A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics and Petroleum Geo-Services to develop Novel Sensor Technology for Seismic Survey

Singapore has a vibrant ecosystem in the Oil and Gas Industry with the presence of first tier companies in oilfield services and downhole systems, offshore and subsea system and marine vessel design and engineering. The Rugged Electronics programme, led by IME, aims to develop sensors, packaging, telemetry, non-volatile memory and integrated circuit solutions for extreme high pressure and temperature relevant to oil well exploration.

The partnership with PGS will leverage IME’s breadth of integrated capabilities in sensor design, fabrication, test and signal conditioning electronics design to develop high sensitivity, high resolution and low power sensor designs which are of one to two orders of magnitude better than current state-of-the-art. This will enable PGS to explore deeper oil and gas reserves and provide better results to its customers.

“This collaboration demonstrates the diverse industrial applicability of our research.” commented Professor Dim-Lee Kwong, Executive Director of IME. “We have a strong programme in Rugged Electronics for development of sensor, packaging and electronics technologies for oil and gas applications, which will help PGS address their challenges and deliver impactful solutions to the oil and gas industry.”

“IME has a strong track record in microelectronics capabilities and has developed inertial sensors for many applications,” said Rune Tenghamn, VP, Innovation & Business Development of PGS. “This partnership enables us to gain new technological capabilities that will take our service offering to a higher level of performance.”
About the Institute of Microelectronics (IME)

The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) is a research institute of the Science and Engineering Research Council of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Positioned to bridge the R&D between academia and industry, IME's mission is to add value to Singapore's semiconductor industry by developing strategic competencies, innovative technologies and intellectual property; enabling enterprises to be technologically competitive; and cultivating a technology talent pool to inject new knowledge to the industry. Its key research areas are in integrated circuits design, advanced packaging, bioelectronics and medical devices, MEMS, nanoelectronics, and photonics.
About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is the lead agency for fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based and innovation-driven Singapore. A*STAR oversees 14 biomedical sciences, and physical sciences and engineering research institutes, and seven consortia & centre, which are located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis, as well as their immediate vicinity. A*STAR supports Singapore's key economic clusters by providing intellectual, human and industrial capital to its partners in industry. It also supports extramural research in the universities, hospitals, research centres, and with other local and international partners.
About Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS)

Petroleum Geo-Services (OSE:PGS) offers a broad range of products including; seismic and electromagnetic services, data acquisition, processing, reservoir analysis/interpretation and multi-client library data. We help oil companies to find oil and gas reserves offshore worldwide. PGS has a presence in over 25 countries with regional centers in London, Houston and Singapore. Our headquarters is in Oslo, Norway and the PGS share is listed on the Oslo stock exchange (OSE:PGS).
Media Contact

Cindy Chew
Institute of Microelectronics
DID: +65 6770 5375
Email: chewwfc@ime.a-star.edu.sg