PRESS RELEASE: January 8, 2004
MEMX Receives $97,000 SBIR Phase I Award from the NIH for Research Program in Ophthalmic Adaptive Optics


ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- The National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded MEMX, Inc. a $97,000 SBIR Phase I research grant to design and deliver a low cost, MEMS-based wavefront correction device for use in ophthalmic adaptive optics systems. MEMX will leverage the most sophisticated surface micromachining technology available today to design and deliver a MEMS wavefront correction chip that addresses all of the requirements specified by the vision science community. Dr. David Williams from the University of Rochester, a leading vision science researcher and pioneer in ophthalmic adaptive optics, will work alongside the MEMX team during the research program.
The innovative research program employs the world’s most sophisticated surface micromachining technology (SUMMiT V) to bury low voltage electrostatic actuators underneath a multi-level reinforced polysilicon mirror. In traditional segmented arrays, each mirror segment has three actuators to provide full tip, tilt, and piston control of the mirror surface. In such designs, an array with N segments will have 3N actuators to drive those segments. The MEMX scheme to be pursued in this research program is fundamentally different in that N segments can be driven by N actuators, with only a minor reduction in residual wavefront error. We believe the SUMMiT V technology is sophisticated enough to permit us to design and fabricate such an array, and we are eager to investigate this promising path. Reducing the number of actuators is important because it reduces the chip interconnect density and also reduces the off-chip electronics package.
This program will deliver an order of magnitude improvement in the ability to image the retina, and as such will dramatically increase knowledge of retinal structures and performance. Enhanced capabilities in fundus imaging will enable earlier detection of disease, better measurement of treatment effectiveness, and improved treatment techniques for a host of retinal diseases. These improved imaging capabilities will be an invaluable tool in the hands of ophthalmologists as they strive to limit the suffering of persons with vision disabilities and help prevent the loss of sight in significant segments of the population. Commercial ophthalmic equipment suppliers will be able to deliver high performance systems to the practitioner that deliver real-time, high resolution images for diagnostic purposes and allow prospective patients to preview the results of wavefront-guided custom ablation LASIK surgery. The ophthalmic market for low cost wavefront correction devices, once such devices are available, is projected to be at least $20M per year.
MEMX is a broad-based MEMS company pursuing a variety of high value commercial and government products. MEMX was founded in October 2000 and possesses the world's most advanced MEMS capability. The MEMX technical team spent ten years at Sandia National Laboratories developing and perfecting the revolutionary SUMMiT V MEMS technology. Our business focuses on design, fabrication, packaging, test and qualification of MEMS-based products, and we typically partner with others to integrate the chips into high value systems and products. To find out more about this technology and the company behind it, please visit our website at www.memx.com.