MEMS for a watches

Abstract

In order to make new mechanical watch movements possible as well as adding new functions to wristwatches, MEMS, UV-LIGA, and silicon micromachining have become indispensable technologies in the watch industries. Examples presented here are deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of silicon gears, SU-8 based UV-LIGA and MEMS based pressure and magnetic sensors. This article provides a brief overview of some recent commercialized technologies in Switzerland.