Why MEMS & MOEMS Deserve a Seat at the Semiconductor Table

For decades, MEMS and MOEMS technologies have been considered valuable but peripheral, used primarily in sensors, optics, and specialized signal systems. Their presence in the semiconductor industry was important but often seen as secondary to the ongoing march of transistor scaling. That thinking is beginning to change. During the SPIE lithography conference, Erik Hosler, a consultant with experience in EUV development and advanced patterning, underscored this development by highlighting the growing presence of MEMS and MOEMS in mainstream semiconductor roadmap discussions. Their integration signals a broadening view of what constitutes core technology in the next era of chip innovation.

This inclusion is not symbolic. It represents a realignment in how innovation is pursued. As scaling slows and new demands emerge, particularly in edge computing, sensor fusion, and optical interconnects, technologies like MEMS and MOEMS are proving that they are not just supporting players but central to the next generation of integrated systems. From their precision to their ability to bridge physical and digital worlds, they now hold capabilities that classical electronics alone cannot match.

Understanding the Value of MEMS and MOEMS

Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) and Microoptoelectromechanical Systems (MOEMS) operate at the intersection of mechanics, optics, and electronics. MEMS components respond to environmental stimuli like motion, pressure, or vibration. MOEMS extend this further by manipulating light at micron-scale precision using mirrors, shutters, or diffractive surfaces.

What makes them compelling is not only their miniaturization but their ability to function inside semiconductor packaging, right alongside digital logic. It allows for tighter integration, reduced latency, and applications that demand immediate real-world sensing and actuation. In other words, they are not just gathering data. They help drive performance and functionality at the system level.

Their compatibility with CMOS manufacturing, along with their scalability and low-power operation, makes them attractive in everything from mobile devices and biomedical implants to optical networking and autonomous vehicles.

From Edge Use Cases to Core Platform Enablers

As the demand for compact, multifunctional chips increases, the unique characteristics of MEMS and MOEMS are being pulled closer to the heart of system design. In mobile and wearable technology, they provide critical sensor functionality in inertial navigation, pressure sensing, and microphone arrays. In automotive, they underpin the lidar and radar systems that enable driver assistance and autonomous movement.

However, the most transformational applications are in optical systems. MOEMS devices can dynamically steer, switch, or modulate light. They can serve as key components in chip-to-chip optical links and data center photonics, where electrical interconnects are hitting thermal and bandwidth ceilings.

In these contexts, MEMS and MOEMS are no longer add-ons. They are essential to the performance, efficiency, and size constraints that define modern semiconductor systems. Engineers now consider them from the outset, not just as packaged components but as features that shape system architecture.

Why They Are Appearing in Roadmap Conversations

At technical conferences like SPIE, where the industry discusses long-term direction, the presence of MEMS and MOEMS signals a change in outlook. No longer confined to specialty tracks, they are included in sessions on lithography, integration, and even future quantum platforms.

Erik Hosler points out, “Last year, we included MEMS and MOEMS, and we will keep expanding to quantum to make this a place to ask questions … Lots of great things are going on, and something will emerge.” It broadens the technology conversation and acknowledges that innovation will not come from scaling alone but from incorporating new dimensions into the stack, dimensions that MEMS and MOEMS are uniquely positioned to fill.

It also suggests that we are at the beginning of an integration phase, where traditional lithography and patterning technologies will increasingly overlap with microscale mechanics and optics.

Integration Challenges and Opportunities

Despite their potential, integrating MEMS and MOEMS into standard semiconductor workflows is not simple. Their fabrication often involves materials and processing steps that differ from standard CMOS flows, such as deep etching, sacrificial layer removal, or the use of non-standard substrates.

However, progress is being made in monolithic integration strategies that allow MEMS to be co-fabricated with logic, as well as in hybrid approaches that use wafer bonding or 3D stacking to bring these components into close physical proximity with core circuits. Improvements in alignment precision, thermal management, and packaging technologies are enabling these approaches.

This convergence opens opportunities for design co-optimization. A MEMS mirror may work best when aligned with a photonic waveguide. A pressure sensor might be enhanced by proximity to low-noise analog amplifiers. These relationships change how engineers think about block-level design and verification.

Broader Impacts Across Markets

The growing relevance of MEMS and MOEMS extends across multiple sectors. In healthcare, they enable implantable sensors and microfluidic devices for diagnostics and drug delivery. In environmental monitoring, they provide low-power solutions for detecting pollutants or humidity in remote environments.

In defense and aerospace, where weight and volume are tightly constrained, their size and precision offer compelling advantages. In quantum systems, MEMS-based optical components are being evaluated for their ability to manipulate photons with minimal loss, an essential requirement for scalable quantum communication or computing.

Each of these applications underscores a simple truth that MEMS and MOEMS expand on what semiconductors can do. They make chips more aware, more adaptive, and interactive with the physical world.

What the Road Ahead Looks Like

As these technologies become more central, industry standards and design tools are starting to catch up. Foundries are offering MEMS-capable process options. EDA tools incorporate mechanical simulation alongside electrical layout. Design kits are emerging that treat MEMS structures with the same abstraction used for transistors and interconnects.

These developments are helping to streamline what has historically been a complex, fragmented process. They also make it easier for new entrants, startups, universities, or system integrators to build MEMS and MOEMS without requiring deep fabrication expertise.

The goal is to move from niche experimentation to scalable production. With growing demand and maturing infrastructure, MEMS and MOEMS are poised to cross that threshold.

A Place at the Table and a Voice in the Future

MEMS and MOEMS technologies no longer belong at the margins of semiconductor strategy. Their ability to bring mechanical and optical intelligence into chip-scale systems makes them critical to solving problems that transistors alone cannot address.

Their inclusion in strategic discussions, technical conferences, and design toolkits signals that the industry is ready to move beyond traditional boundaries. What was once an accessory is becoming a design priority. What was once a specialty of hardware is now enabling core functionality.

As new demands from AI, edge sensing, from optical computing continue to develop, the most successful solutions will come from platforms that are diverse, flexible, and multifunctional. MEMS and MOEMS are exactly that. And that is why they now deserve, and are beginning to claim, a full seat at the semiconductor table.