€ 1.3m EC MEMS prototyping consortium

May 3, 2002
3 May 2002 -- The Microsystems team of QinetiQ, Malvern, UK, has been chosen to lead a microsystems technology (MST) manufacturing consortium called INTEGRAM (Integrated Microsystems) as part of the European Commission's Europractice programme. Qinetiq was spun off in July 2001 from the UK government's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency.

3 May 2002 -- The Microsystems team of QinetiQ, Malvern, UK, has been chosen to lead a microsystems technology (MST) manufacturing consortium called INTEGRAM (Integrated Microsystems) as part of the European Commission's Europractice programme. Qinetiq was spun off in July 2001 from the UK government's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency.

The €1.3m three-year contract is designed to help small companies and universities gain access to MST and reduce the risks for larger companies by prototyping MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) devices - including components for optical communications (microswitches, filters and micromirrors) - covering consultancy, design, simulation, fabrication, test and packaging through to production. It will link QinetiQ's MST development and prototyping team with software design via consortium partners Coventor Sarl France and Coventor BV Netherlands.

To realise the full potential of new functions and improved performance, MEMS devices must be inter-linked with drive, control and signal processing circuitry, says QinetiQ. INTEGRAM will therefore focus on processes that can be integrated with microelectronics on the same substrate. QinetiQ has already developed CMOS-compatible post-processing modules that can be added to standard 150mm-diameter deep sub-micron silicon wafers, enabling use of volume-production CMOS foundry partners. (European Semiconductor Manufacturing of Newport, Wales had been included as a consortium partner but withdrew after acquisition by International Rectifier in mid-March.)

A library of MEMS IP will be developed and made available to designers for incorporation in CMOS designs. In addition, packaging subcontractors will be evaluated.

www.qinetiq.com

www.europractice.com

Sponsored Recommendations

Innovating the network edge with 100ZR QSFP28: The next frontier in coherent optics

Jan. 15, 2025
In this webinar, Juniper Networks, EXFO and Precision Optical Technologies are teaming up to showcase the new 100ZR QSFP28 pluggable coherent technology, exploring its foundational...

Linear Pluggable Optics – The low-power optical interconnects for AI and Hyperscaled data centers.

Dec. 23, 2024
This LightWave webinar discussion will review the important technical differentiators found in this emerging interconnect field and how the electro/optic interoperability and ...

Optical Transceivers in the Age of AI: Impacts, Challenges, and Opportunities

Jan. 13, 2025
Join our webinar to explore how AI is transforming optical transceivers, data center networking, and Nvidia's GPU-driven architectures, unlocking new possibilities in speed, performance...

On Topic: Metro Network Evolution

Dec. 6, 2024
The metro network continues to evolve. As service providers have built out fiber in metro areas, they have offered Ethernet-based data services to businesses and other providers...