What is CMOS MEMS?

Complete Systems on a Chip

Akustica's patented CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) technology integrates the mechanical functionality of microphones and other sensors with analog and digital electronics all in a single chip.  As a result, the sensory silicon products made using CMOS MEMS technology deliver superior performance and numerous product and manufacturing advantages.

Breakthrough in CMOS

Unlike other MEMS manufacturing technologies, CMOS MEMS employs standard CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) processes to fabricate microstructures within the metal-dielectric layers that are deposited during the standard CMOS processing flow, resulting in mechanical structures that are just microns away from the analog and digital electronics. A diagram of a typical CMOS MEMS process is below:

CMOS MEMS is unique in that it is the only available MEMS process that is not just CMOS compatible, but is actually just CMOS.  Manufacturing entirely in standard CMOS allows Akustica to leverage the reliability, capacity, and economies of scale of the global semiconductor market.  

Advantages of CMOS MEMS

CMOS MEMS leverages the mature global semiconductor infrastructure for design tools and foundry services, Sensory Silicon products can be rapidly designed and developed with new features and multiple functions on a single chip.  The resultant products are smaller and thinner than traditional mechanical components and are fully compatible with automated assembly systems including standard lead-free surface mount equipment.  Because of CMOS MEMS, manufacturers can now design smaller, lighter, more power efficient products with vastly improved capabilities, and produce them more cost effectively all of the characteristics that the fast-moving, cost-sensitive consumer electronics market cares about.

Next: Outsourced Manufacturing