Integrated resources

Infotonics Technology Center and IntelliSense announced a strategic alliance aimed at lowering the barriers to entry in the MEMS market. The alliance will offer a "total MEMS solution" including market research services, design kits, CAD/EDA tools for MEMS based on IntelliSense's leading IntelliSuite® product, design services, chip prototyping services, MEMS and optical packaging services, and pilot production facilities. Both companies will combine resources to develop MEMS and nanotechnology prototypes and move technologies into high yield and low cost commercial markets quickly and efficiently.

Background
Coincidentally, both companies have roots with Corning Inc. IntelliSense has been the leading provider of CAD tools and design services for MEMS. Originally founded in 1991 as a MIT startup, it rose to become one of the leading MEMS companies and was acquired by Corning in 2000 at a valuation of $750 M. In 2003, it exited the foundry business but the core assets of Corning-IntelliSense were reacquired by former employees to form IntelliSense Software. IntelliSense now focuses on MEMS design, IP, and software for MEMS. It's IntelliSuite CAD/EDA tools for MEMS are the industry standard utilized by corporations and universities in over 20 countries.

Infotonics, based in Canandaigua NY, is a not for profit consortium. Infotonics is a partnership between New York State, the private sector, the federal government and 20 academic institutions. The New York State has provided $28 M and Kodak, Corning and Xerox have contributed nearly $45 M. Today, the Infotonics consortium participants extends to the Rochester Photonics Cluster, a cluster of over 60 companies pursuing optical technologies, 20 universities including Cornell, Columbia, CUNY, State University of New York, RIT, RPI, and University of Rochester.

Lowering the barriers to microtechnology
IntelliSense's design team will join forces with Infotonics MEMS and nanotechnology prototyping facility. Infotonics is housed in a 123,000-square-foot facility with 22,000 square feet of clean room space, which features 10,000 square feet of Class 100 space and 12,000 square feet of Class 1000 space. The facility is capable of fabricating, packaging and testing micro devices to be interconnected with the macroscopic world.

Recognizing that the barriers to MEMS development have been very high for even the largest corporations, Infotonics has been structured as a non-profit consortium to keep the costs of development low. A full range of MEMS chip fabrication, packaging, testing and even pilot line manufacturing will be available through Infotonics. IntelliSense's CAD/Design tools will be available to the consortium members and development partners at a discounted rate. IntelliSense will act as the primary design house for Infotonics and will use Infotonics as its primary development partner.

The subsidized Infotonics services will act as a complement to the industry. Once products are developed and are at a pilot stage they can be then transferred to a commercial foundry for production. In addition to funding, industry members have contributed to Infotonics with IP and equipment. For instance, Kodak has contributed its packaging research facilities while Xerox has provided its ATP hybrid SOI process that allows users to combine bulk and surface micromachining. The ATP hybrid SOI process will be one of the foundation processes offered by Infotonics, it will allow users far more flexibility than other standardized processes such as MUMPS or SOI-MUMPS.

IntelliSense CEO, Sandeep Akkaraju, remarked that "Our alliance with Infotonics is aimed at providing companies across the United States a total solution to market at a low cost. Customers will benefit from the remarkable synergy between the two innovative companies. IntelliSense is the leading CAD vendor and design house for MEMS while Infotonics competencies lie in world-class fabrication, packaging and assembly expertise."

A focus on education
Designed to breach the gap between the academia and the new economy, Infotonics and IntelliSense also plan to initiate a MEMS University Program where high-tech professionals and academics throughout the United States and the world can come to learn how to design and manufacture micro/nano scale devices. Full length and short-courses will be available either at the facility or online. The courses will include all aspects of design, fabrication, packaging and testing of Microsystems. It will be made available to universities and colleges for the undergraduate level curriculum. Additional programs envisioning K-14 grades are also envisioned to prepare a skilled workforce that can support the New York hi-tech corridor.

Les Frtizemeier, Kodak's liaison's to Infotonics remarked that, "Education is a very important goal of the Infotonics charter. Our aim is to foster workforce education in the creation and the retention of high-tech jobs. We are pleased to partner with IntelliSense, IntelliSuite is used in educational institutes worldwide and is an extremely valuable tool."

Industry challenges
An article in the July 2004 issue of Micro Nano entitled "Too Many Business Models Hinder MEMS Growth" by Jean-Christophe Eloy of Yole Research suggested that the key setback for the MEMS industry is the availability of too many business models. The three main business models are: component manufacturers, design companies and system manufacturers.
IntelliSense pursues a fabless design company business model using external resources for prototyping and manufacturing. In addition to selling the industry CAD/EDA tool, it offers design and consulting services. Synopsis Inc, has successfully used a similar model in the IC world.

The typical drawback to a design company business model is the access to viable and open fabs. IntelliSense and Infotonics have partnered to eliminate this issue by teaming up to leverage the advantages of the open fab. The goal of the alliance is to reduce the technical risks and eliminate the capital investment barriers frequently associated with the development process and to increase the probability of commercial success.

At the end of the day, the business model that will last will be the one that delivers with low cost, high quality and in the shortest amount of time. This strategic alliance brings together two great talents, allowing external companies to access the combined capabilities and rapidly develop their products for the marketplace, from Concept to Market FIRST.