SUSS MicroTec has acquired Tamarack Scientific Co. Inc. in a share purchase of $9.34 million. Tamarack makes UV projection lithography tools and laser micro-structuring systems.

Sensors in Design 2012 was opened March 28 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, in conjunction with Design West. Blogger Mike Fury reports.

Akustica, known for its monolithic single-chip digital MEMS devices, introduced its first analog 2-chip MEMS microphone for mobile handsets, the AKU340.

MEMS company InvenSense Inc. (NYSE:INVN) announced dual-source capability for its CMOS-MEMS supply from semiconductor foundries TSMC and GLOBALFOUNDRIES.

Micronova Nanofabrication Centre selected a Vistec Lithography e-beam litho system for its nanotechnology laboratory in Finland. The litho tool will be used for nanoelectronics, nanofabrication, microelectronics, nanophotonics and microfabrication research in a multi-user environment.

The market for MEMS grew 17% to $10.2 billion in 2011, according to Yole Développement. The top 2 suppliers -- Texas Instruments (TXN, TI) and STMicroelectronics (STM, ST) -- neared $1 billion in sales each.

SEMI is seeking papers for technical sessions and presentations at the upcoming SEMICON Europa 2012, October 9-11 in Dresden, Germany. Technical presentation abstracts are due April 30.

SPTS Technologies delivered its first VHF etch system in China, installing a Primaxx Monarch 3 at the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology for a MEMS accelerometer development project.

SUSS MicroTec launched the RCD8 manual resist coat and develop platform for R&D and low-volume use in MEMS, semiconductor packaging, LEDs, and other applications.

CVD Equipment Corporation (Nasdaq:CVV) purchased a new facility in Central Islip, NY, doubling the space for its CVD and gas control equipment assembly, and unifying its nano-materials lab.

The Great East Japan Earthquake, March 11, 2011 off Sendai, was "a Darwinian event" for the MEMS market. The MEMS supply chain came out of the disaster much richer, more diverse, and better positioned for growth, shows the IHS iSuppli MEMS & Sensors Service.

MATHESON debuted the Lasso System, a customer-centric supply chain and inventory management system that can monitor the location and operating status of gas products and other assets in the REAL-Time Gas and Asset Management System.

Qualtré appointed Mark Laich as VP of sales and business development, responsible for customer and partner development as Qualtré launches its latest iteration of inertial sensing technologies.

Image Sensors 2012, March 20-22 in London, will highlight the emergence of CMOS image sensors against those based on TFTs, applications possibilities for 3D cameras and non-visual spectrum cameras, and more.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a new tool for manufacturing three-dimensional shapes easily and cheaply, to aid advances in biomedicine, robotics and tunable micro-optics.

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed the first functional oxide thin films that can be used efficiently in electronics, opening the door to an array of new high-power devices and smart sensors.

AEPI and CEA-Leti will co-host a site visit to CEA-Leti and other facilities on the MINATEC campus, Grenoble, following MEMS Executive Congress Europe on March 23.

The CNSE STC, which performs micro electromechanical system (MEMS) and nanotechnology-enabled manufacturing and packaging, successfully completed ISO 9001:2008 registration.

Tessera Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:TSRA), through its wholly owned subsidiary, DigitalOptics Corporation (DOC) will acquire certain assets of Vista Point Technologies, a Tier-One-qualified camera module manufacturing business of Flextronics.