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Micragem - MEMS Development Platform |
Micralyne has had a longstanding history of developing MEMS products with customers. Featured in the MEMS Industry Group 2006 Industry Report, the following MEMS development tips were compiled by Micralyne's engineering and operations teams based on their experience with various MEMS product development programs.
- Each MEMS foundry has its own technologies and processes that make up its core capabilities. Partnering with a MEMS foundry that has a rich history in producing the type of device and features desired will shorten development timelines and increase the quality of both initial prototypes and low volume MEMS manufacturing.
- Design for MEMS test and packaging. Testing, QA (Quality Assurance) and packaging issues often incur the largest portion of MEMS fabrication expenses. These issues are often ignored during the early stages of product development; addressing them up front will reduce both development and ongoing fabrication costs.
- Run tolerance tests to find out what specifications are absolutely paramount and what specifications can be relaxed. An over-specified device will be needlessly expensive to produce.
- Bring the MEMS foundry into the design process as early as possible. The earlier a foundry is involved, the easier it is to create a manufacturable design.
- Be clear and specific about requirements. Keep engineering as simple as possible and do not be afraid to ask for what is wanted. If the question is not asked, it may not be answered.
- Do not underestimate the time and expense required to develop a stable design and process. Unlike cases in the fabless semiconductor industry, it may take more than a single run for a product to meet expected specifications. Usually a MEMS foundry undertakes a combination of short loop experiments, engineering runs, and small pilot runs before transferring products to manufacturing.
- Plan to succeed. In consultation with a foundry, a MEMS product company has to set achievable goals in terms of price, delivery time, and/or quality. Getting input early from a foundry will allow for more realistic budgets and timelines to be prepared for internal planning and for securing financing commitments.
- Design for manufacturability.
As much as possible, use standard known microfabrication
process steps with achievable tolerances.
If a MEMS
foundry needs to develop several new process
steps, it will result in higher development
costs and lower yields during initial manufacturing.
At the same time, the onus is on the foundry
to supply well-characterized, repeatable and
reliable processes to its customers.
- Determine whether the device can be transferred into commercial production. A complex MEMS device that represents a novel technical solution may be very difficult or too costly to manufacture at high volumes.
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Why should you choose Micralyne as your MEMS manufacturing partner? Learn why Micralyne exceeds above the competition. |
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Interested in reading what customers have to say about Micralyne? View customer testimonials to find out more.
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Does Micralyne have the MEMS technical capabilities you require? View Micralyne's detailed MEMS capabilities list.
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If you have tips you would like to share, please contact us. |
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