The Israeli startup reports it has shipped engineering samples of its single, gimbaled mirror that oscillates in two dimensions to some ten companies across different markets and geographies, targeting projection applications from pico projectors to gesture recognition and head mounted displays. Maradin’s VP of marketing Itamar Berchman says the company’s two dimensional movement on its single gimbaled mirror will provide a better quality picture at lower cost, as its strong separate actuation methods for the horizontal and the vertical directions allow lower resonant frequency, enabling faster scanning for higher resolution imaging–and allow the use of low cost non-hermetic packaging. The use of plastic parts can reportedly save a significant amount towards the ~$20 estimated target light engine cost needed to drive cell phone adoption of embedded projectors. That’s the price target a few years out for a light engine with MEMS scanning mirror, RGB lasers and related driver and video processor electronics, assuming direct green lasers will ramp to volume production and get costs down. Currently green laser output is obtained by a relatively costly system of doubling the frequency of an infrared laser. The scanning mirror is assembled with a relatively complex controller ASIC, developed with Singapore’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME), and an electromagnetic actuator in an optical chamber, for a <0.5cm3 chip set. An electromagnetic actuator, with rotating magnets around the mirror, drives a step and scan vertical scanning system, allowing the more conventional comb-drive electrostatic resonating actuator to drive straight, parallel-line bi-directional interlaced scanning, instead of the more typical scissors pattern with retrace. Maradin says this allows the resonant frequency to be cut in half, making it much easier to get mirror rotation up to the speeds needed for higher resolution images. Closed loop controls for each of the two axes compensate for changes in temperature, and for the variations in MEMS performance from variability in manufacturing. The initial scanner is designed to project a WVGA/SVGA image at a 30- Hz refresh rate with 85% optical efficiency. It does mean, however, that the system needs to integrate mechanical components of magnetic coils and rotating magnets. Berchman says at least three major green laser makers are now sampling products and targeting production in the second half of 2012, and say they expect to meet cost targets of a few dollars for the $20 target module –but that depends of course on ramping volume production. With low cost green lasers likely actually on the horizon this time, lots of pico projector players are considering the technology. ‘We’re seeing lots of interest now from first row DLP and LCOS players who’re starting to explore laser solutions,” says Berchman. “Once the green lasers are available we expect the pico projection solution to become MEMS and lasers.” Maradin has agreements with foundries in place, is finishing up its ASIC design and expects to have first reference designs out early next year, ready for production by the end of 2Q, once the green lasers are available and demand develops. Target customers are ODMs and OEMs who will develop their own light engines. Most likely to be involved are the integrators already in the projector subsystem market, who will likely continue to integrate the MEMS devices with the laser components, optics, drivers and power management. Initial market for the projector may be sensing or gesture recognition applications for gaming, using IR instead of visible lasers. “It’s a hot market willing to pay a premium,” notes Maradin. There’s also interest in combining IR sensing with projection, to extend gesture control beyond the touch screen to add a third dimension of depth for more complex natural gesture control for things like Autocad software. Projector suppliers also report seeing growing interest from emerging markets in China and India for this next generation of lower cost pico projectors, for projectors in rural classrooms, or an a television alternative, and where VGA resolution is good enough. For Western markets, however, pico projectors may need to offer higher resolution to meet consumers’ rising expectations of display quality.Berchman argues that users are getting so accustomed to high resolution displays, that VGA does not seem good enough anymore. Size and power consumption will likely make it difficult for embedded units to get brightness much higher than about the 20-25 lumen range. Maradin was founded by MEMS manufacturing veterans Matan Naftali and Adi Baram who worked previously at Israeli avionics inertial sensor supplier SCD. The initial $1 million seed capital came from the Israel innovation promoting organization the Startup Factory. Swiss MEMS maker Physical Logic, whose own high end inertial development division is in Israel, later put in an additional $3 million. The Singapore-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation to promote joint R&D initiatives funded joint development of the packaging technology with the Singapore company Lynxemi.

Itamar Berchman, VP for Sales and Marketing , Maradin