Telecoms: Italy

STMicroelectronics inaugurated a new MEMS production line in Milan that will boost its capacity to deliver its state-of-art sensors targeted to consumer applications, including next-generation mobile handsets.

According to Benedetto Vigna, General Manager of ST’s MEMS Business Unit,

MEMS technology, which allows the electrical and mechanical properties of silicon to be simultaneously exploited, is being rapidly adopted in a wide range of computer, consumer, automotive and industrial applications where the ability to measure or detect physical movement or inclination can be valuable in saving energy, making appliances easier to use, and providing a new level of realism and interaction in gaming systems.

ST’s advanced MEMS sensors are currently being designed-in in several next-generation mobile handsets to provide intuitive man-machine interfaces exploiting accelerometers which sense hand’s movements. Another envisioned application of MEMS sensors in mobile phone design is gyroscope-based localization acting as a power-saving method for GPS-equipped (and power hungry) handsets.
ST’s MEMS technology was originally developed in its Milan’s design center, which is still the company’s powerhouse for MEMS innovation, which now includes the nearby world’s most advanced MEMS production line officially opened yesterday and already working at full steam to satisfy a growing demand