MicroNanoSystems News
Inertial MEMS
SOITEC and CEA
partership combine 3D integration
TRONICS MICROSYSTEMS, a SOITEC’S contribution to the Soitec and Leti are uniquely positioned
manufacturer of integrated custom partnership includes its Smart Stacking to offer customers a comprehensive
MEMS components, and Thales, an technology, which enables wafer-to- solution,” said André-Jacques
international electronics and systems wafer-level stacking of partially or fully Auberton-Hervé, Soitec president and
group, have announced that they have processed circuits; its low-temperature CEO. “Leveraging Leti’s 3D expertise
signed a strategic supply agreement Smart Cut process; and the copper-to- and our well known bonding industrial
within the field of navigation systems. copper bonding technology already in experience, we can offer customers
Under the agreement, Tronics will development with CEA-Leti. This offer prototyping solutions as well as the
produce high-performance, vacuum- also leverages Soitec’s core expertise in processes they’ll need for rapid ramp to
packaged inertial MEMS-sensing wafer bonding and thinning full-scale production.”
Issue VIII 2009
elements based on two design technologies as well as its unique “We are proud to expand our
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concepts that Thales invented, industrial background in this field. partnership with Soitec and make the
.com
designed and patented to meet the CEA-Leti, likewise, offers broad and Grenoble Valley a center for 3D
stringent navigation requirements of deep 3D wafer-to-wafer technology and technology. This partnership will
aircraft, satellites and other platforms. expertise. These include all the leverage CEA-Leti’s extensive work in
Both designs, one for accelerometers necessary process steps for different 3D this area, including our 3D integration
and one for gyroscopes, require approaches, such as connecting vias, technology toolbox,” said Laurent
advanced MEMS and vacuum- and cost-effective technologies such as Malier, CEO of CEA-Leti. “Given CEA-
packaging technologies, areas in wafer pre-processing, bonding, thinning Leti and Soitec’s successful history of
oasiasemiconductor
which Tronics excels. and TSV etching and filling, and post- innovation, industrialization and
.eur
This announcement follows processing wafer assembly. collaboration, we expect our global
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Thales’ presentation of world-leading “As the leaders in the building- offer to significantly advance
technical achievements at the block technologies that enable 3D commercial adoption of 3D integration
15
Symposium Gyro Technology in integration at the wafer-to-wafer level, technologies.”
Karlsruhe, Germany, in September.
Thales showed that the measurement
provided by the gyro features intrinsic
bias, that is, a “constant” error
STMicro plan MEMS microphone
compared to the exact value. One of
the main challenges in MEMS
market expansion
technology is maintaining this error as
stable as possible over time. During
the symposium, Thales announced STMICROELECTRONICS has expanded compact ECMs and are less susceptible
that it had achieved a stability better its portfolio with next-generation micro- to mechanical vibration, temperature
than 8°/h in the full temperature range machined acoustic devices. The MEMS variations and electromagnetic
with parts produced by Tronics. microphones that use sensor interference.
Norbert Herail, Director of technology from OMRON will be for “In the past, microphones were the
navigation systems activities at Thales, existing and emerging audio domain of expert acoustics companies,
explained: “The MEMS technology is applications like cell phones, wireless but now it’s time for semiconductor
a major breakthrough that will devices and games that respond to MEMS players to drive the growth of
introduce a navigation offer to many voice inputs, across a range of markets. this market. We’re aiming to increase
new civil and military markets by MEMS microphones have recently the size of the MEMS microphone
drastically reducing volume, weight, emerged to compete with the market by an order of magnitude,” said
power consumption, and costs, and traditional electret condenser Benedetto Vigna, Group Vice President
increasing reliability. This technology microphones (ECM) . Leveraging and General Manager of MEMS and
will drive the future of the navigation established high-volume silicon Healthcare Division, STMicroelectronics.
market in the same way as the ring manufacturing processes, micro- “This market can explode only with big
laser gyro technology dominates the machined acoustic devices meet price and long-term committed suppliers,
market today. As the leading driver of points set by electret microphones, operating their own leading-edge
these two inertial technologies, Thales while boasting superior reliability and MEMS fabs. Working together with our
will be the sole European company robustness. Japanese friends, we’ll drive the
capable of proposing a full range of Importantly, MEMS microphones microphone market growth as we have
navigation solutions to the market.” can be made smaller than the most done in motion sensors.”
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