Kionix, Inc. was a manufacturer of MEMS inertial sensors.Sales Offices . Kionix. Formerly headquartered in Ithaca, New York, United States, the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of ROHM Co., Ltd. of Japan. Kionix developed high-aspect-ratio silicon micromachining based on research originally conducted at Cornell University. The company offered inertial sensors, development tools and application support to enable motion-based gaming; user-interface functionality in mobile handsets, personal navigation and TV remote controllers; and hard-disk-drive drop protection in mobile products. The company's MEMS products are also used in the automotive, industrial and health-care sectors. Kionix is ISO 9001:2008 and TS16949 registered."Kionix Introduces New Accelerometers Optimized for Mobile Handsets and Tablets." . Kionix. June 7, 2011.
History Founded in 1993, Kionix supplied silicon microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometer products.Eloy, JC. "MEMS industry evolution: from devices to function." . Yole Developpement. 2010. Kionix introduced a tri-axis accelerometer in a small form-factor package.
In November, 2009, ROHM Co., Ltd. of Japan acquired Kionix.Happich, Julien. "Kionix to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Rohm.". EETimes. October 13, 2009.
As of April 1, 2026, ROHM has exited the MEMS accelerometer market and as a result no Kionix-branded chips remain in production."Rohm Semiconductor Sensors & MEMS". ROHM Co., Ltd. April 1, 2026."Kionix Accelerometers (Obsolete)". DigiKey. April 1, 2026."Kionix Product Discontinuation Notice". Mouser. April 25, 2025. The former headquarters of Kionix in Ithaca, NY is now owned and operated by Menlo Micro of Irvine, California, United States.Mack, Jacob. "Menlo Micro, Micron represent opportunity for Ithaca's manufacturing workforce to grow.". Ithaca Journal. March 4, 2024.
Products
Kionix supplied MEMS devices including tri-axis accelerometers and gyroscopes along with the mixed-signal-interface integrated circuits that provide algorithm processing of sensor data. Its products and technologies included: Accelerometers with one, two, or three axes; low-g or mid-g ranges Angular rate sensors about the x, y, or z axis Power management options and self-test features Small form-factor, industry-standard packaging Digital (I2C and SPI) interfaces and/or analog outputs Programmable motion interrupts, temperature compensation, gain, offset, bandwidth Embedded algorithms Lead-free solderability and RoHS compliantAccelerometer Product Catalog . Kionix. Accessed July 28, 2011.
Quality standards Kionix achieved ISO registration in FY2000 and upgraded to ISO 9001:2000 in May 2003, and certified to ISO9001:2008 in April 2009.Kionix Quality System . Kionix. Accessed July 28, 2011.
The company achieved ISO/TS 16949 registration in July 2005 and upgraded to ISO/TS16949:2009 in April, 2011.
Manufacturing facilities Kionix sensors were designed, manufactured, and tested at Kionix headquarters in Ithaca, NY. The ASICs used in Kionix accelerometers were designed in Ithaca and fabricated elsewhere in the US. Wafers of sensor die and ASIC die were shipped from Ithaca to packaging houses in Asia, where the final product is created. At the packaging houses, the wafers of sensor die and ASIC die were diced into individual units, fastened one each to a lead frame, and wire-bonded together. Liquefied plastic was then squeezed into the frame and, once set, each part was cut from its construction housing. Lastly, the company logo and part number were silk-screened onto each part. Finished parts were returned to Ithaca for testing and programming.
Locations Sales offices:. Kionix. Accessed July 26, 2011. Ithaca, New York Chicago, Illinois Campbell, California Kowloon, Hong Kong Shanghai, China Tokyo, Japan Seoul, South Korea Singapore Taipei City, Taiwan
Distributors: . Kionix. Accessed July 26, 2011. Mouser Electronics, United States Actrontek International Co., Ltd, China & Hong Kong STAV, Korea Seraphim Engineering Co., Ltd., Taiwan Willow Technologies Limited, United Kingdom/Europe
Philanthropy Kionix provided financial support and gifts in kind to educational and access-to-education programs in Ithaca and the surrounding communities. Recipients included: . Kionix. Accessed July 30, 2011. IPEI Code Red Robotics The Museum of the Earth The Sciencenter American Red Cross
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