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Date: 26th May 2011
ST to make 3 Million MEMS sensors a day
STMicroelectronics is increasing its MEMS production capacity
to more than 3 million sensors a day, by the end of 2011
to sustain exploding customer demand for high-performance,
cost-competitive sensing devices.
"We are leading the MEMS consumer revolution and our
mission is to continue to lead the market," said Benedetto
Vigna, Group Vice President and General Manager of ST's
MEMS, Sensors and High Performance Analog Division. "We
are beefing up our manufacturing machine to anticipate and
encourage the adoption of MEMS into such high-growth markets
as healthcare, industrial and automotive. ST is well-positioned
to make micro-machined sensors ubiquitous in all domains
of life."
In 2006, ST was the first major manufacturer in the world
to start producing MEMS devices on 8-inch silicon wafers.
Main manufacturing facilities, where ST MEMS are produced,
include Agrate and Catania, Italy (sensor fabrication),
Rousset and Crolles, France (logic die production), and
Kirkop, Malta and Calamba, Philippines (assembly and testing).
ST's MEMS sensor production benefits from the Company-developed
industry-leading manufacturing processes. The THELMA (Thick
Epi-Poly Layer for Microactuators and Accelerometers) surface
micro-machining process, which combines variably thick and
thin poly-silicon layers for structures and interconnections,
is used for manufacturing both accelerometers and gyroscopes.
This enables the integration of linear and angular mechanical
elements in a single chip, delivering significant cost and
size benefits to customers. The complementary VENSENS ('Venice
Sensor') process allows the integration of a cavity into
mono-crystalline silicon, producing an ultra-compact pressure
sensor with excellent size and performance properties.
The capability of handling high throughput has become one
of the major challenges in sustaining MEMS demand growth
and a key to success for MEMS manufacturers. ST is getting
well prepared for such challenges.
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