Expanding MEMS Market Draws Industry Innovators to MEMS Executive Congress

PITTSBURGH, PA--(Marketwire - October 24, 2007) - With the market for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology expected to grow to $10.7 billion by 2011(1), both traditional semiconductor companies with MEMS divisions and MEMS-centric companies are well positioned to meet rising demand for MEMS in applications marrying intelligent sensing with reliable performance.

At MEMS Industry Group's annual MEMS Executive Congress, companies at the forefront of MEMS design -- such as STMicroelectronics, Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, Infineon, Robert Bosch GmbH and Freescale Semiconductor -- will join business leaders in mobile communications like Nokia, innovators in consumer electronics like SiRF, and pioneers in medical technology like Medtronic to explore the ways in which commercially available MEMS technology improves the user experience.

MEMS Executive Congress keynote speakers commented further:

"MEMS technology made it possible to address the dream of every diabetic patient, which is to replace the pancreas by a pump that one can wear without noticing it; in collaboration with STMicroelectronics, we are making this dream become reality," said Dr. Frédéric Neftel, President and CEO, Debiotech SA. "Not only can the Nanopump match physiological delivery of insulin like no other technology, it also incorporates twice the amount of insulin at a fraction of conventional pumps' size -- thereby representing a tremendous progress toward patients' quality of life."

"At GE Sensing, we use MEMS extensively in our sensing technologies," said Brian Wirth, Global Product Manager, MEMS, GE Sensing. "From the very largest applications, like turbine-powered generators capable of powering entire cities, to the very smallest Raman Microspectrometer devices used in chemical and biological analysis, MEMS comprises the critical building block in hundreds of GE applications in dozens of markets."

"MEMS provides the myriad sensors used in all sorts of connected devices," said Philippe Kahn, chairman Fullpower Technologies and the creator of the camera-phone. "From motion, light, proximity sensors to a chemical lab the size of a sugar cube, MEMS is driving major technology breakthroughs. Now the key is our ability to continue to drive down size while expending functionality and creating a new generation of advanced software that can deliver on the magic. What we have seen in the groundbreaking iPhone is just the beginning."

Several key sponsors of MEMS Executive Congress offered opinions on why the MEMS industry is taking off:

"Advancements in wafer bonding and lithography equipment are increasing volume processing of MEMS devices," said Steven Dwyer, vice president and general manager of EV Group (EVG) North America and the Platinum Sponsor of MEMS Executive Congress. "High-volume, ultra-thin wafer processing, for example, reduces form factor and power consumption -- features that are extremely attractive to manufacturers of mobile phones and other high-volume consumer electronics applications."

"MEMS provides reliability to the many sensors we use in daily life," said Mike Kipp, general manager of SUSS MicroTec, the Gold Sponsor of MEMS Executive Congress. "In cars, MEMS provides the air bag sensing, tire pressure sensing and stability control on which we now rely. In projectors and television displays, MEMS enhances the quality of pictures we now can see. MEMS really is redefining the ways in which we interact with applications, and they with us."

"MEMS has been around for 30 years. The market continues to see healthy growth as the technology proves to be reliable, rugged and supports both low- and high-volume fabrication demands. The devices are now readily available and the general costs to manufacture are coming down," said Dr. David Haynes, Business Services Director, Surface Technology Systems (STS), Silver Sponsor of MEMS Executive Congress.

Karen Lightman, managing director of MEMS Industry Group, offered her opinion on the topic: "We are just seeing the tip of the iceberg of new applications for MEMS. For example, wireless is opening up new opportunities for MEMS sensors. Whatever an application is sensing -- temperature, pressure, water and air flow, video, light, sound -- it must be conveyed in some fashion. Wireless is the fundamental connectivity mechanism for MEMS devices to communicate with the external world. It is truly an exciting time to be in this industry."

For More Information

These and other issues will be explored at MEMS Executive Congress, which will be held November 4-5, 2007 in Del Mar, California at L'Auberge Del Mar Resort and Spa located in San Diego County. For more information, please contact MIG via phone: 412/390-1644, email: info@memsindustrygroup.org or visit MEMS Executive Congress at: www.memscongress.com.

For press and analyst registration, please contact Maria Vetrano, Vetrano Communications, phone: 617/876-2770.

About MEMS Industry Group

MEMS Industry Group is the trade association representing the MEMS and microstructures industries. The Association enables the exchange of non-proprietary information among members; provides reliable industry data that furthers the development of technology; and works toward the greater commercial development and use of MEMS and MEMS-enabled devices. MIG is comprised of more than 70 member companies, including Analog Devices, Bosch, Freescale Semiconductor, GE Global Research, Honeywell, IBM, Intel, Okmetic, OMRON, STMicroelectronics, and Texas Instruments. For more information, please visit www.memsindustrygroup.org.

(1) According to market research from the analyst group Yole Développement.