Thirty years ago, semiconductor manufacturers (wafer fabs) rolled their eyes and muttered under their breath when they heard the word MEMS.  Micro-Electromechanical Mechanical Systems are minute mechanical devices built on silicon integrated circuit wafers.  They are the microphones, gravity sensors, oscillators, motion sensors, electronic filters in your cell-phone – and more.  MEMS processes were “weird”.   They required unusual and immature special processing tools and etch chemicals.  MEMS wafers often broke inside traditional semiconductor processing tools, creating logistical nightmares for the wafer fabs.  Packaging was a terrifying ordeal, protecting the miniscule mechanical structures from damage.  Even as recently as 15 years ago, MEMS was considered a four letter word at the larger wafer fabs, or foundries.  Today, that has all changed.  Today, the largest foundries ALL manufacture MEMS devices and they scramble to be the supplier of the latest, newest MEMS invention.  Today, MEMS special processing tools are all high precision, high-throughput, state-of-the-art equipment.  Today, many options exist for packaging these bizarre, but powerful chips.  Today, everyone wants to manufacture MEMS chips.  Today, MEMS is “trendy”.

How did this happen?  How did MEMS transition from an ugly, shunned, four letter status to being fashionable?   My presentation will walk through this astonishing historical transformation, focusing on the revolutionary devices which are made possible by MEMS technology and how they have radically altered and augmented the way we interact with electronic systems.