STMicroelectronics, a Leader in MEMS Technology, to Highlight Key Industry Trends at MICROTech World

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), the leading supplier of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) devices for consumer and portable applications (1), will demonstrate its latest innovations in MEMS for automotive, consumer & mobile, and healthcare applications at MICROTech World 2011 in Korea, on August 24-26, 2011. In addition, Benedetto Vigna, Group Vice President and General Manager of ST's MEMS, Sensors and High Performance Analog Division, will deliver a keynote speech at the 4th International Microtech/MEMS Conference, a concurrent event of MICROTech World 2011, titled "The Future of MEMS and Challenges to Success." He will address the challenges that new applications of MEMS, like context awareness, positioning and remote monitoring, pose to MEMS suppliers and the solution that STMicroelectronics envisages to continue its success. The conference takes place on Wednesday, August 24, 2011, at 15:10 at KINTEX (Korea International Exhibition Center).

ST's MEMS sensors have enabled motion-activated user interfaces in a number of popular consumer devices, including smart phones, tablets, personal media players, game consoles, digital still cameras and remotes. Computer manufacturers widely use the Company's acceleration sensors for free-fall protection in laptop hard-disk drives and car equipment makers integrate ST's MEMS in applications such as airbags and enhanced navigation systems. According to iSuppli, the global MEMS market will increase from $6.5 billion in 2010 to $9.8 billion in 2014, an annual growth rate of 10.7%.

MICROTech World 2011 visitors are invited to Booth D-21, Hall 5, KINTEX (Korea International Exhibition Center), where ST will demonstrate a comprehensive and cutting-edge MEMS technology in 3 key application areas:

Automotive

ST will show its latest automotive MEMS for g-Brake Lights, a brake lamp based on ST's AIS326DQ Inertial Sensor. The demonstration board uses the STM8A 8-bit automotive MCU, AIS326DQ MEMS-based inertial sensor and the A5970AD LED driver to show the performance of ST's most advanced automotive grade devices. The "g-Brake Lights" is an add-on brake lamp useful as an additional warning light to increase motorcycle driver safety by providing an optical representation of the deceleration detected by the accelerometer AIS326DQ, during the braking phase of a vehicle.

Smart Mobile Device

As the one-stop MEMS supplier of choice, ST is paving the way to smart sensor modules. ST's iNEMO™ is a family of SW/HW products like the iNEMO software engine, and integrated modules ranging from the iNEMO evaluation board to multi-axis inertial and magnetic modules. ST's iNEMO software engine is a highly reliable software platform, based on the Kalman Filter theory, to implement real sensor fusion of up to 10-axis MEMS sensing of linear, angular, magnetic motion and pressure sensing for motion recognition.  

ST will show a wide variety of applications for smart phones and tablets. These are enabled by a combination of ST's most advanced MEMS sensors like gyroscopes, accelerometers, and integrated modules that use different demo-tools like the iNEMO evaluation board, which offers 9-axis MEMS sensing of linear, angular, and magnetic motion, along with pressure and temperature sensing, managed by an STM32 32-bit microcontroller.

ST will also demonstrate its MEMS digital microphones, which offers the world's best audio performance in Signal-to-Noise ratio and Sensitivity. ST's MEMS microphones are less susceptible to mechanical vibrations, temperature variations and electromagnetic interference compared to traditional electret microphones.

Healthcare

ST has also been able to exploit microfluidic MEMS technology in healthcare. ST will show a miniature MEMS-based insulin pump, which can be mounted on a disposable skin patch. Developed in collaboration with Debiotech, the pump provides continuous infusion of insulin, closely imitating the natural secretion from the pancreas, while detecting potential malfunctions of the pump to further protect patients.

ST will show another innovation, the smart contact lens, based on ST's MEMS pressure-sensor technology, which is capable of monitoring and observing changes in eye pressure over a 24-hour period. Developed in collaboration with Sensimed, this unique diagnostic aid can help specialists detect glaucoma earlier and maximize the effectiveness of treatments by synchronizing medication with the patient's internal biological clock.

About STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics is a global leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications with innovative semiconductor solutions. ST aims to be the undisputed leader in multimedia convergence and power applications leveraging its vast array of technologies, design expertise and combination of intellectual property portfolio, strategic partnerships and manufacturing strength. In 2010, the Company's net revenues were $10.35 billion. Further information on ST can be found at http://www.st.com. 

(1) iSuppli: H2 2010 Consumer and Mobile MEMS Market Tracker, January 2011

SOURCE STMicroelectronics