Published Articles:
MEMS and Sensors
Many more articles addressing various MEMS and Sensors technologies and applications, including Automotive and IoT, are available. Please email Roger at [email protected] to request additional articles.
Please refer to Roger's bibliography and send any article requests to [email protected]
COVID and supply chain woes help drive dramatic drop in 2021 MEMS report card
Fierce Electronics - August 1, 2022
The results are in and the grades are in for the 2021 microelecticalmechanical systems (MEMS) Industry Commercialization Report Card Study. Not surprisingly, due to COVID and supply chain woes, the final grade declined from B- to C+, breaking a string of the previous six years.
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MEMS (and Sensors) Marketing:
Oxymoron or Opportunity? (Part 1 of 3 Parts)
Commercial Micro-manufacturing International, Vol. 9, No. 4
The American Marketing Association defines
marketing as “the activity, set of institutions, and
processes for creating, communicating, delivering,
and exchanging offerings that
have value for customers, clients,
partners, and society at large.”
In my over 30 years as an
independent technology marketing
consultant, I have worked with
literally scores of clients, the
majority of which have been in the
MEMS/sensors sector that have
engaged my consulting services
to assist them to increase their
success in the market, either
to successfully accelerate their
existing products into the market, launch new
products or even launch new companies.
Design and Manufacturing Process Considerations for the Creation of Printed Sensors and Sensor-Based Systems
Commercial Micro-Manufacturing International, Vol. 12, No. 1
The rapid commercialization of printed
sensors and sensor-based systems’
time has come. As previously stated,
printed sensors are the third wave in the
innovation of sensors1. The first was discrete
electromechanical and the second was
MEMS/silicon, both of which have achieved
maturity.
Though printed technology
has been available since the mid-80s
when Interlink Electronics and Tekscan
established patents on their force sensing
resistor (FSR) technology2, many barriers
to commercialisation have existed.
MEMS Sensor Solutions for IoT in Transport and Buildings
Electronic Products
The good news is that all of the hardware for the realization of MBSS to support Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications is virtually off the shelf, with the exception of the package and an energy system (batteries are frequently being used for this purpose, sometimes in conjunction with energy harvesting).
Smart Sensors…Defined and Redefined
Product Design and Development (PD&D)
The bottom line is that products need to be more smart… a.k.a. more functional and possess more “bells and whistles” to be successful in today’s marketplace. Simultaneously, they must be more reliable and have a lower bill-of-materials to reduce cost.
MEMS Commercialization Report Card – Episode 6: Marketing (Part 1 of 4 Parts)
Sensors Daily, April 22, 2020
Marketing is one of the 14 critical success factors in the commercialization of MEMS as well as virtually for all products. “Marketing is Everything” [1] is the title of the Harvard Business Review article authored by Silicon Valley marketing luminary Regis McKenna.
MEMS Commercialization Report Card – Episode 7: Marketing
(Part 2 of 4 Parts)
Sensors Daily, May 6, 2020
This article will provide an overview of marketing principles and a brief review of the results of the MEMS Commercialization Report Card. When conducting interviews, it became apparent to me that, when following up on the 30 plus respondents to my annual Report Card study, it would be interesting to take a deep dive into the rationales for their submitted grades.
MEMS: Think Outside the Chip at the Package Level
(with Maryann Maher, Ph.D.)
Electronic Products
The packaging for a MEMS device is a critical component of delivering a successful MEMS-based system solution to the market. Our research has found that, for today’s typical MEMS-based products, the cost of packaging can be 20% to 40% of the product’s total material and assembly cost. Since testing after packaging is much more costly than testing at the device level because of yield factors, it is crucial that the package be correctly selected/designed for the application.
Technology Clusters and Their Role in the Commercialization of Micro and NanoSystems
Commercial Micromanufacturing International - Vol. 5, No. 2
Industrial clusters have existed since the very beginning of the industrial revolution. Technology clusters first become prominent in the Route 128 area of Boston in the early 1940’s to support the U.S. military involvement in W.W.II. Silicon Valley saw its first technology cluster develop to support the meteoric growth of the the semiconductor industry in the early 1960s.
2019 MEMS Commercialization Report Card (Part 1 of 2 Parts)
Fierce Electronics, November 5, 2020
The results of the annual MEMS Industry Commercialization Report Card (Report Card) market study are in and the overall grade is B-minus. Results of the previous year’s Report Card were reported in Fierce Electronics, part one and part two. [ 1, 2 ]
The Report Card, created in 1998, has at its raison d’etre the assessing, monitoring, and reporting on the status of the MEMS industry in its desire for the successful commercialization of this important and ever-growing technology. It has been conveniently accomplished by requesting study participants to assign letter grades to the 14 critical success factors that my research established were the key to the successful commercialization of many emerging technologies.
2019 MEMS Commercialization Report Card (Part 1 of 2 Parts)
Fierce Electronics, November 5, 2020
The MEMS Industry Commercialization Report Card (Report Card), introduced in 1998, has the objective to track and report on the progress (and sometimes lack thereof) in the commercialization of the worldwide MEMS industry. The impetus of the Report Card was based on my invitation to participate in a panel discussion on "Why aren't there more MEMS millionaires?”
MEMS Commercialization Report Card – Episode 12: Summary/Conclusion/ Wrap-up
Sensors Daily, June 17, 2020
I believe that the objective of the 2018 annual MEMS Industry Commercialization Report Card of providing a valuable tool for MEMS industry participants to objectively monitor the health of the MEMS industry has been realized once again. The results of the 2018 Report Card should provide industry participants with valuable information to effectively help craft their business strategies moving forward.
Thermally-Based MEMS Sensors
(with Yongyao Cai and James Fennelly)
Commercial Micromanufacturing International, Vol. 6, No. 2
The electronic system designer is truly fortunate when it comes to specifying a sensor to optimally satisfy a specific system function. This results from the myriad of sensor technologies that currently exist to measure the various parameters to meet the system’s design requirements. This applies to accelerometer and gas flow sensors. This article will address the topic of acceleration.
MEMS (and Sensors) Marketing:
Oxymoron or Opportunity? (Part 1 of 3 Parts)
Commercial Micro-manufacturing International, Vol. 9, No. 4
The American Marketing Association defines
marketing as “the activity, set of institutions, and
processes for creating, communicating, delivering,
and exchanging offerings that
have value for customers, clients,
partners, and society at large.”
In my over 30 years as an
independent technology marketing
consultant, I have worked with
literally scores of clients, the
majority of which have been in the
MEMS/sensors sector that have
engaged my consulting services
to assist them to increase their
success in the market, either
to successfully accelerate their
existing products into the market, launch new
products or even launch new companies.
Sensors for Advanced Automotive Applications
Electronic Products
Last month’s CES clearly indicated the ever-growing, mainstream role of electronics in automobiles — where several years ago there were no automakers at the event, this year there were 10, from Audi to Volkswagen. Many automakers were demonstrating their novel and advanced Infotainment and display systems as well as safety systems using radars lasers and camera to enable so-called “self-driving cars.”
MEMS Sensor Solutions for IoT in Transport and Buildings
Electronic Products
The good news is that all of the hardware for the realization of MBSS to support Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications is virtually off the shelf, with the exception of the package and an energy system (batteries are frequently being used for this purpose, sometimes in conjunction with energy harvesting).
Smart Sensors…Defined and Redefined
Product Design and Development (PD&D)
The bottom line is that products need to be more smart… a.k.a. more functional and possess more “bells and whistles” to be successful in today’s marketplace. Simultaneously, they must be more reliable and have a lower bill-of-materials to reduce cost.
MEMS Commercialization Report Card – Episode 6: Marketing (Part 1 of 4 Parts)
Sensors Daily, April 22, 2020
Marketing is one of the 14 critical success factors in the commercialization of MEMS as well as virtually for all products. “Marketing is Everything” [1] is the title of the Harvard Business Review article authored by Silicon Valley marketing luminary Regis McKenna.
MEMS Commercialization Report Card – Episode 7: Marketing
(Part 2 of 4 Parts)
Sensors Daily, May 6, 2020
This article will provide an overview of marketing principles and a brief review of the results of the MEMS Commercialization Report Card. When conducting interviews, it became apparent to me that, when following up on the 30 plus respondents to my annual Report Card study, it would be interesting to take a deep dive into the rationales for their submitted grades.
MEMS: Think Outside the Chip at the Package Level
(with Maryann Maher, Ph.D.)
Electronic Products
The packaging for a MEMS device is a critical component of delivering a successful MEMS-based system solution to the market. Our research has found that, for today’s typical MEMS-based products, the cost of packaging can be 20% to 40% of the product’s total material and assembly cost. Since testing after packaging is much more costly than testing at the device level because of yield factors, it is crucial that the package be correctly selected/designed for the application.
Technology Clusters and Their Role in the Commercialization of Micro and NanoSystems
Commercial Micromanufacturing International - Vol. 5, No. 2
Industrial clusters have existed since the very beginning of the industrial revolution. Technology clusters first become prominent in the Route 128 area of Boston in the early 1940’s to support the U.S. military involvement in W.W.II. Silicon Valley saw its first technology cluster develop to support the meteoric growth of the the semiconductor industry in the early 1960s.
2019 MEMS Commercialization Report Card (Part 1 of 2 Parts)
Fierce Electronics, November 5, 2020
The results of the annual MEMS Industry Commercialization Report Card (Report Card) market study are in and the overall grade is B-minus. Results of the previous year’s Report Card were reported in Fierce Electronics, part one and part two. [ 1, 2 ]
The Report Card, created in 1998, has at its raison d’etre the assessing, monitoring, and reporting on the status of the MEMS industry in its desire for the successful commercialization of this important and ever-growing technology. It has been conveniently accomplished by requesting study participants to assign letter grades to the 14 critical success factors that my research established were the key to the successful commercialization of many emerging technologies.
2019 MEMS Commercialization Report Card (Part 1 of 2 Parts)
Fierce Electronics, November 5, 2020
The MEMS Industry Commercialization Report Card (Report Card), introduced in 1998, has the objective to track and report on the progress (and sometimes lack thereof) in the commercialization of the worldwide MEMS industry. The impetus of the Report Card was based on my invitation to participate in a panel discussion on "Why aren't there more MEMS millionaires?”
MEMS Commercialization Report Card – Episode 12: Summary/Conclusion/
Wrap-up
Sensors Daily, June 17, 2020
I believe that the objective of the 2018 annual MEMS Industry Commercialization Report Card of providing a valuable tool for MEMS industry participants to objectively monitor the health of the MEMS industry has been realized once again. The results of the 2018 Report Card should provide industry participants with valuable information to effectively help craft their business strategies moving forward.
Thermally-Based MEMS Sensors
(with Yongyao Cai and James Fennelly)
Commercial Micromanufacturing International, Vol. 6, No. 2
The electronic system designer is truly fortunate when it comes to specifying a sensor to optimally satisfy a specific system function. This results from the myriad of sensor technologies that currently exist to measure the various parameters to meet the system’s design requirements. This applies to accelerometer and gas flow sensors. This article will address the topic of acceleration.
2020 MEMS Commercialization Report Card Gets Another B-Minus Grade
Fierce Electronics, July 2021
The results of the annual MEMS Industry Commercialization Report Card (Report Card) market study are in and the overall grade is B-minus. Results of the previous year’s Report Card were reported in Fierce Electronics, part one and part two. [ 1, 2 ] The Report Card, created in 1998, has at its raison d’etre the assessing, monitoring, and reporting on the status of the MEMS industry in its desire for the successful commercialization of this important and ever-growing technology. It has been conveniently accomplished by requesting study participants to assign letter grades to the 14 critical success factors that my research established were the key to successful commercialization of many emerging technologies.
Printed/Flexible/ Stretchable Sensors: New Technologies Enable High Volume Applications
Commercial Micromanufacturing International
The MEMS Industry Commercialization Report Card (Report Card), introduced in 1998, has the objective to track and report on the progress (and sometimes lack thereof) in the commercialization of the worldwide MEMS industry. The impetus of the Report Card was based on my invitation to participate in a panel discussion on "Why aren't there more MEMS millionaires?”
Marketing in a Recession: How to Survive
Sensors Daily, April 8, Edition
Considering the current state of affairs worldwide, I was compelled to author this article which will address the major impact of the current unprecedented global pandemic resulting from the Covid-19 virus and its effects on the resulting financial-economic crisis (slowdown…yes…recession?) relating to business and marketing strategies...
How to Become a MEMS (and other High Technology) Millionaire: Strategies and Case Studies
Commercial Micromanufacturing International, Vol. 9, No. 1
Here, I will take a deep dive into the issues, which have in the past and currently can serve to help create MEMS Millionaires. This updated report is partially based on recent interviews of four of the MEMS industry’s most recognized successful and serial entrepreneurs.
The 2020 MEMS Industry Commercialisation Report Card: How the Impact of COVID-19 Is Reflected in the Critical Success Factor Grades
Commercial Micro Manufacturing, Oct. 18, 2021
The recently issued Final Report of the MEMS Industry Commercialization Report Card Study provides detailed information on the background of the report’s creation and the process by which it has been conducted by Roger Grace Associates. Since its inception in 1998, the Report Card has addressed the 14 critical success factors i.e. subjects for commercialization and their performance vis-à-vis assigned letter grades provided by respondents. Most interesting for this year’s report is the assessment of Covid on the Report Card’s grades and especially the respondents’ candid verbatims on key subjects including those directly affected by Covid including infrastructure, marketing, profitability, and R & D. Recommended pivoting strategies for succeeding in overcoming the continuing effects of Covid and the embracing of the “new normal” are provided.