History
For 30 years we have been supplying customers with accurate and reliable MEMS piezoresistive pressure sensors. Here’s a quick recap of our history:
In 1991 Fred Lampropoulos, Chairman and CEO of Merit Medical Systems, founded Sentir Semiconductor. The company’s first pressure sensor was qualified for production in 1993, and in 1997 the company’s annual sensor sales surpassed 1 million.
In 1999 Sentir Semiconductor was vertically integrated with Merit Medical, and in 2002 the name Sentir Semiconductor was changed to Merit Sensor Systems. In 2004 the building of a new and improved facility on the Merit Medical campus commenced, including a class 100 (ISO 5) cleanroom for wafer fabrication, commonly known in the industry as a fab.
Today, Merit Sensor continues to provide pressure sensors to its parent company. However, Merit Sensor serves many other customers from various industries around the world. With its own wafer fab and calibration equipment on site, Merit Sensor has been able to support a wide variety of market demands.
Whether the industry be transportation, industrial, medical, aerospace, or consumer, Merit Sensor provides products for accurate and reliable measurement of pressure.
Capabilities
We design and manufacture MEMS silicon dies that measure pressure from 0 to 15,000 psi in sensing environments from -40 to 150 °C. Our pressure-sensor dies are available in absolute, gauge, vacuum, and diferential configurations.
We also design and manufacture various pressure-sensor packages for integration into the applications of our customers. Some examples of our packaged sensors are the fully compensated TR Series, ideal for mass production in the automotive industry; the passively compensated BP Series, ideal for the room-temperature environment of medical devices; and the uncompensated RS Series, ideal for soldering and later calibrating on a control board.
In addition to our standard products designed for various applications, we also customize products to meet the specific needs of our customers (e.g., sensitivity, resistance, calibration). If the requirements are feasible and the NRE payment is sufficient, we will work closely with those customers who require a customized sensor.
Having a wafer fab on site allows us to closely monitor and control our processes and ensure that high-quality parts are produced.* All of our products are RoHS and REACH compliant and AEC-Q100 compliant. But even if issues do arise, we are committed to quality and customer service. We will provide our customers with solutions.
*Mission Statement: Merit Sensor Systems will design and manufacture quality products, specifically silicon-based sensors and micromachined components for the OEM and private label market. This will be accomplished by market focus, education, innovation, quality, and service.
Management
Rick E. Russell – President
Rick joined Merit Sensor in October of 2009. Rick has over 20 years of experience managing sales and business development, including 15 years developing new business for MEMS devices in industries that include aerospace, automotive, consumer, industrial and medical.
Rick has studied mathematics and computer science at Eastern Michigan University and received an engineering degree from Lawrence Technological University (BSEE). In addition, Rick has written and presented several papers/articles on 3D MEMS technology.
Scott R. Sidwell – Sales & Business Development – Americas
Scott joined Merit Sensor in September of 2003. Previous to working for Merit Sensor, he served in a variety of engineering capacities with semiconductor companies, such as ON Semiconductor and Motorola. In his current role he works closely with customers to develop custom sensor solutions and provide technical support.
Scott received an engineering degree (ChemE) and MBA from Brigham Young University. He enjoys volunteering his time and is fluent in Spanish.
Luca Salmaso – Sales & Business Development – EMEA, Russia, and India
Luca joined Merit Sensor in December of 2013. He has over 10 years of experience in the pressure-measurement industry, including 6 years managing worldwide sales. Prior to his position in sales Luca led an engineering department, where he dealt with packaging processes, piezoresistive and capacitive technologies on ceramic, and MEMS for applications in automotive, industrial, and medical industries.
Luca has a technical background and received an engineering degree in microelectronics at Technological University of Yverdon-Les-Bains (Switzerland). He is located at the Merit Sensor European office at the World Trade Center in Lugano, Switzerland. He enjoys travelling and is fluent in 4 languages: German, French, English, and Italian (mother tongue).
Eddie Ma – Sales & Business Development – APAC
Eddie joined Merit Sensor in September 2018. He has 17 years of sales experience in electronic components in the APAC region, including 10 years of managing distribution channels, especially in China. He has worked closely with distributors and key customers from multinational corporations to develop customized solutions and provide technical support.
Eddie received an engineering degree in mechatronics engineering from City University of Hong Kong and a master’s degree in automation and computer-aided engineering from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Shiva Pallinti – Engineering
Shiva joined Merit Sensor in 2006 as an intern and soon became a process engineer, where he was an integral part of transferring the company’s wafer fab from California to our current facility in Utah. During his time with the company, he has also worked as a new-product-development engineer and engineering manager. He played a major role in the successful establishment of a new on-site production line for 150 mm (6-inch) wafers. His current title is Director of Engineering. In this role he will continue to oversee all efforts in our wafer fab and will work closely with customers on design inputs for MEMS sensing elements.
Shiva holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from India and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah.
Aaron Olson – Operations
Aaron joined Merit Sensor after working for more than 10 years with IM Flash Technologies as an engineer and senior program manager. He is responsible for all Merit Sensor operations that pertain to production, purchasing, planning, logistics, scrap/lean, and maintenance engineering.
Aaron is a certified Program Management Professional (PMP) with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University. He also holds master’s degrees in industrial engineering and business administration (MBA), both from Arizona State University.
Chase Winegar – Quality
Chase joined Merit Sensor in 2009 as an engineering intern and soon after was offered a full time position as a Process Engineer. After spending three years as a process engineer Chase was promoted and transitioned into the Quality Engineering position that he currently holds. Chase enjoys working closely with customers and suppliers on quality issues.
Chase received an engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering (BS) from the University of Utah and an MBA from the University of Utah, David Eccles School of Business.
Chris London – Marketing and Communications
Chris joined Merit Sensor in February 2017. He comes from the medical-device industry, where he worked for almost 12 years supporting R&D, operations, quality, regulatory, and marketing. He brings with him experience in copywriting, technical writing, and editing for various types of end users and customers.
Chris has a bachelor’s degree in English from Weber State University and a master’s degree in communication from Westminster College. He speaks Spanish and enjoys working with colleagues and customers around the world.
Careers
Current Openings
Compensation
Merit Sensor believes employees should be financially rewarded based on their experience, qualifications, skills, and contributions to the success of the company. Employees work together to achieve outstanding levels of professionalism, performance, and quality. Merit Sensor is dedicated to building and nurturing successful relationships between employees, management, and customers. Employee performance is evaluated regularly to provide a beneficial forum for positive and constructive feedback, employee training and career development, and enhanced communication among employees and managers.
Benefits
Merit Sensor offers a comprehensive and competitive package of benefits to its employees. The following benefits are offered:
- Medical and Dental Insurance
- Group Life Insurance
- 401(k) Plan
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Employee Wellness Initiatives
- Employee Sub for Santa Program
- Annual Employee Golf Tournament
- Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
- 125 Cafeteria (Flexible Spending) Plan
- Paid Time Off (vacation, sick leave, and holiday)
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Employee and Family Activities
- Free Employee Flu Shots
Merit Sensor and Merit Medical take pride in supporting the communities in which their employees live and work.
Merit Sensor is a subsidiary of Merit Medical Systems
