STMicroelectronics Steps Up the Production of MEMS

STMicroelectronics steps up the production of MEMS to exceed three million sensors a day.

This move from STMicroelectronics comes as an answer to the increasing customer demand for high-performance and cost effective sensors. Benedetto Vigna, the General Manager at ST MEMS, stated that the speeding up of the MEMS sensor manufacture was aimed at increasing the MEMS usage in high-growth markets such as healthcare, automotive and industrial. In the year 2006, ST had the distinction of being the first manufacturer in the world that produced MEMS devices on 8-inch silicon wafers. This achievement from ST had a great impact in reducing the unit costs and in speeded up the expansion of the existing application of new MEMS market. Chief manufacturing facilities that ST deployed for manufacture of MEMS were Italy, Agrate. France, Philippines and Calamba.

The THELMA (thick epi-poly layer for microactuators and accelerometers) surface micromachining process is used by ST for manufacturing gyroscopes and accelerometers. This method of manufacture facilitates the combining of linear and angular mechanical elements onto a single chip. By integrating all the components unto a single chip considerable cost and size reduction is offered to the customers. Another process executed at ST’s manufacturing units is the VENSENS (Venice Sensor) which integrates the cavity into mono-crystalline silicon, resulting in an ultra-small pressure sensor with extremely good performance characteristics. The MEMS assembly at ST is equipped to operate numerous sensor devices simultaneously and generating reliable and repeatable test stimuli for each of the components.