MEMS hydrogen fuel cell

Tango Systems Joins Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) Consortium, Continues With 10th Electronic Packaging Research Consortium

Tango Systems, In, a leading manufacturer of high-performance PVD systems, has joined the Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) Consortium launched by The Institute of Microelectronics (IME), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), on April 8th 2010.

"Tango Systems has been an active member of two key consortiums, MEMS and EPRC-10, launched by IME. The aim of the MEMS Consortium is to bring the emerging technologies of MEMS into manufacturing in Singapore and EPRC-10 is to address the integration challenges of 3-dimensional (3D) packaging technologies. We have seen promising results working with Tango Systems," said Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Deputy Lab Director (Semiconductor Process Technology) of The Institute of Microelectronics. More info ...

UCLA gets 5.5Million $ to develop new rotating microscale motors

If you've ever used an iPhone, a Wii video game or an automobile airbag, you've benefited from micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology, in which arrays of tiny devices mounted on computer chips — many no larger than the width of a human hair — are able to sense and respond to changes in heat, light, motion, sound or other external stimuli.

Now, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has been awarded $5.5 million from the U.S. Defense Department's central research and development agency to advance MEMS technology for use in defense systems.

The four-and-a-half-year grant from the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) will fund research by UCLA engineers to create electrically connected, rotating microscale More info

MEMS oscillators cracking mass market

Adding a keen ability to sense motion, MEMS have started moving into cell phones, the largest single product category in consumer electronics in terms of unit sales. The MEMS market "boomed" with the entry into cell phones, Strauss said.

Nasiri says the MPU-3000 will add "touch anywhere" and other features to cell phones. Users will be able to turn on and off smart phone applications with a touch, and "zoom in and out just by moving your wrist," he said.

MPU-3000 MEMS will address another problem faced by makers of smart phones and tablet computers. More info...

MEMS Putting Smart Phones Into Motion

Ever wonder how a car's air bag deploys, or how those wireless game controllers work, or what keeps your digital camera stable as you snap a photo?

The answer is electronic gizmos that are being used in more and more products: MEMS, micro-electromechanical systems, which combine circuitry with tiny, nano-scale gears on a sliver of silicon. They usually act as a sensor.

MEMS are being used more often because they use less space, cost less and work better than the alternative — separate chips and mechanical parts. More info ...

MEMS device generates power from body heat

In an attempt to develop a power source that is compact, environmentally friendly, and has an unlimited lifetime, a team of researchers from Singapore has fabricated an energy harvesting device that generates electricity from body heat or any environment where there is a temperature gradient. Their device, called a thermoelectric power generator, attaches to the body and generates a power output of a few microwatts, which could be useful for powering implanted medical devices and wireless sensors.
The entire generator consists of a chip with a size of 1 x 1 cm², which holds more than 30,000 thermocouples. The thermocouples, when arranged in groups called thermopiles, detect a temperature difference between the hot and cold junctions and produce a voltage. With a temperature difference of 5K, the device can generate a voltage of 16.7 volts and a power output of 1.3 microwatts. For more info ...

ANALOG DEVICES’ LOW-POWER MEMS ACCELEROMETER RECEIVES DESIGN NEWS MAGAZINE GOLDEN MOUSETRAP AWARD

Analog Devices (ADI), a global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal-processing applications, has received a Golden Mousetrap Award for Best Product from Design News magazine for the ADXL 345 digital iMEMS accelerometer. The three-axis motion sensor was recognized in the Motion Control/Automation category for its ultra-low-power, high-resolution performance. The ADXL345 was developed specifically for space- and power-constrained portable devices including handheld medical and industrial devices, mobile gaming systems, smart phones, digital still cameras, and other battery-operated electronics.