MEMS Company Increases Capacity to Deliver Tiny Mirrors

Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) component manufacturer N/A (Research Triangle Park, NC) is increasing manufacturing capacity for MEMS-based optical components, focusing primarily on the manufacture of micromirror components for router applications. In response to the increasing demand, Cronos has nearly doubled its work force, adding a second shift and investing in new equipment. It is looking to a round of financing to provide funds for further expansion.

The company is creating standardized building blocks for MEMS processing and MEMS components, including:

• MUMPs for surface micromachining;
• 3D-MEMS, which includes surface, bulk, and high aspect ratio micromachining;
• a microrelay;
• a photonic switch; and
• a microvalve.

The modular components are the foundation of a platform that is already leading to an application-specific approach to MEMS. This approach is very similar to the application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) methodology that has been so successful in the electronics industry.

"We have one simple goal: to make the integration of a MEMS chip into an optical communications component as easy as the integration of an ASIC," says vice president of marketing and business development Jesko von Windheim.