Baolab has developed its patented Nano Embedded Mechanical Systems technology, NanoEMS^TM, to fabricate MEMS devices using standard CMOS foundries. Traditionally MEMS use tiny mechanical movement typically built from elements constructed on top of the chip, which are usually fabricated with dedicated equipment and comparatively low volume processes. At Baolab we take a lower cost high volume approach: we have pioneered building MEMS inside the CMOS process itself. This dramatically reduces cost, increases performance and reliability by utilizing standard processes and keeping integration with standard CMOS lines.

In the mobile phone, NanoEMS^TM have multiple applications, from higher performance, lower cost replacements for GaAs FETs for RF switching applications, to enabling tunable active RF components such as power amplifiers and low noise amplifiers. This tunable capability is set to revolutionize the RF section of mobile devices by significantly reducing the number of components needed in a mobile phone. NanoEMS^TM are also being developed for sensors in the mobile phone, such as electronic compasses, accelerometers, and several other functions in a single chip.

The Baolab NanoEMS™ technology uses the existing metal layers in a CMOS wafer to form the MEMS structure using standard mask techniques.  The Inter Metal Dielectric (IMD) is then etched away through the pad openings in the passivation layer. The etching uses equipment that is already available for volume production and takes less than an hour, which is insignificant compared to the overall production time.  The holes are then sealed and the chip packaged as required. As only standard CMOS processes are used, NanoEMS^TM MEMS can be directly integrated with active circuitry as required.