Zyvex Corporation and Standard MEMS, Inc. today announced the award of a $25 million, five-year, cost-shared NIST Advanced Technology Program. Under this National Institute of Standards and Technology program, Zyvex, along with its joint venture partner Standard MEMS, Inc. and university collaborators Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Center for Automation Technologies, the University of Texas at Dallas, and the University of North Texas will accelerate the production and commercialization of low-cost assemblers for micro- and nanoscale components and subsystems.

The NIST project will develop prototype microscale assemblers using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), extend the capabilities to nanometer geometries, and develop nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) for prototype nanoscale assemblers. The program is structured to develop systems providing highly parallel microassembly and nanoassembly for real-world, high-volume applications. Zyvex proposed the NIST ATP project in order to accelerate the technical, economic, and societal benefits of nanotechnology and to assist the United States in maintaining a leadership position in the emerging nanotechnology era.