May 2 2009
Roger Grace, President of Roger Grace Associates, a high-technology marketing consulting firm specializing in Micro and Nanotechnology commercialization has organized and will chair a technical session entitled "Think Outside the Chip: MEMS-Based Systems Solutions" at the Sensors Expo Chicago 2009. In the all-day session on Monday June 8, Mr. Grace will be joined by over 20 other world recognized leaders in the microelectromechanical (MEMS) area representing North America, Asia and Europe to present information on the partitioning, integrating and creating of MEMSbased systems and their applications. Mr. Grace will also make a presentation which will premier his annual MEMS Industry Report Card and will focus on MEMS design for manufacturing, assembly and test. The exhibition and technical conference will take place at the Donald E. Stephens Conference Center in Rosemont, Illinois from June 8-10, 2009.
Mr. Grace stated, “In contrast to the many previous MEMS sessions that I have developed and chaired at Sensors Expo over the past 20 years which focused on MEMS from a device perspective, I have created this all-day session to encourage MEMS developers and users to think outside the chip… i.e. not about the MEMS device(s) exclusively but rather about the system solution which can be enabled by MEMS devices. It is well documented and well known that the typical MEMS device constitutes approximately 25-35% of the total solution cost of a MEMS-based system. The major cost factors are the other electronic components which make up the system, the packaging and test. The object of the session will be to inform the technical, technical management, and business community about the critical importance of MEMS system integration issues and tradeoffs as well as the numerous examples of their far reaching applications from both a current and future perspective” Mr. Grace continued, “Attendees will be provided with an overview of the issues in creating MEMS-based system solutions especially the tradeoffs on selecting signal conditioning circuits, embedded software, power generation and energy storage, network communications, interconnects, packaging and testing functions. We expect the attendee to emerge from the session with a broad and excellent knowledge of the important factors associated with the effective selection of system elements and the integration and creation of a MEMS-based system solution to optimally fulfill their application”. He concluded, “We especially desire to encourage and facilitate the attendees to think outside the chip and to share the benefits of this approach with their colleagues”.
Two internationally recognized experts on the “think outside the chip” philosophy of MEMS system integration will keynote the session. The morning keynote entitled,” Smart System Integration through Micro and Nanotechnologies” will be given by Dr. Thomas Gessner, Director of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems (ENS) of Chemnitz Germany The afternoon keynote entitled, “Integration Issues and Tradeoffs for Microsystems: Strategies and Applications” will be given by Professor Khalil Najafi who is the Assistant Director of the University of Michigan’s Wireless Integrated Microsystems Research Center (WIMS). “Chip” Spangler of Aspen Technologies will give an invited presentation entitled, “Packaging and Assembly Issues for MEMS, Microsystems and Sensors”. A panel discussion of industry pundits will address the topic of “MEMS Design for Manufacturing, Assembly and Test” will conclude the session. The Sensors Expo Technical Conference will take place from June 8-10. The three-day conference will offer three intensive full-day tutorials, 18 tracks encompassing 55 conference sessions. Topics include energy harvesting, environmental monitoring, wireless sensor networks, low-power sensing, fiber optics, smart materials, biodetection and applications. The two day technical exhibition runs June 10 and 11.