Baolab does MEMS in CMOS

Will allow integration in traditional CMOS chips

Jan 16, 2012 by

Baolab Nanosystems out of Barcelona, Spain has developed a way to design and manufacture MEMS devices in plain vanilla CMOS and is now offering evaluation kits according to a press release from the company.

The first available product is a CMOS MEMS NanoCompass. The significance of this announcement is that it is now possible for Baoloab’s customers to integrate MEMS in their existing and new CMOS chips using standard manufacturing equipment. Baolab has, again according to the press release, demonstrated manufacturing with two foundries.

“We are now producing NanoEMS sensors in volume in a standard CMOS production line.” said Dave Doyle, Baolab’s CEO.  “The move from lab to fab is a significant milestone for the company, proving that our innovative technology is reliable, scalable and repeatable.  This was the critical stage that our customers have been waiting for.  NanoEMS makes it much easier and more cost effective to integrate MEMS sensors with microcontrollers and associated electronics all on the same chip in the same CMOS production line.  This is the breakthrough that will enable high volume, consumer electronics products to have intelligent sensors, meeting the increasing demand for smarter, more aware devices.”

NanoEMS technology not only offers significant cost reductions in motion MEMS sensors but Baolab envisages the possibility for NanoEMS structures to be easily incorporated into ASICs for applications such as RF Antennas, RF switches, Near Field Communications and Automotive.

This breakthrough gives yet another meaning to the word integration and SoC. It could possibly be enhanced by other technologies from other companies such as highly scalable analog CMOS that Intel has implemented.S|A

 

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Mads Ølholm