MEMS contract manufacturing by the world market leader Access to 20 years of process know-how

· MEMS contract manufacturing to Bosch quality standards

· Bosch know-how as basis for comprehensive foundry service

· Rapid ramp-up from prototype to mass-production

With its MEMS, Bosch continues to hold the uncontested position of world market leader for micromechanical sensors. What is less well known is that, since 2001, “fabless companies” have also been making use of the Stuttgart-based company’s MEMS manufacturing technology, which has been perfected over two decades. These many years of experience provide a solid foundation for high quality, and are a guarantee of reliable operation – whether in the automobile or in consumer electronics. MEMS start-ups can also turn to the foundry. They might do so once sampling has been successful and their processes need adjusting to industrial-scale mass-production. Fears that trade secrets might be given away are unfounded: dealing responsibly with sensitive project data is everyday routine for Bosch. If it were not, Bosch would never have become the world’s largest supplier to nearly every automaker.

For Bosch, the core of its MEMS foundry service is its competent continuation of a process development started by the customer, its short ramp-up times, and its just-in-time production. Anyone taking advantage of this competence will usually receive their MEMS components on six-or eight-inch wafers for further processing. On request, however, Bosch can do more, providing support in the process development phase. Bosch know-how can also help once the wafers have been produced. It offers services such as testing the finished wafers, integrating CMOS evaluation electronics on the MEMS chip, or subsequently separating the wafers into chips and packaging them.

Since production began in 1995, Bosch has manufactured well over one billion MEMS components at its Reutlingen plant. Its position as world market leader was also confirmed by an analysis conducted by the market observer iSuppli in March 2009: with its MEMS sensors for the automotive industry, Bosch currently generates more sales than its two closest rivals together. For its innovative further development of MEMS production technology Bosch has won prestigious awards, most recently the German Future Prize, Federal President’s Award for Technology and Innovation 2008.

Readers’ contact:
Thomas Koch
Phone +49 7121 35-39632


The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 280,000 associates generated sales of 45.1 billion euros in fiscal 2008. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 300 subsidiaries and regional companies in over 60 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Each year, Bosch spends more than 3.5 billion euros, or eight percent of its sales revenue, for research and development, and applies for over 3,000 patents worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial.

The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.

Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com.