Intellectual property (IP) startup Omnitron Sensors is collaborating with Silex Microsystems to manufacture a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) scanner for lidar.
According to the companies, MEMS manufacturing is expensive and slow in design-to-delivery. The Omnitron core IP MEMS helps rearrange the manufacturing processes with new packaging.
Omnitron said this accelerates volume production for a range of small, low-cost precise MEMS sensors. Which then could be used in applications like:
- Scanning mirrors
- Inertial measurement units (IMUs)
- Microphones
- Pressure sensors
- Telecom switches
Silex is a pure-play MEMS foundry and the MEMS scanner will be used to meet size, cost and reliability of lidar in diverse applications.
“Omnitron’s new topology for MEMS — which features the clever rearrangement of silicon process steps and a new packaging method — is a major step forward for the microelectronics industry because it mitigates the manufacturing complexity that has limited the growth of MEMS to date,” said Eric Aguilar, co-founder and CEO of Omnitron. “By leveraging the standard tools and processes already found in the Silex fab, Omnitron clears the way for robust, reliable and affordable MEMS devices that are delivered to market quickly and at high volume.”
