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KevinAShaw
In the second to last paragraph, isn't "CH4" the same as "Methane"?!? Just ...
Peter H. Chang
To bypass the complex process and obstacles of clinical trials will definitely ...
ST plots wireless MEMS roadmap
Peter Clarke
10/3/2012 5:43 AM EDT
Adding RF
ST uses two silicon die to implement the MEMS function: one for the MEMS element and a second for analog amplification, calibration and conditioning of the signal. There is a third piece of silicon which provides the cap to the MEMS element.
ST prefers to use what Vigna calls a "stupid" cap with little or no functionality and therefore little or no processing. The caps seals the moving parts of the MEMS using a glass frit or metal-to-metal bonding. It may not be as elegant as using the front side of a CMOS wafer to cap the MEMS but it provides lower costs and better yields, said Vigna.
Vigna admits that ST has been thinking about the possibility of using the backside of a CMOS wafer to cap the MEMS element. "We've done some experiments. We haven't gone ahead so far."
The system-in-package allows the same MEMS transducer element to be produced in volume and then matched with different analog ICs to create different MEMS products and even to perform customer specific variants, said Vigna.
Today there are already a lot of MEMS components with digital content added but again Vigna stresses it makes sense to choose the best process for each element. So the mechanical MEMS device is made in a MEMS-specialized 1-micron process, the analog conditioning IC is likely to be in 130-nm CMOS while digital ICs containing a microcontroller and memory would probably be in 90-nm CMOS.
Click on image to enlarge.
A MEMS system sandwich contains a full low-power microcontroller on the bottom, a MEMS motion-detector in the middle and an ASIC signal conditioning companion chip on the top in a 3-mm by 3-mm assembly. Source: STMicroelectronics
"The fourth element could be, say the SPIRIT-1 die," said Vigna. SPIRIT-1 is a 90-nm low power radio IC recently introduced by ST. The radio is intended for sub-1-GHz applications with a programmable data rate from 1 to 500 kbps. Vigna adds that ST will likely integrate digital and RF in the same CMOS process keeping the assembly at 3 active die plus a "dumb" silicon cap.
Vigna says ST will have such wireless MEMS in the market before the end of 2013 as the company is already selling MEMS plus RF transceivers at the board level and is working with customers on domestic and body-worn applications.
Next: The fifth element
ST uses two silicon die to implement the MEMS function: one for the MEMS element and a second for analog amplification, calibration and conditioning of the signal. There is a third piece of silicon which provides the cap to the MEMS element.
ST prefers to use what Vigna calls a "stupid" cap with little or no functionality and therefore little or no processing. The caps seals the moving parts of the MEMS using a glass frit or metal-to-metal bonding. It may not be as elegant as using the front side of a CMOS wafer to cap the MEMS but it provides lower costs and better yields, said Vigna.
Vigna admits that ST has been thinking about the possibility of using the backside of a CMOS wafer to cap the MEMS element. "We've done some experiments. We haven't gone ahead so far."
The system-in-package allows the same MEMS transducer element to be produced in volume and then matched with different analog ICs to create different MEMS products and even to perform customer specific variants, said Vigna.
Today there are already a lot of MEMS components with digital content added but again Vigna stresses it makes sense to choose the best process for each element. So the mechanical MEMS device is made in a MEMS-specialized 1-micron process, the analog conditioning IC is likely to be in 130-nm CMOS while digital ICs containing a microcontroller and memory would probably be in 90-nm CMOS.
Click on image to enlarge.
A MEMS system sandwich contains a full low-power microcontroller on the bottom, a MEMS motion-detector in the middle and an ASIC signal conditioning companion chip on the top in a 3-mm by 3-mm assembly. Source: STMicroelectronics
"The fourth element could be, say the SPIRIT-1 die," said Vigna. SPIRIT-1 is a 90-nm low power radio IC recently introduced by ST. The radio is intended for sub-1-GHz applications with a programmable data rate from 1 to 500 kbps. Vigna adds that ST will likely integrate digital and RF in the same CMOS process keeping the assembly at 3 active die plus a "dumb" silicon cap.
Vigna says ST will have such wireless MEMS in the market before the end of 2013 as the company is already selling MEMS plus RF transceivers at the board level and is working with customers on domestic and body-worn applications.
Next: The fifth element
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Peter H. Chang
10/7/2012 8:22 PM EDT
To bypass the complex process and obstacles of clinical trials will definitely be an effective strategy to penetrate healthcare applications. I think lots of integration specialists will agree to the SIP solution including wireless is more effective approach to market than other fancy solutions like WLP.
Dear editor, I think 'inertial' will make sense instead of the word 'ninertial' in the second paragraph.
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KevinAShaw
10/10/2012 7:51 PM EDT
In the second to last paragraph, isn't "CH4" the same as "Methane"?!? Just wondering. Perhaps there is a typo here?
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