At Sensors Expo, MEMS the word

The organizers of this year’s Sensors Expo are quick to point out that microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) will be a key technology featured in the educational sessions and throughout the Expo Hall during the event. “We are proud of our history and our focus on cutting edge technology by partnering with the MEMS Industry Group and others,” said Wendy Loew, Group Show Director for Questex Media Group, LLC, producers of Sensors Expo. “Since 1987, when the industry was just in its infancy, we have been bringing together the industry leaders like Epson, ROHM, PCB Piezotronics, and MicroStrain to share the newest technologies with engineers who are providing the solutions for tomorrow.”

Beginning Tuesday, June 5, MEMS education at Sensors Expo will kick off with a pre-conference workshop entitled “MEMS in the Mainstream: Commercialization and Product Realization – Leveraging the MEMS Infrastructure” produced in partnership with MEMS Industry Group (MIG). This symposium will explore the many models of achieving MEMS commercialization and product realization. System-level customers in attendance will learn how to leverage a mature MEMS infrastructure capable of delivering system-level components without the cost, development time or performance risks of years past.

Speakers will discuss how MEMS fabrication has evolved, creating a new era of in-house fabrication as well as fabless and fab-lite manufacturing. Presentations will include different perspectives on how companies have incorporated MEMS solutions into their current product line — while using their existing infrastructure. They will also address the product development challenges and the market-pull-versus-technology-push issues that are unique to MEMS. In other words, MEMS is in the mainstream.

The conference will showcase over 55 sessions during the two-day event, including a dedicated MEMS track with nine sessions. Specific MEMS sessions include:

• “Sensor Fusion: Applications, Challenges and Solutions,” chaired by Stephane Gervais-Ducouret, Director for Sensors, Freescale

• “An Integrated 6-axis MotionProcessor,” by Stephen Lloyd, Vice President of Engineering and New Product Development, InvenSense

• “MEMS in High Performance Audio,” by Rob OReilly, Senior Staff Engineer, Analog Devices.

In addition to the conference programming dedicated to MEMS, Sensors Expo will also provide a showcase of the newest MEMS products and services, as well as education on what is to come, at the MEMS Pavilion. The Pavilion will display best-in-class exhibitors — including Advanced Microsensors, Fraunhofer ENAS, Fraunhofer IPMS, Omron, STMicroelectronics, Tronic MEMS, X-Fab, and Yole Development — all providing their latest MEMS technologies. Inside the pavilion, the MEMS Innovation Area will be dedicated to companies who are on the forefront of strategic MEMS products, such as MEMS Industry Group, Acuity, Hua Yank, and Plures Technologies.

Richard Comerford Sensors Expo will be held June 6 and 7 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. For more information, visit www.sensorsexpo.com.