Tronics Microsystems SA, a global manufacturer of custom MEMS components, and IMEC, representing Europractice IC Service, announced their collaboration to enable Europractice IC Service to add MEMS to its Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) programs. Tronics, described as the leader in custom MEMS on SOI, is the first technology provider selected by IMEC to support Europractice IC Service’s extension of its production portfolio to MEMS and will provide the program access to one of its MEMS on SOI technologies through regular MPW runs.
The service will target training, prototyping and innovation at universities and research labs. Since 1995, Europractice IC Service has brought ASIC design and manufacturing capability within the technical and financial reach of any university, research institute and company. Coordinated by IMEC, it offers low-cost ASIC prototyping and ASIC small-volume production through MPW and dedicated wafer runs at leading foundries and IC manufacturers, including AMI Semiconductor, austriamicrosystems, IHP, TSMC and UMC.
Tronics is described as the first MEMS manufacturer to offer a qualified industrial SOI-MEMS technology in an MPW service. The French manufacturer first offered a 20µm-thick SOI technology on MPW in 1999. The company upgraded its capabilities to 60µm-thick SOI High Aspect Ratio Micromachining with hermetic wafer level packaging in 2006. This technology was originally introduced for the production of high performance accelerometers and gyros. The process enables the creation of capacitive sensors, electrostatic actuators, resonators, energy scavengers and other innovative mechanical structures.
"We are delighted to welcome Tronics Microsystems to our team of leading technology providers and to offer now the most advanced MEMS on SOI technology as part of this strategic extension of our production portfolio," said Carl Das, Director of Europractice IC Services. "It is an important step towards our ultimate goal to offer Silicon On Chip (SOC) solutions to our customers and research partners."
"Tronics is proud to be the first MEMS manufacturer to join Europractice IC Service’s MEMS initiative and to be included among the global industry leaders who support its programs and who meet IMEC’s stringent requirements," said Vincent Gaff, Tronics’ Manager of Marketing and Business Development. "IMEC will provide its broad academic customer base with technical and commercial support for our SOI MPW technology, with the same quality standards it has been providing for ICs during the last 13 years."
Through the partnership, IMEC will provide support and access to the MPW service to the university and research lab members of the Europractice IC Service throughout the world.
