Rogue Valley Microdevices, an Oregon-based advanced manufacturing company specializing in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), today announced that its new fab, currently under construction on the “Space Coast” of Florida will be 300mm capable. The company is the first pure-play MEMS foundry to announce 300mm capability for its customers, many of whom are innovators looking to transition from lab to fab with custom development requirements.
A MEMS foundry that can handle 300mm wafers benefits customers who require post-CMOS processing since much of the world’s CMOS foundry capacity has already transitioned to 300mm wafer processing. In addition, pure-play MEMS microfabrication delivers economies of scale which can open markets and improve margins.
Jessica Gomez, founder and CEO of Rogue Valley Microdevices, is presenting this week at the MEMS & Sensors Technical Congress on the topic of “Microneedle Technology: Advancing Transdermal Drug Delivery and Biosensing.” In her presentation, she’ll explain how MEMS devices like microneedles are used in the healthcare industry for drug delivery and sensing applications such as continuous glucose monitoring patches for diabetics, along with emerging applications such as vaccine delivery and skin cancer treatment. When microneedle companies, and other makers of disposable bioMEMS can build their devices on 300mm wafers, they gain the economies of scale presented by larger substrates, resulting in higher margins and potential entry into new markets. These benefits apply to industries far beyond biomedical devices, and include applications in automotive, agricultural, and industrial markets.
“We take immense pride in working with our customers as true partners in MEMS manufacturing,” says Gomez. “With Rogue Valley Microdevices’ investment in 300mm MEMS capability at our new Palm Bay, Florida fab, we’re poised to empower our customers with significant competitive advantages, facilitating their journey from initial concept to the successful commercialization of their MEMS and sensor designs.”
Rogue Valley Microdevices’ new 50,000-square-foot microfabrication facility is located at 2301 Commerce Park Drive in Palm Bay, Florida, and the company welcomes the high level of community support it has received from many partners including the State of Florida, city of Palm Bay, and the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast. It is anticipated that the company’s second pure-play MEMS fab will create 75 new high-tech jobs in Florida and initial production of its first MEMS devices is slated for 2025.