Category Archives: Packaging and Testing

SEMI, the global industry association representing more than 2,000 companies in the electronics manufacturing supply chain, announced that MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) will become a SEMI Strategic Association Partner effective January 1, 2017.

Through this strategic partnership, SEMI and MSIG members will benefit from stronger consolidated representation in the MEMS and sensors segments. Members will access SEMI’s global platforms, including its SEMICON expositions and International Standards program, and MSIG’s events, including MEMS & Sensors Executive Congresses, MEMS & Sensors Technical Congress and MSIG Conference Asia. MSIG also brings member-focused initiatives, such as the TSensors initiative, as well as industry Standards and community-building to the new partnership.

“SEMI members are increasingly engaged with MEMS and sensors manufacturing,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. “The convergence of IC technology, flexible hybrid electronics (FHE), and MEMS and sensors for consumer electronics and IoT applications makes this partnership a clear win for the combined membership. The synergies between our associations will result in increased member value, a unified voice for the MEMS and sensors sector, and a strong platform for global industry collaboration. Ultimately, it will accelerate our joint strategic objectives at a global level and provide greater opportunities to advance the growth and prosperity of members.”

“Our partnership with SEMI reflects our commitment to our members, who have supported us since MSIG’s inception in 2001,” notes Karen Lightman, executive director, MEMS & Sensors Industry Group. “MSIG members will benefit from this relationship with increased access to global resources and service offerings, the expertise of a complementary industry and fast-track entry to worldwide programs. Ultimately, MSIG members will gain broader reach as they pursue new business opportunities. We are delighted to have such a capable and accomplished partner and look forward to our strategic association partnership with SEMI.”

Leading sensors and actuators companies will present the latest trends at the upcoming SEMI European MEMS Summit in Stuttgart on 15-16 September 2016.  Following 2015’s highly successful debut in Milano, the SEMI European MEMS Summit this year moves to Stuttgart. Over 250 attendees, including the industry’s global thought leaders, will discuss challenges, opportunities, and solutions.  A full capacity exhibition with representatives from the full value chain will complement the conference.

The event’s keynote presentations will feature:

  • Bosch Sensortec:  “Smart Connected MEMS Sensors – Enabler for the IoT” by Udo Gomez, CTO
  • STMicroelectronics:  “MEMS Sensors and Actuators – Opportunities and Challenges” by Benedetto Vigna, EVP and GM
  • Qorvo: “BAW and the ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ in Wireless Communication: Innovate, Ramp. Repeat” by Robert Aigner, Senior Director
  • AMKOR: “Sensor in Package – Standard Package Platform for Sensor Fusion and IoT” by Adrian Arcedera, VP

In addition to keynotes, the MEMS Summit’s exceptional speaker line-up includes presentations from ams AG, Bosch, Coventor, Fraunhofer IPMS, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IHS, Invensas, NXP, Roland Berger, STMicroelectronics, Teledyne DALSA, and Yole Developpement.  The event’s main sessions will address Market and Business, Technology, Internet of Things, Automotive, Consumer, and Wearable Electronics. Promising start-ups Innoluce, USound, Polight and Enerbee will pitch their innovative solutions in a brand new session.

The Summit benefits from strong support from within the industry including Platinum Sponsor Bosch Sensortec; Gold Sponsors ASE Group, STMicroelectronics, and SUSS MicroTec; Silver Sponsors Applied Materials, EV Group, LAM Research, and SPTS. Other sponsors include AMKOR Technology, JSR Micro, Materion, Trymax, and VAT.

For more information and registration, please visit www.semi.org/eu/EuropeanMEMSSummit

According to the latest market study released by Technavio, the global micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) market is expected to reach USD 20.26 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of nearly 12%.

This research report titled ‘Global MEMS Market 2016-2020’ provides an in-depth analysis of the market in terms of revenue and emerging market trends. To calculate the market size, the report considers revenue generated from the sales of MEMS. The report also presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of top vendors in the market, as well as other prominent vendors.

MEMS are miniaturized devices and structures that are made using the techniques of microfabrication. These combine mechanical, optical, and fluidic elements with electronics. The size of the devices can range from less than one micron up to a number of millimeters. These devices are integrated with a number of devices such as smartphones, tablets, wearables, vehicles, medical devices, and industrial devices for carrying out different types of automated functions. Consumer electronics is the largest market for MEMS. IoT will boost up the MEMS demand, as a large number of MEMS would be required for smart homes, building and industrial automation, and smart grid applications.

Technavio’s hardware and semiconductor analysts categorize the market into three major segments by end user. They are:

  • Automotive
  • Consumer electronics
  • Industrial

Global MEMS market for consumer electronic segment

The consumer electronic segment was valued at USD 5.83 billion in 2015 and will reach USD 10.84 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of over 13% during the forecast period. MEMS are integrated into consumer electronics such as smartphones, tablets, cameras, gaming consoles, and wearables. The features such as display control, motion control, navigation, and gesture recognition are enabled by MEMS. Therefore, consumer electronics are integrated with MEMS. The global MEMS market for consumer electronics will primarily be driven by the increase in demand for smartphones. This is due to the decreasing cost of smartphones, which, in turn, boosts the market for MEMS.

According to Sunil Kumar Singh, a lead sensors research analyst from Technavio, “With the declining ASPs and increasing benefits such as low space and high accuracy, the demand for MEMS is increasing. MEMS are small enough to be soldered directly onto the circuit boards. This provides technology with a price advantage.”

Global MEMS market for automotive segment

The automotive segment was valued at USD 3.3 billion in 2015 and will reach USD 5.22 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of almost 10% during the forecast period. Government regulations and consumer awareness campaigns such as the Global New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) are driving the demand for MEMS in the automotive segment. Global NCAP demands the integration of minimum vehicle safety standards for both crash protection and crash avoidance in all new cars sold worldwide by 2020. This requires the installation of different types of MEMS in vehicles. MEMS provide safety features such as airbag systems, vehicle security systems, inertial brake lights, headlight levelling, rollover detection, automatic door locks, and active suspension.

“The UN Road Safety Collaboration has introduced a global plan for the decade 2011-2020. The plan focuses on road safety activities such as improving the safety of road infrastructure and broader transport networks; building road safety management capacity; enhancing the behavior of road users; further developing the safety of vehicles; and improving post-crash care,” says Sunil.

MEMS microphones are mainly used in the automotive segment for speech or voice recognition in automobile audio systems. This will enable the passengers to stay connected and be entertained in a safe environment, as they can communicate with the audio system verbally. This has the possibility to reduce road accidents, as people are often distracted by factors such as adjusting the car audio system or speaking on mobile phones.

Global MEMS market for industrial segment

The industrial segment was valued at USD 1.2 billion in 2015 and will reach USD 1.95 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of above 10% during the forecast period. MEMS are used in many industrial applications such as construction equipment, agricultural machinery or platform leveling, and for testing applications. MEMS accelerometers are used for vibration sensing conditions such as automotive testing or monitoring the pitch and roll of an aircraft.

MEMS are also used with IoT for industrial automation. MEMS technology is helpful for industrial robots, as it can be applied to tactile sensors, navigation, or proximity sensors. MEMS are used for condition monitoring of transportation and industrial equipment, vibration and rotational speed monitoring, asset and parcel tracking and monitoring, shock detection and logging, building and structure monitoring, and vibration and tilt monitoring.

By Yann Guillou, SEMI Europe

Leading companies will present the latest and most impactful trends at the upcoming SEMI European MEMS Summit in Stuttgart on 15-16 September, 2016.  Over 200 attendees, including the industry’s most influential executives and decision makers, are expected to discuss challenges, solutions, and critical trends impacting the sector.  The full program line-up for SEMI’s MEMS flagship event is available online.  Have a look and register now.

The event’s keynote presentation will be delivered by Udo Gomez, CTO of Bosch Sensortec, headquartered just a few kilometers away from the conference venue.  During his talk titled, “Smart Connected MEMS Sensors – Enabler for the IoT,” with the perspective of a sensor systems integrator, Gomez will discuss how different application domains overlap, the key drivers of connectivity and digitalization, and what is missing with respect to bridging future technologies.

One of the MEMS “Titans,” Benedetto Vigna, EVP and GM of STMicroelectronics, will deliver a keynote about “MEMS Sensors and Actuators – Opportunities and Challenges” and review their implication on ST focus areas such as Smart Driving and the Internet of Things.  It will be exciting to see what Vigna will share with the audience and what details might support what Peter Clarke recently called the “ST resurgence”.

Representing one of the largest growing companies of 2015, Robert Aigner, senior director from Qorvo, will keynote and present the success story behind BAW filters in his talk called “BAW and the “Edge of Tomorrow” in Wireless Communication: Innovate, Ramp. Repeat.” BAW filters had been termed “niche play,” but are now identified as key enablers for smartphones with multibillions of units expected to ship in 2016.

Addressing a key aspect of the quadriptych “power, performance, area and cost” equation, Adrian Arcedera, VP, AMKOR, will in his keynote talk discuss “Sensor in Package – Standard Package Platform for Sensor Fusion and IoT”. To offer cost competitive solutions without compromising performance, he will explain what standardization efforts are needed in packaging, assembly, test, and detail the solution proposed by AMKOR. He may also take the opportunity to provide additional info about the brand new MEMS plant of AMKOR in China.

In addition to these keynote talks, a top notch speaker line-up will be presented to attendees. Market analysts will share the results of their latest reports featuring IHS, Yole Developpement, and Roland Berger. Foundries such as GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Teledyne DALSA will present their strategies. The hyper active company in M&A, ams AG, will talk about MEMS and optical sensor in consumer and wearable electronics.

Intel will join the stage, addressing wearables in addition to providing a review of the key enabling technologies impacting MEMS today. NXP and Bosch will discuss sensors for automotive.  MEMS and CMOS integration, from a process and design perspective, will be addressed by Fraunhofer IPMS and Coventor and Invensas will deliver a presentation from a technological aspect.  Last, but not least, we are very excited to introduce great and promising start-ups Innoluce, USound, Polight and Enerbee. Attendees can look forward to hearing their pitches and learning about their innovative ideas.

Exhibitor space has sold out, but you can visit our website to see who will be exhibiting at the European MEMS Summit in Stuttgart.  Connect to the leaders and industry professionals that will help “Make Every Market Smarter” in the MEMS and Sensor value chain.  Register now, and be part of this exciting event in Stuttgart!

Please follow: SEMI Europe LinkedIn and SEMI Europe Twitter; also Global SEMI LinkedIn and SEMI Twitter.

Recognizing the massive growth potential of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and sensors in Internet of Things (IoT) applications, MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) will hold its third annual MEMS & Sensors Industry Group Conference Asia in Shanghai, China on September 13-14, 2016. Held in partnership with Shanghai Industrial Technology Research Institute (SITRI) and co-located with SENSOR CHINA, “The Internet of MEMS and Sensors Today and the Internet of TSensors Tomorrow” is a two-day conference focused on near- and long-term opportunities for MEMS and sensors in the IoT. MSIG and its members will also participate in a two-day exposition at SENSOR CHINA.

The IoT market is expanding rapidly, presenting huge market opportunities for MEMS and sensors. According to IHS Technology, the IoT market will grow from 15.4 billion devices in 2015 to 75.4 billion in 2025.

That growth has caught the attention of the global MEMS and sensors supply chain: “MEMS and sensors are critical to IoT devices,” said Karen Lightman, executive director, MEMS & Sensors Industry Group. “From smartphones that monitor air quality and agricultural sensors that manage irrigation to smart city applications that monitor structural health, adapt street lights to weather and light conditions, and enable smart roads, MEMS and sensors allow IoT devices to measure, monitor, sense and interact with our always-changing environment.”

Ms. Lightman added, “On September 13, attendees will gain actionable intelligence on the IoT devices of the near future — those applications that will reach commercialization within the next two to five years. On September 14, they will learn about the IoT devices that will come to market in ten to 20 years. Those speakers will address our TSensors vision — a transformational movement advocating the use of a trillion sensors to address major world problems — as they consider longer-term opportunities in the IoT.”

Conference Agenda
Featured presentations currently include:

Additional featured speakers include:

  • Masayuki Abe, manager, Corporate Production Technology, Asahi Kasei Corporation
  • Dr. Janusz Bryzek, CEO, eXo Systems, Inc., and founder, TSensors
  • Ahmed Busnaina, professor & director, NSF Center, Northeastern University
  • Susumu Kaminaga, executive senior advisor, SPP Technologies Co., Ltd.
  • Karen Lightman, executive director, MEMS & Sensors Industry Group
  • Ryoma Miyake, Process Development Group, Silicon Sensing Products, Ltd.
  • Keynote Speaker Tomy Runne, senior manager of planning and promotion department, Sensor Product Division, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
  • Keynote Speaker Dr. Jian Xu, executive general manager, Shanghai International Autocity Development Co., Ltd.

Panel
Context Computing — panel moderated by Leopold Beer, regional president AP, Bosch Sensortec, with panelists:

  • Xianfeng (Sean) Ding, director of sensing, Huawei Technologies
  • Ruizhen Liu, Shanghai Academy of Artificial Intelligence
  • Yang (Richard) Shi, industry strategy expert, Huawei Technologies

By Marwan Boustany, senior analyst, MEMS and sensors, IHS Markit

With less potential for organic volume growth due to slowing end-product markets, market-share competition will dominate in 2016. MEMS suppliers will therefore focus more on sensor improvement (power and performance), portfolio expansion and innovation (new sensor categories), acquisitions (rapid capability integration), new business models (software services based on sensors) and expansion into new product categories (drones, smart homes, etc.).

Even as motion sensors and other traditional MEMS markets slow down, there are new and growing opportunities, including the following:

  • Virtual-reality headsets using motion sensors and microphones are a growing category in gaming, with HTC, Facebook and Sony all offering products.
  • Drones that use motion sensors began to take off in 2015. While this is a segment with a lot of potential, regulatory issues may have an as yet unclear impact on future sales volume, especially when the potential for delivery drones from Amazon are considered.
  • Home environmental monitoring, using gas, humidity and temperature sensors, show good opportunity for growth. This segment is led by smart home products from Nest and Honeywell, as well as carbon-monoxide detection regulations and growing consumer adoption of air-purifiers.
  • E-cigarettes, using flow sensors, are also on the rise.

Leading MEMS sensor manufacturer trends

Following is a top-line review of the three leading MEMS sensor manufacturers, based on 2015 revenue:

1. STMicroelectronics 

STMicroelectronics is still the revenue leader for consumer MEMS, thanks to its business across a wide range of sensor types. The company’s consumer MEMS revenue lead continued to erode at a fast rate last year, with competitors growing share, the company’s first-place revenue lead has narrowed from $100 million in 2014 to around $10 million in 2015. STMicroelectronic’s motion sensor revenue continued to decline in 2015, however it was helped by its growing success with 6-axis inertial measurement units (IMUs) used mainly by manufacturers in China.

STMicroelectronics was hit hard in the last two years, because Apple shifted its gyroscope business to InvenSense in 2014; however, STMicroelectronics won the Apple Watch business in 2015 with its 6-axis IMU and also increased its share of motion sensors used by Samsung in 2016.

2. Knowles

Knowles is still the dominant leader in MEMS microphones, leading the second-ranked suppler (Goertek) by a power of three in units and revenue. In addition to offering a wide range of analog and digital-output microphones, Knowles has also started shipping its VoiceIQ microphones with local processing in 2016, as it seeks to address both mobile and internet of things (IoT) applications.

While MEMS microphone price erosion has led to revenue decline for Knowles, it still ranks second after STMicroelectronics thanks to a favorable shift in Microphone adoption. The company has dramatically narrowed the lead enjoyed by STMicroelectronics — from more than $100 million in 2014 to just $10 million last year. Knowles provides a large share of MEMS sensors used in Apple’s products, as well as a share in most handsets, tablets and wearable products from other manufacturers.

3. InvenSense

InvenSense overtook Bosch and moved into third-ranked revenue position in the MEMS market last year. The company leads in consumer motion sensor revenue, thanks to dramatic volume growth for 6-axis IMUs as well as its dedicated optical-image stabilization (OIS) gyroscope. InvenSense is the standout MEMS supplier in terms of motion sensor revenue growth, with 26 percent year-over-year revenue growth, while the other sensor leaders suffer declining revenue.

Apple is the key and dominant source of this revenue for InvenSense, especially as it loses share in Samsung to STMicroelectronics in 2016. The company is increasingly pushing its MEMS microphone products against strong competition and hopes to release an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor in 2017 to capitalise on a rapidly growing segment.

top mems suppliers

Source: The IHS Markit MEMS & Sensors for Consumer & Mobile Intelligence Service provides comprehensive insight and analysis on MEMS sensors used in smartphones, wearables and consumer electronics. For information about purchasing this report, contact [email protected].

STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) has been named the MEMS Manufacturer of the Year at the MEMS World Summit, the MEMS Manufacturing Conference gathering the top executives in the Worldwide MEMS Manufacturing Industry. The event took place in Shanghai on July 25-26, 2016.

The prestigious recognition from the advisory board members of the MEMS World Summit, which consists of leading research institutes, leading Equipment Manufacturers and MEMS Manufacturers, underlines ST’s position as an industry leader with 11 billion MEMS sensors shipped to date and the only company with the expertise to cover the full range of micro-machined silicon devices that include both sensors and micro-actuators. In naming ST, the jury highlighted the significant role of ST’s high-efficiency 6-axis MEMS sensor modules in driving the transformation of smartphones into intelligent personal assistants as one of the key winning factors. Other high-score criteria for ST included product development, revenue, and company culture.

“ST has always been a leader in MEMS and we want to recognize their continued presence at the top. The evaluating criteria for selecting this year’s winner were also based on factors such as revenue, product development, company culture, and company awareness,” said Salah Nasri, Advisory Board Chair of MEMS World Summit.

“The performance of 6-axis MEMS sensor modules, which have become a key building block of today’s consumer and IoT devices, has enabled new features in smartphones and more broadly new user experiences,” said Andrea Onetti, Group VP and General Manager, MEMS Sensors Division, STMicroelectronics. “ST is honored to receive this award as we strive to bring continuous innovation to the development and deployment of MEMS technologies for a variety of fields, including industrial and automotive.”

Andrea Onetti collected the Award on behalf of ST at the MEMS World Summit’s Gala Dinner.

Beyond its gloom, the MEMS industry is showing numerous emerging devices that hold promise for future growth. These innovative MEMS solutions were listed by the MEMS & Sensors team of Yole Développement (Yole) in the Status of the MEMS Industry 2016 report (Yole Développement, May 2016). Today, more than 100 businesses, startups and large companies are involved in exciting developments using MEMS technology. The MEMS approach can be defined as a transfer function: It lowers cost and improves integration and performance.

transfer function

“MEMS can be seen as a ‘transfer function’ using semiconductor and micromachining technologies to create devices replacing devices that are more complex, bulky or less sensitive,” explains Dr. Eric Mounier, Sr. Technology & Market Analyst at Yole. Yole has identified at least 5 criteria that determine the success of a MEMS device. They are: size reduction, potential cost reduction, “good enough” specifications, batch manufacturing compared to existing solutions, and reliability.
At least 10 to 15 years of development are required to achieve all the successful criteria.

“Based on this segmentation, and out of all the MEMS devices in development that could undergo significant growth in the future, we foresee ultrasonic and gas sensors as well as microspeaker as the next success for the MEMS industry,” details Dr. Mounier.

As Yole’s market forecast announces, the gas sensor market is showing a 7.3% CAGR for the 2014–2021 period. The market should reach US$920 million in 2021. Moreover Yole’s analysts highlight a potential upside market of almost US$65 million in 2021. This positive scenario might be possible if gas sensors are widely adopted in consumer products, analysts say (Source: Gas Sensor Technology & Market report, Yole Développement, February 2016).

Microspeakers could be part of the success story as well. Indeed a big transition is happening now: for the first time, silicon speakers are ready for volume production, enabling the creation of a brand-new multibillion-dollar market for MEMS manufacturers. Last month, Yole’s analysts had an interesting interview with USound, an Austrian company founded three years ago by several veterans of the MEMS industry.

“Prototypes of the first balanced-armature replacement and the first micro-tweeter are currently being sampled to selected customers,” USound asserted. “Pre-production will start at the end of the summer, along with internal qualification. The technology is ready for adoption and will revolutionize the personal-audio market, similar to what happened with the MEMS microphone.”

USound intends to evolve into an audio-system developer, offering complete solutions ranging from hardware to firmware, in order to simplify technology adoption and help our customers achieve optimum product performance. To read the full interview, click USound.

For the next few months, Yole will pursue its investigation into the MEMS world. Numerous technology and market reports will be released, and Yole’s MEMS & Sensors team will attend many key conferences to present its vision of the industry.

For example, in mid-September Yole will be part of two major events in Asia: MEMS & Sensors Conference Asia and Sensor Expo & Conference – China. At both conferences, Yole will present attendees with the status of the industry and its new virtuous cycle. Yole’s Speaker, Claire Troadec, MEMS & Semiconductor Manufacturing Analyst, will focus her presentation on the Chinese MEMS industry, which is steadily transforming from “Made in China” to “Created in China.” Claire will also review the Chinese MEMS players and the new virtuous cycle the MEMS industry.

A*STAR’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME) has launched two consortia on advanced packaging, the Silicon Photonics Packaging consortium (Phase II) and the MEMS Wafer Level Chip Scale Packaging (WLCSP) consortium. They will develop novel solutions in the heterogeneous integration of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and silicon photonics devices, which will boost overall performance and drive down production costs. The new consortia will leverage on IME’s expertise in MEMS design, fabrication, wafer level packaging process, as well as silicon photonics packaging modules and processes.

The proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) is driving the rapid growth of diversified technologies which are key enablers in major application domains such as smart phones, tablets, wearable technology; and network infrastructures that support wireless communications.

However, this trend requires the complex integration of non-digital functions of “More-than-Moore” technologies such as MEMS with digital components into compact systems that have a smaller form factor, higher power efficiency and cost less. The onset of big data, cloud computing and high speed broadband wireless communications also calls for novel use of silicon photonics. Silicon photonics are a critical enabler of high density interconnects and high bandwidth, to meet high optical network requirements cost-effectively.

In the previous Silicon Photonics Packaging Consortium (Phase I), IME and its industry partners developed new capabilities in necessary device library and associated tool boxes to enable the integration of low profile lateral fiber assembly, laser diode and photonics devices. By employing a laser welding technique, the consortium demonstrated a fiber-chip-fiber loss of less than 8 decibel (dB) with less than 1.5dB excess packaging loss. These capabilities enabled integrated silicon photonic circuits to provide higher data rates at lower cost and power consumption. For details, please refer to Annex A.

Building on these achievements, the Silicon Photonics Packaging Consortium (Phase II) will develop a broad spectrum of silicon photonics packaging methodology. The consortium will further develop low loss silicon coupling modules, and provide a series of packaging solutions for laser diode integration. It will also focus on developing accurate thermal models, as well as improve overall module thermal management, reliability and radio-frequency (RF) performance to meet very high data bandwidth demand. All these new developments will lead to a more integrated packaging solution which promises better assembly margins and lower module costs.

IME’s MEMS WLCSP Consortium has also been established to develop a cost- effective integration packaging platform for capped MEMS and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices. This platform could be used for any MEMS devices with cavity-capping such as timing devices, inertial sensors, and RF MEMS packaging.

Conventional chip stacking that relies on a through-silicon via (TSV) and wire bonding on substrate method will usually result in high costs and large form factor. The consortium aims to lower production costs and achieve smaller footprint by developing a TSV-free over-mold wafer level packaging solution for MEMS-capped wafer using a novel metal deposited silicon pillar and wire bonding as a through mold interconnects.

The consortium aims to reduce form factor of integrated MEMS and CMOS devices by approximately 20 per cent, and lower manufacturing costs by approximately 15 per cent. These cost-effective packaging solutions are also expected to produce better electrical and reliability performance.

“These consortia partnerships play a critical role in developing innovative solutions to meet emerging market demands. Through these collaborations, we will elevate our capabilities from developing MEMS and silicon photonics devices to developing advanced solutions in heterogeneous integration. The capabilities developed will enable our industry partners to capture new growth opportunities in the IoT space and accelerate market adoption of cost-effective technologies,” said Prof. Dim-Lee Kwong, Executive Director of IME.

“Silicon photonics packaging is a crucial technology for the commercialisation of silicon photonic devices. The partnership generated remarkable results in the Silicon Photonics Packaging Consortium Phase I, and we are pleased to continue with the second phase, which will expand the application of silicon photonics with innovative approaches in terms of LD integration and RF performance. Through this consortium, Fujikura will accelerate the development of compact and cost-effective optical communications for diverse markets,” said Mr. Kenji Nishide, Executive Officer, General Manager, Advanced Technology Laboratory, Fujikura Ltd.

“Currently, it is anticipated that the demand for sensors will grow from billions to trillions by 2050. This demand is being driven by the emergence of sensor based smart systems fusing computing, connectivity and sensing in the context of the Internet of Things. IME’s packaging consortia partnership will allow us to identify and develop MEMS packaging innovative solutions in order to scale up for the Internet of Things,” said Mr. Mo Maghsoudnia, Vice President of Technology and Worldwide Manufacturing of InvenSense.

Mr. Shim Il Kwon, Chief Technology Officer, STATS ChipPAC said, “As the number of MEMS devices in emerging IoT applications continues to grow, semiconductor packaging will have a significant impact on the performance, size and cost targets that can be achieved. By collaborating with partners in the consortia, we will be able to help drive the cost effective integration of MEMS and ASICs in high performance, high yield WLCSP solutions for IoT products.”

Despite strong double-digit percentage increases in annual unit shipments, semiconductor sensor sales growth has become uncharacteristically lethargic because of steep price erosion in several major product categories. Strong unit demand is being fueled by new wearable systems, greater automation in vehicles, and the much-anticipated Internet of Things (IoT), but sharply falling average selling prices (ASPs) on accelerometers, gyroscope chips, and magnetic-field measuring devices are capping annual growth of total sensor revenues in the low- to mid-single digit range, based on data in IC Insights’ 2016 O-S-D Report—A Market Analysis and Forecast for Optoelectronics, Sensors/Actuators, and Discretes.

The 2016 O-S-D Report shows worldwide dollar-volume revenues for sensors rising by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3% between 2015 and 2020 compared to an 8.9% annual rate in the last five years. In contrast, total sensor unit shipments are expected to climb by a CAGR of 12.4% in the five-year forecast period compared to a blistering 20.5% rate of increase in the 2010-2015 period, when new sensing, navigation, and automated embedded control functions in smartphones drove up strong growth along with steady increases in automotive and industrial applications.

Despite recent years of weak sales growth—just 1% in 2015 to $6.4 billion—the sensor market is expected to end this decade with 10 consecutive years of record-high revenues and reach $8.3 billion in 2020 (Figure 1). Unit shipments of sensors have reached record high levels each year since the beginning of the last decade—even in the 2009 downturn year, when worldwide unit volume grew 9% while sensor revenues dropped 3%. Record sensor shipments are expected to continue for another five years, reaching 28.9 billion units in 2020, according to the 360-page 2016 O-S-D Report, which contains a detailed five-year forecast of sales, unit volume, and ASPs for more than 30 individual product types and device categories in optoelectronics, sensors/actuators, and discretes.

Figure 1

Figure 1

Competition between suppliers and requirements for low-cost sensors in new high-volume applications drove down ASPs from about $0.66 in 2010 to $0.40 in 2015.  The need to squeeze more sensing solutions into wearable systems, far-flung IoT-connected applications, and multi-sensor packages for increased accuracy and multi-dimensional measurements is exerting more pricing pressure in the market, concludes the 2016 O-S-D Report.   The report’s forecast shows sensor ASPs dropping by a CAGR of  6.3% in the next five years to only $0.29.

Total sensor sales are expected to grow by about 3% in 2016 to $6.6 billion with worldwide shipments rising 13% to nearly 18.2 billion units this year.  Sales of sensors made with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology (i.e., accelerometers, gyroscope devices, and pressure sensors, including microphone chips)—are expected to grow by 4% in 2016 to $4.8 billion with unit shipments increasing 10% to 7.6 billion.  The 2016 O-S-D Report projects MEMS-based sensor sales rising by a CAGR of 5.5% in the next five years to $6.1 billion in 2020 with unit shipments growing by an annual rate of 11.9% to nearly 13.4 billion.  ASPs for MEMS-based sensors are expected to decline by a CAGR of -5.7% to $0.45 in 2020 from $0.61 in 2015, according to the annual O-S-D Report.