NeoSpectra Micro wins SEMI's MEMS & Sensor Technology Showcase award in Europe

First Spectrometer-on-a-Chip Offers Speed, Accuracy and Lower Cost for Mobile and Consumer Electronics

LOS ANGELES, CA – Si-Ware Systems (SWS), a premier provider of IC and MEMS-based solutions for industrial and consumer applications, has won SEMI’s® Technology Showcase Award at the SEMI European MEMS and Sensor Summit 2017, held in Grenoble, France. Conference participants voted to confer the award on Si-Ware’s NeoSpectra Micro, the first spectrometer-on-a-chip, designed for mobile devices and fixed equipment.

Delivering the same functionality as conventional “bench-top” spectrometers in labs, the integrated NeoSpectra Micro offers end-users quick anywhere/anytime quantification of composition, detection of impurities, and quality control, speeding analysis of samples from days to minutes. The product relies on micro-electromechanical mirrors and a near infra-red (NIR) light spectrum to create a sensor that eliminates the need to send samples to a lab and provides accurate, actionable data in the field, the plant floor and even within consumer applications.

The award and conference, organized by SEMI’s strategic association partner the MEMS and Sensors Industry Group® (MSIG), is offered each year for companies engaged in a range of sectors, from Internet of Things (IoT) and consumer electronics to robotics and biomedical equipment.

“Having a low-cost, miniaturized NIR spectral sensor opens the door for a new wave of usage models that can make spectral scanning ubiquitous,” said Bassam Saadany, Optical MEMS business unit manager at SWS. “Receiving this award from the conference audience is a demonstration of how many people see the benefits of NeoSpectra Micro in bringing rapid material analysis to more sectors — and even to consumers, enabling accelerated analysis, measurement and quality control for many applications. Si-Ware would like to thank SEMI, MSIG and the conference audience for their vote of confidence.”

Small Enough for Mobile, Consumer, Wearables and IoT Applications

The device is small enough and thin enough to be incorporated into a smart phone case or designed into an existing mobile product. Product applications include scanning for food safety, and evaluating soil health, oil and gas composition, and pharmaceutical purity. In addition to smartphone-based spectrometers for industrial and consumer use, NeoSpectra Micro can be designed into wearable devices for non-invasive measurement of biochemistry, and into smart sensors for the Internet of Things applications.

NeoSpectra Micro builds on the success of the popular and cost-effective NeoSpectra spectral sensing module used by system integrators for development of industry-specific hand-held and inline spectrometer applications. The device is currently in use in agriculture, petrochemical, and healthcare industries.

Component-Level Manufacturing, Integration and Cost

NeoSpectra Micro for the first time brings high performance spectroscopy to the size and cost of a sensor component. Until now, spectroscopy and material analysis had been notoriously absent from consumer applications due to size, form factor and cost concerns. At 18x18mm and only 4mm thick in a self-contained package, NeoSpectra Micro can be easily incorporated into consumer electronics products.

The tiny package includes all the system components: the MEMS interferometer, the photodetector, the light source, and the electronics chips that perform system control and data processing. This facilitates integration, reduces development risks for system developers, and enables faster testing in different application environments.

The product’s extended infra-red spectrum range enables measurement of more materials with higher accuracy. In addition, it allows measuring samples in different form factors including particles, flat surfaces and even ground samples with no need for sample preparation.

Availability and Pricing

Prototypes and development kits for NeoSpectra Micro are available immediately, with volume production starting before end-of-year. Pricing is targeted at $100 in high volumes.

About Si-Ware Systems

Si-Ware Systems (SWS) is an independent fabless semiconductor company that is fostering silicon innovation. SWS has two main businesses – ASIC Solutions and Optical MEMS Technology. ASIC Solutions provides custom ASIC development and supply, specializing in analog/mixed-signal and RF design. Focus areas of expertise for ASICs include sensor interfaces and MEMS, wireless, timing, and power management. Optical MEMS Technology has developed the worlds’ first single-chip FT-IR spectrometer under the brand name NeoSpectra™ (www.neospectra.com), using its unique platform – Silicon integrated Micro Optical Systems Technology (SiMOST™), that allows the creation of multiple optical components on silicon. SWS also incubates new and innovative semiconductor technology to bring to market, such an all-silicon Self Compensating Oscillator (SCO™). For more information, please visit www.si-ware.com

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