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A Low-Cost Investment Road Beckons

June 12, 2000

For the MEMS/MST community, 1999 was a watershed year. During that year, major capital investors validated MEMS/MST technologies as proven and viable technologies for the commercial market. The foundation for MEMS/MST technologies is now solid, and a large commercial infrastructure has arisen. On the immediate horizon are multiple market opportunities with "killer" applications and extremely high volumes, like telecommunications (RF and optical), biomedical, and environmental monitoring.

Furthermore, "the proof is in the puddding." Major multinational companies that haven't already puchased a stake in innovative and small MEMS/MST companies are in the process of grabbing a piece. In addition, a flurry of IPOs have taken place in the bioMEMS arena. Investment capital is certainly out there, hungrily eyeing all of these new opportunities.

Since just last year, venture-capital investment and wealth creation for MEMS/MST technologies has grown by leaps and bounds. For those companies looking to partake in this hot action, it's no longer necessary to invest millions of dollars. The infrastructure and know-how are available. All it takes is a tap into this reservoir of opportunity to form the right business relationships.

About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.