Lab4MEMS wins European innovation award

The Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership (ECSEL) Joint Undertaking has announced the Lab4MEMS R&D project as the winner of its 2016 Innovation Award, presented during the European Nanoelectronics Forum last month in Rome, Italy.

Launched in January 2014, Lab4MEMS was identified as a key enabling technology pilot-line project for next-generation microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices augmented with technologies such as piezoelectric or magnetic materials and 3D packaging to enhance the next generation of smart sensors, actuators, micropumps and energy harvesters. The project’s devices, technologies and application improvements emphasised:

• microactuators, micropumps, sensors and energy scavengers integrated on silicon-based MEMS using piezoelectric thin-films (PZT), for applications in data storage, printing, health care, automotive, energy scavenging and autofocus lenses;
• magnetic-field sensors, for applications in consumer applications such as GPS positioning, indoor navigation and mobile phones; and
• advanced packaging technologies and vertical interconnections, including flip chip, through-silicon via (TSV) or through mould via (TMV) for full 3D integration, which could be used in consumer and healthcare applications such as body area sensors and remote monitoring.

The €28 million, 36-month Lab4MEMS project was coordinated by a team of 20 partners — including universities, research institutions and technology businesses — across 10 European countries. The team was led by STMicroelectronics, whose MEMS facilities in Italy and Malta contributed their complete set of manufacturing competencies for next-generation devices, from design and fabrication to test and packaging.

“The ECSEL Innovation Award highlights the excellent results the Lab4MEMS team achieved through the project’s execution and the high impact of its successes,” said Roberto Zafalon, general project coordinator of Lab4MEMS and European programs manager in R&D and Public Affairs for STMicroelectronics Italy.