Semis and Mems the Revoutiion

[Arthur Hanson]

To Fix Machines, a Startup Listens In | MIT Technology Review

The Semi/Mems sector is just really beginning to realize its true potential and this is but one step in that direction. In this country we need to change the medical establishment before we loose our health and go bankrupt in the process. With Mems and Semis with new software and especially a new mind set, devices like this have the power to change diagnostics in almost every machine and living thing. If we give our devices sight, smell, touch and sound and learn how to use these senses with sophisticated software and big data, there is no limit to what we can do with the world around us. Apply this to research and we should be able to speed up our progress by several factors. Embracing this brave new world will give us the ability to keep from destroying it physically, financially or socially. The Mems revolution that is just in its infancy will create a long runway for the continued growth of the semi sector, especially since many of these devices will be SOCs for performance and cost factors.

 

[Bernard Murphy]

Arthur - definitely agreed that a lot of the exciting innovation in semiconductor will be in MEMS. There are even more opportunities around piezoelectric and flexoelectric energy harvesting, biochemical methods for DNA sequencing and more. There is a whole world of opportunities for truly new innovation. What worries me is the financials. Sensors are unlikely to sell for more than pennies I would think, so you need pretty massive volumes to get to break-even, much less a profitable business. Some of the very specialized devices (medical) may have higher ASPs but will also have much lower volumes. Help me understand why I am wrong (I hope I am)

 

[Arthur Hanson]

Bernard, It won't be cheap sensors on everything, but also complex labs that take a full lab that takes up a large room full of very expensive equipment that will be replaced by an SOC with processing power, control system and hundreds if not thousands of MEMS. This is but one example of how MEMS will shake up the SEMI world. This will apply to bio, chemical and even nuclear in the future. Some of these systems will even end up implanted in us. The cost of MEMS SOC systems will range from a few dollars to thousands for specialized applications. This will open a whole new realm for the traditional semi industry.