THE PROGRAMMABLE MEMS MOVEMENT
The Story Behind a Technology that’s Changing History
20 years of research, breakthroughs, and innovations
1989
BEGINNINGS OF A REVOLUTION
The first time a silicon motor was shown to be feasible was in Berkeley, California. This laboratory break-through heralded the dawn of a new field of tech research.
1990
ACADEMIC RESEARCH
Research into MEMS (Micro-Electromechanical Systems) is structured in France. The CNRS sets-up the joint Franco-Japanese project LIMMS (Laboratory for Integrated Micro Mechatronic Systems) at the Univesity of Tokyo.
1996
FIRST SILICON MOTOR
Patrice Minotti and french researchers at LIMMS created the first silicon electrostatic micro-motor, 10,000 times superior to the Berkeley model.
1997
SPECIALIST RESEARCH
Back in France, Patrice Minotti and its research team continued their academic work at the Institut des Microtechnologies de Besançon, which went on to become the FEMTO-ST laboratory.
2003
CREATION OF SILMACH
The team of researchers, led by Patrice Minotti, the inventor of the technology, founded SilMach with the goal of mass-producing their silicium micro-motor in the historic French watchmaking capital. After many years under development, this technology has come to life.
2013
MASTERING MICROELECTRONICS MANUFACTURING
CMOS foundries started using microelectronic manufacturing processes to produce high-voltage integrated circuits tailored to meet the market’s demanding energy consumption requirements.
2018
Industrial production
Creation of the TiMach subsidiary, a joint venture with the Timex watchmaking group, which contributes its know-how in industrial watch production.
This industrial project was made possible by support from the European fund FEDER as part of the NEXTWATCH project and the valuable collaboration of SilMach’s partners.
2020
TECHNOLOGICAL SHIFT
At the beginning of 2020, SilMach broke new ground by developing high-speed hybridisation processes that means that the Silicium Machinery can be integrated with a level of precision of +/- 3 microns.
2023
CHAPTER 1
SilMach launches the first watch powered by MEMS technology. A real demonstrator of the potential of this new type of quartz movement, produced and assembled in Besançon.
2024
Introduced at CES® 2024 and awarded “BEST OF INNOVATION”.
MEMS micromotor technology wins “Best Of Innovation ‘*, the highest distinction at the CES® 2024 Innovation Awards in the ’Embedded Technologies” category. This is the utmost recognition for our technology and our pioneering spirit from the world’s biggest technology event.
CHAPTER 2
The new THE TIME CHANGER watch, the fruit of a collaboration between SilMach’s MEMS engineers and watch designer Alain Silberstein, is presented at the WE LOVE WATCHES event in Paris on October 12, 2024.