Distribution of tasks and knowledge as well as complex interdependencies between the different product parts across multiple organizations can create road blocks for a collaborative development effort. Enabling customer centric communication across the value chain, creating a holistic information technology approach and providing IP management become key success factors. To successfully commercialize a new product, business partnerships throughout the supply chain require well managed expectations, clear organizational alignment, consequent IP management and a well-structured, clearly defined collaborative engineering process based on the right IT infrastructure.

Expanding upon the MIG Technology Development Process (TDP) Template, this workshop will introduce a customer-oriented product engineering approach that takes into account the challenges of concurrent device and process development as well as the challenges of distributed, networked operations between customers, designers, foundries, OSATS, etc. Topics like integrating the various required perspectives into a holistic innovation process together with proper IP management and protection will be covered.

The promise of MEMS has always been to enable new functionality and/or renew old technology concepts into new applications through miniaturization and scalability. Envisioning these opportunities and realizing workable, proven MEMS designs is a major part of the process: driving new process development, material technologies, and creating entirely new market opportunities. But once a new technology or design concept is realized and proven, the job isn’t done. Successful products require successful commercialization of the core MEMS device.

Other discussions at M2M and elsewhere have focused on Foundry selection, IP management, market selection, product development, and more. The focus of this working group will be on the technology transfer itself: What part of the transfer process is most critical to consider? What are typical challenges? How can we learn from past experiences and, most importantly, what advice can MIG and the M2M participants provide to make this process go more smoothly in the future?

Tech transfer can take many different forms: acquisition of a design, transfer from prototype to production, transfer from line to line, volume scale up, and even transfer from foundry to foundry. Each of these require nuance and appreciation of the potential challenges and opportunities. These questions are compounded when technology is being “transferred” from University to industry.

Core to any tech transfer is collaboration between the interested parties. Whether this is University to industry, corporate to corporate, or corporate to foundry, the key is to leverage the incentives, strengths and experience of all parties involved to not just minimize mistakes but to maximize performance and even the future development potential. The most successful tech transfer is not only the successful productization of a given MEMS device, but also the first step in development of the next.

This working session is intended to be an informal discussion on the challenges of technology transfer with the goal of collecting advice and anecdotes that may be helpful to the broader MIG community. The room-guided discussion will be built upon a solid outline of real world experience in both the university and industrial settings. Starting with discussion of academic tech transfer based on the historical and future vision of BSAC, and branching into industry examples of technology transfer at all levels of the process, processes , obstacles, and solutions unique to both environments will be discussed by the group.

A successful forum depends on engaged participants: Please come prepared to share your own war stories, challenges, and triumphs!