Sand 9

Sand 9 operated as a fabless micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) company, positioning itself to disrupt the market for timing devices traditionally dominated by quartz crystals. The company was founded in 2007 as a spin-out from Boston University by physicist Pritiraj Mohanty, the inventor of its core technology, and Matt Crowley, who was the former director of the university's technology development fund. Their shared vision was to engineer timing products that offered a superior price-to-performance ratio for core markets.

The firm's business model was centered on a fabless manufacturing strategy, partnering with semiconductor foundry GLOBALFOUNDRIES for production. This approach allowed Sand 9 to focus on design and innovation without the heavy capital expenditure of maintaining its own fabrication facilities. The company targeted its products at a wide array of sectors including mobile and wireless devices, communications infrastructure, industrial, and military applications. Revenue generation would have been based on the sale of its MEMS timing products to manufacturers and semiconductor companies. The company raised significant venture capital, approximately $66 million, from notable investors such as Intel Capital, Flybridge Capital Partners, Khosla Ventures, and Ericsson to fund its research, development, and commercialization efforts.

Sand 9's core offering was its piezoelectric MEMS resonator technology, which served as an alternative to quartz timing devices. This technology utilized aluminum nitride, a thin film compatible with standard semiconductor fabrication, to create silicon-based MEMS products that were smaller and could be directly integrated or co-packaged with standard semiconductor ICs. Key products included the TM061 and TM361, launched in September 2013 for the Internet of Things and mobile device markets, and the TM651, a high-precision oscillator for more demanding applications in communications and defense. The primary benefit was the potential to simplify system design, reduce the number of components, and save space in electronic devices. Despite its technological advancements and securing over 80 patents, Sand 9 faced technical and market challenges. In June 2015, after key executives had departed, the company ceased independent operations and was acquired by Analog Devices Inc.

Keywords: MEMS timing, piezoelectric resonator, quartz alternative, fabless semiconductor, timing devices, aluminum nitride, micro-electromechanical systems, wireless timing, mobile timing solutions, MEMS oscillator, GLOBALFOUNDRIES partner, Pritiraj Mohanty, Matt Crowley, Vince Graziani, Analog Devices acquisition, silicon timing, temperature compensated oscillator, Internet of Things components