Baolab Microsystems

Baolab Microsystems SL was a semiconductor company established in July 2003 and based in Terrassa, near Barcelona, Spain. The company focused on developing sensor products by pioneering a proprietary technology known as NanoEMS™. This process involved creating microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) directly within the metal interconnect layers of a standard CMOS wafer. This approach was designed to be quicker and more cost-effective, potentially reducing MEMS fabrication costs by up to two-thirds compared to conventional methods that build structures on the wafer's surface.

The core of Baolab's business was its NanoEMS™ technology, which allowed for the monolithic integration of MEMS sensors with the chip's analog and digital electronics. This technique used standard CMOS manufacturing lines, etching away the Inter Metal Dielectric (IMD) with vapour HF to form the mechanical structures. This method enabled the creation of devices with feature sizes down to 200 nanometers, an order of magnitude smaller than typical MEMS at the time. The primary benefits included smaller device size, lower power consumption, and the ability to produce multiple sensors on a single chip cost-effectively. Baolab's product portfolio was set to include discrete MEMS like RF switches, digital accelerometers, gyroscopes, and an electronic 3-axis compass, targeting applications in motion sensing, mobile handsets, NFC, and consumer electronics.

A key milestone for the company was in early 2012, when CEO Dave Doyle announced the move from lab-to-fab, indicating that the technology was reliable, scalable, and ready for volume production. Baolab began offering evaluation kits for its 3D NanoCompass™ product to customers at this time. The company's business model appeared to be fabless, focusing on the design and licensing of its technology while leveraging existing CMOS foundries for manufacturing. Despite these developments, Baolab Microsystems eventually ceased operations and is now considered a deadpooled company. Following its closure, former executives of Baolab went on to found Nanusens in 2014, a company that also develops CMOS-based MEMS.

Keywords: NanoEMS, CMOS MEMS, semiconductor, fabless, sensor technology, MEMS fabrication, Lorentz force sensor, 3D digital compass, RF switches, motion sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, nanoscale MEMS, consumer electronics sensors, mobile device components, Terrassa Spain, Dave Doyle, integrated sensors, monolithic integration, vapor HF etching