TechBlog

SiC MEMS Pressure Sensors: Technology, Applications and Markets

Silicon Carbide: Material Platform for Harsh Environment Solutions Silicon carbide (SiC) has been used for many conventional applications that require mechanical and chemical stability at high temperatures. Mechanical stability is defined as the ability of a particular material to preserve its mechanical properties – elasticity, fracture toughness, hardness – at temperatures below and above room temperature.

Chemical stability is similarly defined as the ability of a particular material to preserve its composition at temperatures below and above room temperature. For high temperature applications, mechanical properties tend to deteriorate and chemical stability is compromised as corrosion processes occur.

Any material that can overcome these mechanical and chemical limitations becomes a candidate for what are called “harsh environment” applications. Harsh environment means a combination of media properties that can interact with the exposed material and alter its originally intended behavior. Harsh environments can be classified in three broad categories: 1) mechanically aggressive: high loads, vibration, shock; 2) thermally aggressive: high temperature; and 3) chemically aggressive: corrosive media.

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RF Micro Devices, Inc. (RFMD) recently announced that effective immediately RFMD is reducing its investments in wireless systems, including cellular transceivers and GPS solutions, in order to focus on core semiconductor component opportunities, including cellular front ends and other components in RFMD’s Cellular Products Group (CPG) and the expanding portfolio of semiconductor components in RFMD’s Multi-Market Products Group (MPG).

As a result, RFMD currently expects to eliminate product development expenses related to its wireless systems business by approximately $75 million this fiscal year beginning in the June 2008 quarter, with the full benefit expected to be realized in the December 2008 quarter.

Bob Bruggeworth, president and CEO of RFMD, said, “These strategic actions will enable RFMD to deliver more predictable financial results and substantially higher profitability. We are the industry leader in RF components and the world’s largest manufacturer of compound semiconductors. We are investing in growing markets where we have a demonstrated track record of success, and we will measure our progress using operating income and return on invested capital (ROIC) as key performance metrics. We anticipate steady financial improvement throughout the year, and we currently forecast at least 10% non-GAAP operating income and double-digit ROIC by the end of the calendar year.

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r. Yu-Chong Tai, professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, is an electrical engineer whose early work pioneered a new direction that is now called, “microelectromechanical systems” (MEMS). He has published on just about every facet of MEMS, from shear-stress sensors to micromachining to thermal sensors to lab-on-a-chip. His recent research forays are leading him into studies of biological systems at the micro level. According to our Special Topics analysis of MEMS research over the past decade, Dr. Tai’s work ranks at #5, with 27 qualifying papers cited a total of 272 times. In the ISI Essential Science Indicators Web product, Dr. Tai’s record includes 41 papers cited a total of 383 times to date. Dr. Tai points to some of his earlier papers and presentations, which are outside of the range of our database, as very important in the field. Among these is a presentation report (Fan L.S., Tai Y.C., Muller R.S., “IC-processed electrostatic micromotors,” Tech. Digest, IEEE International Electron Device Meeting [IEDM ’88], San Francisco, Calif., Dec. 11-14, 1988, pp.666-669; and Fan L.S., Tai Y.C., Muller R.S., “Integrated movable micromechanical structures for sensors and actuators,” IEEE Trans. On Electron Devices ED-35:724-730, 1988). Dr. Tai is a graduate of National Taiwan University and received his master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer sciences from University of California, Berkeley. He took a faculty appoint at the California Institute of Technology in 1989.

Your work is in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Could you explain what this field is?

The name MEMS didn’t even exist in the ‘80s while I was in graduate school. My major was integrated circuits (IC) then. I learned solid-state devices and IC technology. So I know how to make these devices. It all started with an interesting question. We knew that the IC industry was really big in the 1980s. People had already invested billions, if not trillions, of dollars in IC technology. The question was: can we do something with the IC technology for applications other than IC? In other words, IC technology is a huge investment, could something else benefit from it? Here, IC is really only electrical devices. What devices, other than electrical devices, could we build? From an academic point of view, this whole world is either electrical or mechanical. For example, even biology and its fundamental science are all electrical or mechanical. Similarly, chemistry is no different.

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DETROIT–Drivers have never had so many distractions tempting them to take their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel.

Talking on cell phones and typing text messages while driving has already led to bans in many states. But now auto companies, likening their latest models to living rooms on the road, are turning cars into cocoons of communication systems and high-tech entertainment.

Some drivers are packing their car interiors with GPS navigation screens, portable DVD players and even computer keyboards and printers.

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High-power diode lasers are well known as reliable and economic light sources in various medical, industrial, and scientific applications. Only the higher beam-parameter-product restricts the use of common diode lasers in some fields.Now, LIMO introduces the prototype LIMO25-C10×10-DL980 High-Power Diode Laser. This 25 Watt high power diode laser emits a 10 x 10 mm beam with a currently unrivaled small divergence of only 2 x 2 mrad. The exceptionally low beam-parameter-product of 5 mm mrad yields power densities of 5 MW/cm² in a 25 µm spot. Doubling of the output power is already in progress. Thus, LIMO will soon offer a 50 W high power diode laser unit.

The main areas of application for this high power diode laser are marking, micro material processing, pumping, and microsurgery.

Operation with thermoelectric cooling or simple tap water cooling guarantees high reliability and extended uptime for our high power diode lasers.

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