Fabless firm offers MEMS optical IC platform
SiMOST stands for Silicon integrated Micro Optical System and it allows the integration of MEMS optical elements to create custom structures. Multiple optical MEMS structures can be patterned and etched on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers using Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE). The structures are then wafer level packaged and diced to create a one-chip optical system, the company said.
Si-Ware (Cairo, Egypt) has created a library of building blocks for the platform. Optical components include flat, cylindrical and spherical collimating mirrors; wide bandwidth beam-splitters; optical filters; and moving corner cube reflectors. MEMS components include long-travel range micro-actuators and micro-motors. The components are lithographically aligned on-chip.
The company did not indicate where it is getting SiMOST designs manufactured or whether there are limits on the size of optical IC.
Si-Ware has already used the SiMOST system to create a monolithic infrared spectrometer and swept laser source. Such optical MEMS monolithic workbench ICs can be complemented with electronic interface and control ICs developed by Si-Ware’s ASIC solutions division, the company said. These interface and control ASICs handle the MEMS control, current, voltage and capacitive sensing, data conversion via ADC/DAC, and data processing.
"For the first time an optical designer has the freedom to design very complex systems with as many components as necessary with no impact on cost of assembly and bill of materials," said Bassam Saadany, manager of the MEMS division at Si-Ware, in a statement. "With SiMOST optical systems can achieve economies of scale that are similar to the micro-electronics industry in terms of size and cost, which opens up a range of applications and market opportunities."
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