Sensonor

SensoNor AS, located in Horten, Norway, develops, produces and sells sensors and microsystems for high-volume applications worldwide. The company has delivered more than 35 million airbag crash sensors to the automotive market and is now in high-volume delivery position with its new tyre-pressure sensor product line. The company is a world-wide market leader in this new automotive sensor area. In addition, the company has developed and currently produces angular rate sensors for automotive safety applications.

The background for SensoNor's achievements in the sensor market dates back to industrial research on silicon devices in the early 70's in Norway. The first micromachined silicon beam devices were developed in the 60's and micromachined diaphragm pressure sensors in the 70's. Research on micromachined accelerometers began in 1982 and SensoNor was established as a company in 1985 to commercially exploit this work. In the meantime SensoNor has grown to more than 230 employees, including approximately 100 graduate engineers. The R&D group (60 persons are engaged into the following technical areas: Front-end technology development, Back-end technology development, ASIC development, microsystem simulation / modelling, design, and prototyping. SensoNor's technology platform consists of a modern, well-equipped waferfab (100 and 150 mm) with state-of-the-art process equipment, and an advanced back-end production line featuring automated leadframe assembly of sensors and ASICs, epoxy-molded encapsulation and testing.

SensoNor started up manufacturing services in silicon microsystems in 1997, offering a manufacturing infrastructure certified to QS9000 and focused on microsystems based on bulk micromachining of silicon and glass. The bulk micromachining process sequences developed at SensoNor have a great potential for design of new devices. The SensoNor technology is a 2 µm flexible silicon planar technology with high versatility developed for processing its traditional pressure and inertial sensor products. Recently the technology has proven its usefulness in entirely new segments.