26 May 2014

DelfMEMS raises €5.4m in round-C funding

DelfMEMS of Villeneuve d’Ascq, France, which develops RF MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) switching solutions in radio-frequency (RF) communications (targeting next-generation multi-standard, multi-mode, mobile telephony) has secured €5.4m ($7.4m) in round C funding from FSN PME – le Fonds Ambition Numérique (managed by bpifrance Investissement, in the context of the Programme d’Investissements d’Avenir), together with Iris Capital, VIVES, Capitalaria, and existing investors (A2D Invest, Finovam, Rhône-Alpes-Création, Eurekap!, Helea Financiere and business angels).

The new funding will enable DelfMEMS to accelerate industrialization of its products, supporting its growth in next-generation, wireless front-end modules for mobile devices such as smart-phones and tablets that need multi-standard, multi-mode mobile telephony.

The move to multiple wireless standards to meet the requirement of always-on data access is creating the need for high-speed RF switching. DelfMEMS says that its technology uses a new, integrated, micro-mechanical building block based on a strong, totally new IP portfolio that includes seven key patents. The switch is an anchorless and push-pull mechanical device that is deflected by electrostatic forces to switch RF signals based on the principle of current electro-mechanical relays/switches. The firm claims that it solves past issues and improves insertion loss, linearity, integration, hot switching behavior, switching time and power consumption to simplify RF architectures.

DelfMEMS says that benefits of its RF MEMS switches include improved receiver sensitivity, leading to fewer dropped calls and better call quality together with optimal carrier aggregation switching for massively improved data rates. Combined with high levels of RF integration, this also results in a lower bill-of-materials cost for the RF front-end module, and significantly longer battery life by reducing the RF module’s power consumption by up to 20%.

“The progress that we have made in turning RF MEMS switches into reality has really impressed our investors,” claims CEO Guillaume d’Eyssautier. “The test silicon has shown that we have cracked the problems that have caused many MEMS companies to fall by the roadside… We will have samples for customers to evaluate in a few weeks,” he adds. The latest round of financing will be used to consolidate the organization and be ready for production ramp-up by the end of 2014.

DelfMEMS is exhibiting in booth 245 at the 2014 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS) in Tampa Bay, FL, USA (1-6 June).

Tags: MEMS

Visit: www.delfmems.com