frec'n'sys, the beginning

frec'n'sys designs, fabricates and commercializes passive RF components based on elastic wave transducers and acoustic vibrations. Created officially in early 2013 after one and half year growth in the innovative Company Incubator of Franche-Comté, frec'n'sys (Frequency Components and Systems) finds its roots partly in the FEMTO-ST Institute - Besançon, where the company's CEO has been working for more tan 20 years.

The creation of frec'n'sys was initiated in 2011 and set on the track after a 1½ year incubator/training period. The company now is composed of 5 team members covering all the short-term needs of the company (Production, R&D, Computer Resources and Business). 

 

The company, is exploiting technological equipments for the fabrication of surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators, filters and sensors addressing all applications requiring such components. This technology platform is equipped with high-precision non-contact lithography machines, thin layer deposition and surface micro-machining facilities (wet and dry – plasma aided – etching) and several characterization set-ups. This technology allows frec|n|sys for managing prototype and small series fabrication but its ambitions push to acquire more experience for producing larger series.

 

In that context, the company develops new competences in the field of MEMS, particularly for the fabrication of composite materials combining piezoelectric thinned wafers bounded to any single crystal wafer. This activity is developed in close collaboration with FEMTO-ST. The company benefits from a solid experience in the design and fabrication of such devices for prototyping and small series. The theoretical design and analysis tools it uses for developing its activity are unique and enable one to address almost any wave guide configuration. frec|n|sys also currently integrates facilities and know-how for on-trench ferroelectric domain engineering using LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 substrates for both RF and optics markets and acts as a foundry for non-standard materials and related technologies.

 

More specifically, the company dedicates a strong R&D effort for the development of battery-less and wireless sensors capable to operate under very harsh environment, particularly high temperature conditions with a target at 1000°C. In that pursuit, the company exploits results based on SAW sensors designed to operate above 500°C (700°C demonstrated) for which a new solution for sensor/antenna assembly has been developed and protected (result of European project SAWHOT).