Xerox To Head $14 Million MOEMS Project

A group of companies led by Xerox Corp. has won a $6.9 million contract from the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to partially fund a $14-million project to improve manufacturing techniques for micro-opto-mechanical systems (MOEMS). The balance of the funding will be supplied by the program members, which include Xerox, Maxim Integrated Products, Microcosm Technologies Inc., Optical Micro-Machines, Standard Microsystems Corp., and Microscan Systems Inc

During the course of the three year project, the group will develop a robust, low-cost process that will leverage the innate sensing and actuating capabilities of MOEMS systems to automate on-chip assembly, alignment, and calibration. Support facilities for the program include the Industry-Cornell University Alliance for Electronic Packing, Cornell Nanofabrication Facility, the Center for Integrated Circuits and Sensors, and Washington Technology Center. The consortium will use the new process to fabricate prototype MOEMS devices at Standard Microsystems Corp., a commercial foundry.