Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) recently announced that it has taken a further step in accelerating the development of the sensor industry in Hong Kong by setting up a new Sensor Lab at Hong Kong Science Park.
The new laboratory offers dedicated cleanroom facilities, equipment and tools that will assist partner companies in carrying out design and piloting production trials and testing for sensor prototypes.
The first partner company of the Sensor Lab is a Kong-based start-up that is developing thermal imaging sensors for commercial application. The partnership with HKSTP is expected to spread awareness of their experiments on the next generation of their signature product, SenXorTM.
Currently, there is a strong growth momentum in the use of small and sophisticated sensors into different technology areas such as AI, robotics and IoT, driving many emerging applications in various industries, from advanced manufacturing to healthcare.
In the development cycles of these sensors, the pilot run of design, prototyping and testing are critical, before moving on to the final production.
To support the pilot run of the entire sensor development cycle, the Sensor Lab provides a shared class 100 and class 1000 cleanroom, equipped with a range of hardware and software tools to allow basic processing steps in micro/ nano sensor development, such as deposition, lithography, etching, packaging and characterisation.
In addition, HKSTP is partnering with the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and Genvida to provide R&D technical support that will drive co-development of advanced sensor technologies.
The CEO of HKSTP stated that Hong Kong is going through a new era of re-industrialisation, with a strong focus on advanced manufacturing. This, in turn, is fostering the rapid growth of the micro/nano sensor industry. While Science Park has been playing the role of a living laboratory to test sensor technologies in real-world environments with its Sensor Hub initiative, the Park is now stepping up to provide a fuller range of infrastructure, tools and support services via the Sensor Lab.
This facility is dedicated to accelerating the R&D and pilot production capabilities of the Park’s start-ups and SMEs for new sensor products in Hong Kong. The move is expected to both nurture the growing sensor community at the Park and empower their collaborations and co-creation to achieve even more success.
The sensor tech firm is incubatee in Science Park is the first partner company of the Sensor Lab to have gained remarkable R&D progress, as a result of utilising the facility. They have set up their Hong Kong office in Science Park specifically for the availability of cleanroom facilities, as well as business advice from mentors and incubation funding support.
The Co-founder of the start-up noted that the well-equipped cleanroom in the Sensor Lab was a strong pulling factor driving us to set foot in Science Park, allowing the start-up to focus its time and resources on R&D. So far, the firm has achieved many successful experiments in Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) and Wafer Level Vacuum Packaging processes. HKSTP provides the firm with the right, especially the high calibre I&T talents who graduated from local universities here.
