Visit to Sentron Millar in Leek and exchange between business and knowledge institutions
On Monday, Nov. 3, the third session of the ICD Focus Group High-tech Sensoring was held. This meeting was held at Sentron Millar in Leek, a leading sensor developer in the northern Netherlands. The day was dedicated to deepening knowledge, exchanging innovation questions and strengthening the regional high-tech ecosystem.
Development of MEMS sensors in medical applications
Host Erik Hartholt, director of Sentron Millar, opened the session. He presented the latest developments on MEMS sensors. These sensors are used in such medical devices as catheters for pH and pressure measurements.
Sentron carries a complete range of these sensors and is working on further miniaturization. This will allow the sensors to be used even more accurately and patient-friendly in the future.
Sensor science at the interface of science and technology
Next, shared Willem Jellema by SRON his expertise. Jellema works both as a senior systems architect within SRON and as a lecturer at the University of Groningen.
He outlined how sensorics are used for Earth and space observations. These sensors must operate under extreme conditions, including very low temperatures and strong radiation.
The cooperation between the RUG, ESA and NASA shows that the northern Netherlands plays an important role in international space research technology.
Tour of cleanrooms in Leek
The program concluded with a tour of Sentron Millar's cleanrooms. The company has its own wafer fabrication facility for 3-inch wafers. This is a unique combination of processes in the region.
This autonomous production capacity gives Sentron Millar a strong position in the international high-performance sensor market.
Looking ahead: cooperation will continue into 2026
At the end of the meeting, the focus group agreed to organize new sessions in 2026 as well. This will maintain space for knowledge sharing, technology exploration and joint innovation.
A total of 12 companies and 3 knowledge institutions are now participating. This underlines the growing strength of the high-tech ecosystem in the Northern Netherlands and the role of the ICD as a connecting platform.
