrepreneur, Eric is a visionary leader in the field of advanced sensor systems for complex systems such robotics and autonomous platforms.
Throughout his distinguished two-decade career, Eric’s passion for sensor design and innovation has made him a key player in the industry. His expertise includes leading teams at renowned companies such as Tesla, where he managed a crew of 300 engineers on the firmware for Model 3, and at X, where he spearheaded the development of Google Project Wing, an autonomous drone delivery service.
Eric’s expertise in sensor integration includes a leadership position at various renowned robotics companies. His role in steering product development for a sensor company later acquired by Google — as well as his pioneering work building sensors for drones at US Navy Research Labs — further showcase his depth of experience.Eric earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from California State Polytechnic University and completed the Stanford Entrepreneurship program. His work continues to shape the future of MEMS and sensors technology, making him a sought-after thought leader and speaker in the field.
Company Profile
Omnitron Sensors is rewriting the script on building high-performance low-cost sensors for the world of tomorrow. Leveraging its executive team’s extensive experience designing, fabricating, and using MEMS sensors, Omnitron has developed a “new topology for MEMS” that addresses some of the most pressing pain points in MEMS manufacturing.
Featuring the clever arrangement of silicon process steps and a new packaging method, Omnitron’s topology significantly improves performance to produce robust, rugged, reliable, repeatable, and low-cost MEMS sensors in high volumes by leveraging commercial MEMS foundries.
The company’s first proof point of its new topology for MEMS is a large, robust, low-cost, MEMS scanning mirror for long-range LiDAR.
Speaker
Mike Rosa, Ph.D.
CMO & SVP Strategy
Meeting Challenges in MEMS with Advanced Metrology and Inspection Capabilities
Day 1 / 16:15 - 16:20
Today, MEMS devices while continuing to maintain their novelty are for the most part no longer a new class of device technology – in fact the highest volume MEMS products IMUs, BAW/SAW filters, Microphones, Pressure Sensors, and Ink Jet devices are from a market entry perspective, considered mature. Despite this, they’re tirelessly evolving and continuing to bring new materials and unit process challenges. With each new design that leverages new materials or combinations of materials, together with increasingly challenging unit processes, the sophistication of the required metrology and inspection steps increases. This brief presentation will address a few of those challenges and explain the value that novel inspection and metrology capabilities can bring to both device manufacturers and equipment OEMs in characterizing their high-volume manufacturing processes and/or process development cycles. In doing so, optical critical dimension (OCD), infra-red (IR) inspection and acoustic metrology technologies will be highlighted in the context of IMU, Microphone, Piezo and finally bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filter device fabrication.
Mike Rosa is chief marketing officer (CMO) and senior vice president responsible for strategy at Onto Innovation. Prior to his current role, Mike served as CMO for Applied Materials ICAPS and Advanced Packaging Groups, where he was responsible for leadership of strategic and technical marketing, marketing communications, charting device segment inflection roadmaps and providing strategic business development support toward M&A activities. He has over 25 years’ experience in semiconductor engineering and technology, with roles that span device design and fabrication, equipment development, marketing and sales. His technical qualifications include B.Eng. (Hons) and Ph.D. degrees in Microelectronic Engineering and an MBA with dual majors in Marketing and Business Strategy. Mike has authored over 40 journal and conference publications and holds over 29 U.S. patents
Company Profile
Onto Innovation is a leader in process control, combining global scale with an expanded portfolio of leading-edge technologies that include: Un-patterned wafer quality; 3D metrology spanning chip features from nanometer scale transistors to large die interconnects; macro defect inspection of wafers and packages; elemental layer composition; overlay metrology; factory analytics; and lithography for advanced semiconductor packaging. Our breadth of offerings across the entire semiconductor value chain helps our customers solve their most difficult yield, device performance, quality, and reliability issues. Onto Innovation strives to optimize customers’ critical path of progress by making them smarter, faster and more efficient. Headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Onto Innovation supports customers with a worldwide sales and service organization.
General Telephone: +1 978 253 6200
General email: info@ontoinnovation.com
Website: www.ontoinnovation.com
Speaker
Dr. David Leuenberger
Head of Product Management
How Optotune’s Products for Dynamic Light Control Benefit AR/VR Applications
Day 2 / 10:00 - 10:20
In this presentation I will introduce Optotune’ s key technologies for dynamic light control. These include liquid lenses, pixel shifters, beam-steering mirrors and laser speckle reducers. I will give an overview in which markets and applications our products are currently being used. Key issues of liquid lenses such as thermal drift, gravity coma and lack of suitable AR coatings are addressed, and solutions presented.
In the second part I will present how our products and technologies can benefit the emerging AR/VR market by presenting different use cases such as wobulation/super-resolution in display engines, vergence accommodation in AR, FOV expansion and de-speckling of laser-based light engines.
David Leuenberger received his M. Sc. Degree in Physics from the University of Bern in 2000 and got his PhD from Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL) in the field of photonic crystals in 2004. In 2013 he obtained his MBA degree from Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh Business School (EBS). He currently works as Head of Product Management at Optotune. He is interested in the technical and commercial aspects of liquid lenses and optical actuators for various markets ranging from Medical to AR/VR and Automotive.
Company Profile
Optotune develops and manufactures industry shaping active optical components that allow customers around the globe to innovate. Founded in 2008, we started out with our core technology of focus tunable lenses, which was inspired by the working principle of the human eye. Laser speckle reducers, 2D mirrors, tunable prisms and beam shifters are further additions to our product line. Thanks to our deep understanding of optics and mechanics and our passion for technology, Optotune is your ideal partner when it comes to solving challenges where conventional optics fail.
Speaker
Giacomo Tonti
Sales Manager Semiconductor Division
MEMS Testing Panel
Day 1 / 16:45 - 17:15
Giacomo Tonti is a Semiconductor division Sales Manager for OSAI Automation Systems.
After his graduation in electronics and telecommunications he worked on semiconductor testing and project management.
He’s now focusing on the semiconductor business development in Osai A.S. SpA, for standard products as well as turn-key test cell solutions, with key players worldwide.
Company Profile
OSAI Automation System S.p.A. Benefit Company, founded in 1991, is a company that designs and manufactures standard equipment for semiconductor testing as well as complete automation lines, with high technology content and through a cross technology portfolio: from test handlers for MEMS (wide range of stimuli units entirely designed by OSAI) up to test and assembly lines for power devices (discrete and modules).
In addition to OSAI headquarters located in Parella, its resale and assistance network is made up of over 40 distributors all over the world, with over 50 local staff and 3 commercial branches (USA, Germany and China).
Speaker
Jon Edwards
VP Business Development
Using MEMS and optics to create a unique solution for present and future applications
Day 2 / 11:40 - 12:00
poLight has developed the TLens®, tunable focusing lens enabled by specific MEMS structure. In collaboration with STMicrolectronics, the first MOEMS TLens has been put in mass production. It has been adopted in many different products such as mobile cameras and other consumer products, as well as industrial and medical applications. The technology has the potential to be used in automotive devices for which reliability are more demanding. poLight will present its current TLens MEMS structure as well as new product concept like the TWedge® which will be key for emerging applications such as AR-VR.
Jon is VP of Business Development at poLight. He has spent his career in the camera module industry, working for companies such as Cambridge Mechatronics, Optotune, Sony, STMicro and CMOS Image sensor pioneer VLSI Vision. He holds a Degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Edinburgh.
Company Profile
poLight ASA offers a patented, proprietary tunable optics technology, starting with its first product, TLens® which replicates “the human eye” experience in autofocus cameras used in devices such as smartphones, wearables, barcode scanners, machine vision systems and various medical equipment. poLight’s TLens® enables better system performance and new user experiences due to benefits such as extremely fast focus, small footprint, no magnetic interference, low power consumption and constant field of view. poLight is based in Horten, Norway, with employees in Finland, France, UK, US, China, Taiwan, and Philippines.
For more information, please visit https://www.polight.com
Speaker
Mohssen Moridi, Ph.D.
Senior Executive Director & Head of the Microsystems Research Division
Going Vertical With MEMS: Unfolding System-Level Development Of Scanning Micromirror Technologies
Day 2 / 13:55 - 14:15
Being a top European research center for electronic based systems, Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) offers cooperative research in the pioneering areas of Microsystems, Sensor Systems, Intelligent Wireless Systems, Power Electronics and Embedded Systems. SAL connects key industrial and scientific players for the application-oriented research along the value chain. It accelerates the processes from idea to innovation within the major market tendencies on the global arena.
In his presentation, Dr. Mohssen Moridi, Head of Research Division Microsystems, will discuss the system-level development of scanning micromirror technologies with focus on MEMS-based vertical integration, from initial concept to applied demonstrator. Metasurfaces, passivation coating, embedded AI algorithms and ASIC integration will be outlined as added functionalities.
Dr. Mohssen Moridi is an expert in microtechnology with over 20 years of experience in the development of MEMS devices. He holds a Master’s and Ph.D. in Microtechnology from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. After completing his doctoral studies, he held various research positions in Switzerland, contributing to advancements in microsystems technology. In 2016, he moved to Austria to lead the Microsystem Division at CTR AG, where he established a MEMS department and managed the development of a new cleanroom dedicated to industrial R&D. Since 2019, he has been part of Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) and currently serves as Senior Executive Director and Head of the Microsystems Research Division. In this role, he leads a team of over 60 researchers, driving innovation in thin-film technologies, integrated photonics, and magnetic and piezoelectric microsystems. With extensive experience at the intersection of research and industry, Dr. Moridi plays a key role in shaping cutting-edge microsystem technologies, bridging fundamental research with industrial applications.
Company Profile
Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) has been founded to be a top European research center for electronic-based systems. In the network of science and economy, we carry out research at a global level and create the basis of groundbreaking products and processes.
Speaker
Matthieu Lacolle
CTO
High-performance miniature optical MEMS microphone
Day 1 / 15:15 - 15:35
sensiBel is a Norwegian deep-tech scale-up company bringing to the market an optical MEMS microphone with 80dB SNR (14 dBA noise floor) and 132 dB dynamic range (146 dB Acoustic Overload Pressure or 10 % THD) in a small package.
This is a considerable improvement over state-of-the-art capacitive MEMS microphones. Despite constant improvement over the years, these are today limited to a SNR in the order of 73 dBA (21 dBA noise floor) with overall dynamic range in the order of 101 dB. There are fundamental challenges to driving the performance of capacitive MEMS microphone technology in small packages to new heights. Piezoelectric MEMS microphones have not demonstrated SNR performance >65 dBA.
We will present the fundamentals of optical acoustic transduction, explain why it can enable higher performance and how it can be implemented in a MEMS-based component.
Matthieu Lacolle is an optical MEMS expert, CTO and co-founder of sensiBel.
He joined the Norwegian research organization SINTEF in 2006, where he worked as a Research Scientist and Research Manager at the department of Microsystems and Nanotechnologies. His research interests have included optical MEMS and in particular diffractive MEMS, MEMS-based spectroscopy and sensors with optical readout. He was strongly involved in the development of optical readout methods for MEMS sensors such as microphones, when he co-founded sensiBel in 2017 as the technology was spun-off from SINTEF.
Matthieu Lacolle received a M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Supélec, France, in 2001, and a M.E. degree in photonics and telecommunications from the University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, in 2001. He holds a Ph.D. degree from the University of Oslo, Norway, in the field of optical MEMS, obtained in 2006. He is the author or co-author of 30+ publications and of several granted and pending patents.
Company Profile
SensiBel is a Norwegian deep-tech scale-up company specialized in optical Micro-Electro-MechanicalSystem (MEMS) microphone technology. The company spun off from SINTEF, Norway’s largest independent research organization in 2016. Based on 10 years of research at SINTEF, sensiBel has developed and patented a unique technology for a high-performance miniaturized microphone, with 10 times lower noise (10dB) than other state-of-the-art MEMS microphones. Our core team consists of MEMS, electronics, optics and acoustics technology experts, as well as a business and leadership team with vast multi-national experience and several successful high tech startups in electronics for high volume applications.
Speaker
Farrokh Ayazi, Ph.D.
Founder & CEO
StethX Acoustic Wearable Patch for Monitoring and Diagnosis of Cardio-Pulmonary Conditions
Day 2 / 14:15 - 14:35
Cardiovascular and respiratory diseases are significant public health issues affecting millions of individuals globally and burdening healthcare systems tremendously. StethX has developed a smart, easy-to-use and low-profile wearable patch for accurate detection, analysis and quantification of heart sounds and respiratory abnormalities by capturing mechano-acoustic signals emanated from heart and lung. In this talk, an overview of the capabilities of the patch for longitudinal monitoring and at-home use will be discussed and the latest clinical results from the patch will be presented.
Farrokh Ayazi is the Founder and CEO of StethX Microsystems, a spin-off of the Georgia Tech Integrated MEMS Laboratory that is commercializing advanced wearable patches for cardiopulmonary applications. He received the B.S. degree from the University of Tehran, Iran, in 1994, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1997 and 2000, respectively, all in electrical engineering. Dr. Ayazi is the Regents Entrepreneur and Ken Byers Professor in Microsystems at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where his main research interest lies in the area of integrated Micro/Nano-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS and NEMS), with a focus on high-Q acoustic resonators and advanced inertial sensors. Dr. Ayazi was the co-founder and CTO of Qualtré, a spin-out of his research laboratory that commercialized bulk acoustic wave silicon gyroscopes for high precision applications, which was acquired by Panasonic in 2016. Dr. Ayazi is a fellow of the IEEE, has authored over 300 refereed technical and scientific articles, and holds more than 60 patents. He was the general chair of the IEEE Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems conference in 2014, held in San Francisco, CA.
Company Profile
StethX is a start-up company located in Atlanta, GA commercializing a proprietary wearable sensor technology that enables remote and long-term monitoring of cardio-pulmonary conditions with high fidelity.
Speaker
Collin Twanow
Director, Technology
BioMEMS
Day 1 / 11:55 - 12:15
Medical devices are key to providing timely patient monitoring and treatment. This presentation provides an overview of the role of micro-technology in medical devices, the challenges related to their fabrication, and a view to emerging technologies. You will gain an understanding of BioMEMS devices, their markets, and Teledyne’s MEMS capabilities for their development and manufacture.
Collin Twanow serves as Director, Technology for Teledyne MEMS and is responsible for creating technical solutions for both current and new customers. He joined Micralyne in 1999 and has held a number of roles ranging from Development Engineer, Director of R&D, Product Line Manager, and Vice President of Sales and Engineering in the Edmonton, Canada fab.
Collin has managed development programs for many devices including optical telecom switches and silicon optical benches, implantable medical devices, MEMS microphones, pressure sensors, and components for military applications. He is a Professional Engineer with a MEng degree, focused on Microfabrication. Collin has also lectured in MEMS and microfabrication courses at the University of Alberta.
Company Profile
Teledyne MEMS is an industry-leading pure-play MEMS foundry, specializing in manufacturing MEMS and microfabrication solutions, from initial prototypes to high-volume production, across two Canadian sites.
Our commitment lies in maintaining stringent quality systems, delivering exceptional service, and safeguarding customer intellectual property. We take pride in our track record of transitioning customer designs to mass production with efficiency and precision. Partnering with us means gaining access to extensive technical expertise and advanced fabrication capabilities, ensuring that we add value to your projects through our experience.
With decades of experience, we produce devices for diverse markets including micro-mirrors for telecommunications, gyro sensors for game controllers, microfluidic devices for miniaturized medical systems, and inertial sensors for automobiles. Our innovative MEMS enhance performance while reducing size and power consumption.
Speaker
Moti Margalit
CEO
Sound Generation by Active Modulation of Ultrasound
Day 1 / 14:35 - 14:55
We present a cutting-edge method for sound generation using actively modulated ultrasound. This innovative approach is specifically designed for MEMS technology, resulting in a smaller speaker with superior audio capabilities. We will provide detailed explanations of the speaker’s physics, implementation, and potential applications.
Moti Margalit is CEO of SonicEdge and the inventor of its game changing speaker technology. With a multidisciplinary background spanning from quantum optics to MEMS and as a named inventor on over 90 patents, Moti has a demonstrated track record of innovation and entrepreneurship, having founded several successful deep tech companies and held technology leadership roles in both large and small companies.
Company Profile
Our game-changing technology has revolutionized sound generation, allowing us to create the smallest speaker with the best sound on the market. Through a patented process, our speakers utilize an array of ultrasound technology, paired with acoustic modulators, to frequency shift the ultrasound and create high-quality sound. Our solid-state MEMS device is manufactured using industry-standard processes and includes a full stack solution, from digital audio to sound. Complete with an ASIC and MEMS speaker, SonicEdge is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the world of sound.”
Panelist
Higor Batagin
Sales Manager – Semi & MEMS Business Unit
MEMS Testing Panel
Day 1 / 16:45 - 17:15
Higor Batagin received his M.S. degree in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in 2012, in Brazil. With a postgraduate degree in Strategic Marketing Management and an Executive Master’s degree in Marketing and Sales, he moves to the Semiconductor Industry in 2019 as Sales Manager for the Semiconductor and MEMS Test Products business unit, to serve the customers based in the United States and expand SPEA’s presence and business in this region.
Company Profile
Established in 1976, SPEA is a world leading company in the field of automatic test equipment for ICs, MEMS, sensors, electronic boards. SPEA serves the big semiconductor IDMs and OSATs with the most cost-effective and high-performance equipment to test automotive, SoCs, analog mixed-signal devices, MEMS sensors and actuators, power and discretes, identification devices, delivering highest measurement capabilities, lowest cost of test and fastest time-to-market. SPEA systems are designed to detect any possible defect in electronic products, so that they won’t fail on the field. High throughput, best detection capability, test techniques designed on the latest technologies requirements, complete configurability. For SPEA customers, testing is not an additional cost, but a tangible competitive advantage.
- SPEA product portfolio includes test equipment for:
- Automotive, linear, analog mixed signal & SoC devices requiring the most advanced and powerful instrumentation. SPEA’s DOT platform addresses today’s and future roadmap needs.
- MEMS & Sensors. SPEA has been chosen by the biggest players in this market to develop the best solutions for inertial, high-g, proximity, time-of-flight, light, pressure, environmental, magnetic, acoustic sensors. SPEA equipment combines physical stimulus with a complete electrical test, fast pick&place handling, reliable contacting, tri-temp.
- Power & Discretes. DOT800 T perforfms static and dynamic measurements with extended current/voltage ranges, on the whole range of power applications: wafers, discretes (Si, SiC, GaN based), IPMs, KGDs, DBCs, IGBT modules.
- Identification. CT1000 and CT3000 are low-cost test systems dedicated to micro-controllers, RFID, UHF, combi devices. They perform complete, highly accurate measurements, offering high throughput, with high multi-site test capability at wafer test, and a fast data transfer for memory test.
Speaker
Marco Pratillo
Sales Manager Semi & MEMS Test Equipment BU
MEMS Test Equipment Standardization: New Opportunities for OSATs and IDMs
Day 1 / 16:05 - 16:15
Testing processes have a relevant impact on the semiconductor manufacturing effectiveness and, at the end, on the final product cost. This is especially true when we talk about MEMS devices, due to the fact that test equipment for MEMS is strongly application-dependent and scarcely reusable for different devices. For many years, both MEMS manufacturers and ATE/Handler suppliers have developed specific test equipment and instruments for every different type of MEMS.
However, having a completely different machine for each different product is becoming less and less efficient, as the number of devices increases exponentially. More and more companies are recognizing the need for a testing and handling solution that is suitable for the requirements of high-volume production lines, scalable, and convertible for different application technologies.
A standard test setup for MEMS includes a handler, test resources, and an interchangeable test unit able to stimulate the devices during the execution of the electrical test. The same test cell can accommodate the test units for testing different products, such as pressure sensors, accelerometer, gyroscopes, microphones, magnetic sensors, and many others.
The presentation explores the new opportunities offered by this integrated approach, focusing on the advantages – in terms of cost of test, performance and ROI. Specific application case studies will be presented, dedicated to inertial, pressure, and magnetic sensor testing.
Marco Pratillo received his M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnic of Turin (Italy) in 2012. He promptly joins SPEA as part of the Product and Test Engineering Group in Electronic Industries and Custom Semiconductor Test Equipment. Starting from 2017, he relocated to Suzhou (China) as Test Engineering Manager Mems and Power Semiconductor, where he contributed to the exponential growth of the Semiconductor Division, Power and MEMs. He spent five years working closely with the Sales team aiming to affirm and expand the presence of SPEA’s products. In 2022, Marco returned to Italy in the role of Technical Sales Manager, specifically dedicated to the biggest Semiconductor manufacturing leaders in Asia.
Company Profile
Established in 1976, SPEA is a world leading company in the field of automatic test equipment for ICs, MEMS, sensors, electronic boards. SPEA serves the big semiconductor IDMs and OSATs with the most cost-effective and high-performance equipment to test automotive, SoCs, analog mixed-signal devices, MEMS sensors and actuators, power and discretes, identification devices, delivering highest measurement capabilities, lowest cost of test and fastest time-to-market. SPEA systems are designed to detect any possible defect in electronic products, so that they won’t fail on the field. High throughput, best detection capability, test techniques designed on the latest technologies requirements, complete configurability. For SPEA customers, testing is not an additional cost, but a tangible competitive advantage.
- SPEA product portfolio includes test equipment for:
- Automotive, linear, analog mixed signal & SoC devices requiring the most advanced and powerful instrumentation. SPEA’s DOT platform addresses today’s and future roadmap needs.
- MEMS & Sensors. SPEA has been chosen by the biggest players in this market to develop the best solutions for inertial, high-g, proximity, time-of-flight, light, pressure, environmental, magnetic, acoustic sensors. SPEA equipment combines physical stimulus with a complete electrical test, fast pick&place handling, reliable contacting, tri-temp.
- Power & Discretes. DOT800 T perforfms static and dynamic measurements with extended current/voltage ranges, on the whole range of power applications: wafers, discretes (Si, SiC, GaN based), IPMs, KGDs, DBCs, IGBT modules.
- Identification. CT1000 and CT3000 are low-cost test systems dedicated to micro-controllers, RFID, UHF, combi devices. They perform complete, highly accurate measurements, offering high throughput, with high multi-site test capability at wafer test, and a fast data transfer for memory test.
Panelist
Anton Hofmeister
APMS Group Vice President & General Manager R&D and Strategy for the Analog and Mems Sub Groups
MEMS Panel Discussion
Day 2 / 09:00 - 09:40
Anton Hofmeister is Group Vice President and General Manager of R&D in ST’s Analog, Power & Discrete, MEMS & Sensors (APMS) Group. He is also Managing Director of ST’s German subsidiary since 2016.
Hofmeister joined Thomson Semiconductors (a predecessor company to STMicroelectronics) as a marketing engineer in 1986. He subsequently held management positions in product marketing, key account management and corporate strategic marketing. In 1997, Hofmeister was appointed Director of a System R&D team in San Diego, USA, and became subsequently Director of the Print Head Business Unit. In 2005, he was appointed General Manager of the Microfluidics Division and has broadened his responsibility with the MEMS Microactuator Division in 2015, managing the MEMS business for a variety of applications in Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Industrial, and Medical markets.
Hofmeister has served as a board member of the Singapore-based Molecular Diagnostics company Veredus Laboratories. He is currently a member of the Governing Council of the MEMS&Sensor Industry Group (MSIG) at SEMI and a board member of the European Association on Smart Systems Integration (EPoSS).
Anton Hofmeister was born in Munich and graduated with a Master’s degree in Engineering from the University of Munich.
Company Profile
At ST, we are more than 50,000 creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering the semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. An integrated device manufacturer, we work with more than 200,000 customers and thousands of partners to design and build products, solutions, and ecosystems that address their challenges and opportunities, and the need to support a more sustainable world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more efficient power and energy management, and the wide-scale deployment of cloud-connected autonomous things. We are committed to achieving our goal to become carbon neutral on scope 1 and 2 and partially scope 3 by 2027. Further information can be found at www.st.com.
Speaker
Ahmed Ben Slimane
Managing Director
Tracking Startups Fundraise and The Challenges in the MEMS Market & ecosystem in a post-covid era
Day 2 / 15:45 - 16:05
The MEMS market is growing rapidly, driven by the increasing demand for miniaturized devices and the growing adoption of new technologies in markets like consumer, automotive, health, and telecom. Startups play a key role in the growth of the MEMS market by having the flexibility to quickly develop and bring to market new and innovative MEMS technologies.
This presentation will provide a brief overview of the MEMS market, some of the main technical challenges, the role of startups in the MEMS market, and the investment landscape for semiconductor startups.
Ahmed Ben Slimane is an advisor, business developer and technology & market analyst, specialized in semiconductors.
He has an experience with over 12 years in compound semiconductors, he worked as an epitaxy (MBE/MOCVD) & fabrication process engineer, his mission focused on GaN-based flexible micro-LED and GaAs-based photovoltaic cells. He also was part of the Power & Wireless team at Yole Development where he contributed to the development of semiconductor market & technology reports. Ahmed completed his PhD in Material Engineering from KAUST (Saudi Arabia) and obtained his master’s degree in electronic engineering from INPG (France) and EPFL (Swtzerland).
Company Profile
We help investors, start-ups and established companies understand the ever-changing semiconductor market and identify business opportunities through growth or investment.
Speaker
Dr. Manuel Dorfmeister
Head of MEMS and e-Software department
Laser Beam Scanner Projection Displays For Consumer AR Glasses – Key MEMS Design Considerations.
Day 2 / 11:20 - 11:40
TriLite has developed the world’s smallest, lightest, and brightest laser beam scanner (LBS) designed for high-volume consumer AR applications, to enable everyone to enjoy augmented vision as lightweight, comfortable, and stylish as the eyewear of today. Our ultra-compact Trixel® 3 optical display engine is <1 cm3 volume and weighs <1.5g. It combines TriLite’s miniature and lightweight laser beam scanner (LBS), all optical components, and a single 2D MEMS mirror. Key to our design philosophy for the Trixel 3 is to use standard components as far as possible – for example, laser diodes, optical components, and specifically, the MEMS mirror. For us, the selection of MEMS must stand out in terms of performance, size, yield, energy consumption and system costs. This ensures that we achieve an LBS scanner for AR that meets consumer challenges and OEM requirements.
Dr. Manuel Dorfmeister is an expert in microelectromechanical systems, having a PHD in Piezoelectric MEMS development from the Technical University of Vienna, as well as numerous patents registered and papers published. In 2019 Manuel joined TriLite as a research and development engineer, focusing on MEMS mirror driving and automatic calibration. In 2021 he was appointed Head of the MEMS & e-Software department leading a team of experts in designing the System Architecture, machine learning-based calibration, and firmware development of Trixel® 3, the world’s smallest LBS projection display for Augmented Reality mass market devices. Manuel leads the TriLite design and development of software-defined LBS displays, which shifts complexity from the hardware into the software domain.
Company Profile
TriLite designs and builds the world’s smallest projection display solutions so that everyone can enjoy augmented vision as lightweight as the eyewear of today. TriLite’s display solutions are based on proprietary, multi-parameter algorithms and deploy advanced machine learning algorithms to generate laser beam scanning devices with unprecedented size, weight and image quality. The ultra-compact Trixel® 3 laser beam scanner (LBS) has been designed from the ground up for mass-manufacturing and is fully compatible to state-of-the-art waveguides without requiring any relay optics. An outstanding team of multidisciplinary researchers and manufacturing experts stands behind TriLite’s multiple-patented technology. TriLite enables its customers to accelerate the availability of leading-edge display solutions for mass market Augmented Reality applications.
Speaker
Dr. Koukou Suu
Executive Officer and Senior Fellow of ULVAC, Inc / President and CEO of ULVAC Technologies, Inc
Innovative Sputtering Technology for Piezo-MEMS and Other Advanced Functional Devices Manufacturing
Day 1 / 16:25 - 16:35
Functional devices such as Piezo-MEMS, tunable devices, on-chip capacitors, emerging semiconductor memories and solid-state Li batteries are essential to realize “Smart Society”. “New Materials” especially multi-elements compound oxides such as perovskite ferroelectric materials (PZT, BST, etc.) which can enable these functional devices are gaining greater interests in industry. Meanwhile challenges are arising in processing these new materials into thin films and integrating them into functional device stacks mainly due to difficulties induced by material properties such as dielectric or insulating natures which are different from those of conventional metal or semi-conductive materials. One of the main critical processes to fabricate thin films is sputtering which facing same issues in processing these “New Materials” reliably and reproducibly. ULVAC has been successfully developing sputtering technology solution by innovative RF(Radio-frequency) sputtering technology as well as novel thin-film growth processes for functional devices manufacturing. This talk will provide a brief overview of this technology as well as its usefulness in realizing reliable processing and advanced material and devices properties with using PZT Piezo-MEMS as an example.
Dr. Koukou Suu graduated and received Ph.D degree in Engineering from Tohoku University, Japan in 1988 and 1993 respectively. He joined ULVAC, Inc. in 1993 and since then has been leading and engaging with developments of numerous semiconductor and electronics technologies including emerging non-volatile memories, high-K capacitors, LED, power devices, thin-film Li-battery as well as 3D packaging manufacturing technologies. He was General Manager of Institute of Semiconductor and Electronics Technologies of the company from 2008 to 2014. Formerly he was Executive Officer and Senior Fellow of ULVAC, Inc. as well as President and CEO of ULVAC Technologies, Inc, a company representing ULVAC in North America. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology of Chinese Academy of Science as well as an Adjunct Industrial Professor of University of South Australia.
Company Profile
Panel Moderator
Dimitrios Damianos Ph.D.
Project Manager, Consulting Services Division
MEMS Panel Discussion
Day 2 / 09:00 - 09:40
Dimitrios Damianos, Ph.D., is a Project Manager in the Consulting Services Division at Yole Intelligence, part of Yole Group.
He manages transverse consulting projects, ensuring their quality and maintaining long term relationships with key accounts within the semiconductor industry.
Dimitrios has been with Yole since 2018, evolving through various analyst/consultant roles and is the author of numerous technical, business and market analyses covering imaging, sensing and photonics while actively played a key role in the expansion of Yole’s market & technical knowledge and the development of strategic projects.
Dimitrios holds a BSc in Physics and MSc in Photonics, as well as a PhD. in optics & microelectronics.
Company Profile
Yole Intelligence is a consulting firm specializing in the strategic analysis of markets, the supply chain, and technological developments related to the semiconductor industry and adjacent industries. Benefiting from direct access to major players in the field of semiconductors and the multidisciplinary profile (scientific, technical, and market-oriented) of these analysts, we support our clients in the understanding of markets, the evolution of technologies, and their implementation in industry. The company provides its expertise through regular analyses and advice in strategic marketing and technical analysis.
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