Commercialization of MEMS and Nano Manufacturing

MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) or nanotechnology is expected as one of the most promising R&D fields for the future business success, as MEMS or nanotechnology has a variety of applications from electronics to bio-technology. However R&D investment to MEMS facility is too heavy even for the large scale companies. Although MEMS foundry services by private companies have been introduced in these five years in Japan, their targets are not small batch production or R&D but mainly large or middle batch production. The number of products of the most MEMS applications is now limited and not enough to be called as "mass production" level except for automobile sensors and ink-jet heads. The above mentioned is the reason why AIST has started R&D activities and services for MEMS commercialization. The activities include foundry service to promote MEMS industry, R&D on Desktop MEMS or Nano Factory. MEMS foundry activities in AIST are described in "MN-One" strategy with special emphasis laid on cost effective micro/nano fabrication and new materials integration to MEMS with rapid realization of new ideas by collaboration. Desktop MEMS and nano factory concept is proposed and the desktop prototypes of EB writing machine and nanoimprint machine are presented. This is mainly targeted for reduction of R&D cost and time, and eventually the speedy realization of ideas to be a winner in high technology based business.