Category Archives: Packaging and Testing

CEA-Leti will host a workshop for industrial companies to present its latest advances in MEMS and an overview of the success of its recent MEMS startup, Wavelens, during Transducers’ 2013 and Eurosensors XXVII in Barcelona, Spain.

Workshop: 6:30-8 p.m., June 18, Rooms 118-119, CCIB Barcelona

The session features three brief presentations from 6:30-7:10 p.m.: 6:30-6:40 p.m.: Overview of CEA-Leti, from technologies to applications.  Jean-René Lèquepeys, head of Leti’s Silicon Components Division, which is involved in micro- and nanoelectronics, micro- and nanosystems, and 3Dstacking.

6:40-7 p.m.: Presentation of Leti’s most recent major achievements in the MEMS field, with a focus on advanced multi-purpose MEMS and NEMS platforms. Dr. Julien Arcamone, manager for MEMS business development in the Silicon Components Division.

7-7:10 p.m.: Update on Wavelens, a recent Leti startup that is focused on improving the performance of miniature cameras with innovative MEMS optical solutions. Dr. Arnaud Pouydebasque, Wavelens CTO.

A networking and cocktail event will follow the workshop from 7:10 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Leti is an institute of CEA, a French research-and-technology organization with activities in energy, IT, healthcare, defence and security. It specializes in nanotechnologies and their applications, from wireless devices and systems, to biology, healthcare and photonics. NEMS and MEMS are at the core of its activities. CEA-Leti operates 8,000-m² of clean room space on 200mm and 300mm wafer platforms. It employs 1,700 scientists and engineers including 320 Ph.D. students and 200 assignees from partner companies. CEA-Leti owns more than 2,200 patent families.

Combo MEMS sensors for automotive applications are off to another exhilarating ride this year as revenue continues to climb, spurred by rapidly accelerating use in car safety systems, according to an IHS iSuppli MEMS and Sensors Report from information and analytics provider IHS.

Global revenue in 2013 for combo inertial sensors used in motor vehicles will reach a projected $163 million, up a notable 77 percent from $92 million last year. The anticipated increase continues a hot streak for the market, which saw a phenomenal 338 percent surge last year from just $10 million in 2011, as shown below.

MEMS combo sensors

Combo inertial sensors are multiple-sensor devices integrating accelerometers, gyroscopes into a single package, providing inertial inputs to the electronic stability control (ESC) system in cars to prevent or minimize skidding.

“ESC systems are mandated in North America, Europe and in other areas where the edicts are maturing, such as Australia, Japan, Canada and South Korea,” said Richard Dixon, Ph.D., principal analyst for MEMS and Sensors at IHS. “But a huge growth opportunity exists in untapped territories like China, which would significantly impact the penetration of ESC worldwide given the vast size of the Chinese market. Such gains, in turn, would provide tremendous impetus and momentum for automotive combo sensors overall.”

Why combos?

Three architectures are currently possible for ESC systems in cars: on a printed circuit board as a separate ESC engine control unit (ECU); attached to the brake modulator to save cabling; or collocated in the airbag ECU. Of these three usable locations, the current trend favors placing ESC systems in the airbag ECU to achieve a smaller footprint and greater efficiency, given that there is a space constraint for the ECU in this position near the cup holder in a vehicle, which favors an architecture of reduction.

All told, as much as a fivefold reduction in space could be achieved for the sensors in a combo-sensor ESC system made by a manufacturer like Continental, compared to the same accomplished via separate sensors.

A non-combo solution also exists in the form of the sensors separately mounted on the printed circuit board. But deploying the sensors in a combo form factor saves not only on packaging cost but also on expensive real estate for the semiconductors being used, since the two sensors in the combo package share the same application-specific integrated circuit.

Cost is a factor

A paramount issue for ESC systems is cost. Cost is especially important because ESC formerly was considered an optional feature—but since being mandated by governments—it now has attained the same required status as the seat belt.

As a result, the entire supply chain and price structure for automotive combo sensors has been experiencing huge pressure, exerted from car makers down the chain. Tier 1 companies then pass on this pressure to their suppliers, accounting for the accelerated move to provide efficient combo sensor solutions for inertial sensors in the system.

Because of such pressure, some top-tier companies have indicated that only legacy businesses will use older arrangements featuring separate sensors—not a combo solution—on a printed circuit board in the future. All new car models will use combo sensors.

Top suppliers identified

The major suppliers of automotive combo inertial sensors are Bosch of Germany and Japan’s Murata (formerly VTI). Two other potential manufacturers, Panasonic of Japan and Massachusetts-based Analog Devices, will need to develop similar solutions to have a chance in the market.

For its part, Panasonic has indicated that a product will be available by 2014. Panasonic Industrial makes the gyroscope part of the solution, while Panasonic Electric Works makes the accelerometer component.

However, the two entities do not have a good track record of working together, so it remains to be seen how soon a unified combo sensor solution from Panasonic will come to market.

Meanwhile, Analog Devices is divulging little information, but it will almost certainly develop a combo sensor solution, IHS iSuppli believes, based on an analysis of developments surrounding the competition.

Once again demonstrating Apple’s power to ordain winners in the electronics supply chain, the top suppliers last year of microelectromechanical systems microphones were those that provided devices for iPhones and iPads.

Suppliers that had significant sales to Apple occupied the Top 4 MEMS microphone ranks in 2012, according to an IHS iSuppli MEMS and Sensors Special Report from information and analytics provider IHS. These companies were No. 1 Knowles Electronics from Illinois, AAC of China in second place, Massachusetts-based Analog Devices in the third spot, and Goertek of China in fourth. Together the Top 4 players last year commanded combined revenue of $513 million, equivalent to 88 percent of total MEMS microphone industry revenue of $583 million, as shown in the table below.

top MEMS microphone suppliers

 Apple gets on the mic

“Microphones continue to be one of the best success stories in MEMS, with mobile device manufacturers adding increasing numbers of these devices to their phones to support advanced features, such as voice command and noise suppression,” said Jérémie Bouchaud, director and senior principal analyst for MEMS and sensors at IHS. “Multiple microphones now are being adopted in smartphones to cancel ambient sounds—crucial for handsets when carrying out voice command systems, such as Apple’s Siri. Apple has led the way in the adoption of MEMS microphone technology and has steadily added the number of devices used in each of its mobile products, compelling competitors to follow suit.”

While midrange to high-end smartphones mostly used two microphones in 2010 and 2011, three microphones are fast becoming standard ever since Apple introduced a third device on the back of the iPhone 5 for high-definition video recording, Bouchaud noted.

Noise suppression and voice commands also are seeing increased adoption in tablets and Ultrabooks, resulting in the use of multiple microphones as ultrasonic transducers for hand-gesture commands.

Aside from handsets, MEMS microphones are used in other important applications such as headsets, gaming, cameras, televisions and hearing aids.

The top suppliers, in a nutshell

Knowles continued to dominate the MEMS microphone sphere, outflanking all other suppliers with revenue last year of $291 million—practically half of the industry total. But while it has the most comprehensive product portfolio and ships to virtually every original equipment manufacturer, Knowles has seen its MEMS microphone market share tumble by 16 percentage points from 2011 to 2012 because of erosion in its business with Apple. Knowles is still the first supplier for the iPad mini, but has slipped to second place behind AAC in providing MEMS microphones for the iPhone.

Knowles, however, has exerted efforts to remain competitive, reducing the size of its MEMS die and most likely migrating soon to larger wafer sizes from 6 to 8 inches as it engages with new foundry partners.

No. 2 and No. 4 AAC and Goertek share similar profiles, both being Chinese electret condenser microphone (ECM) suppliers that now rely almost exclusively on MEMS die technology from Germany’s Infineon Technologies. AAC is the top source for the iPhone and iPad 3 with revenue last year of $98 million, while Goertek is No. 1 for iPhone headsets with $46 million in revenue. Apple was the biggest client in both cases, supplying more than 40 percent of MEMS microphone revenue in 2012 for each company.

Third-ranked Analog Devices basked in revenue of approximately $78 million, thanks to its role as lone supplier of the third microphone for the iPhone 5 and the iPad. The company focuses on high-performance parts and sells at significantly higher prices than other suppliers, accounting for its third-place finish overall.

Infineon’s strategy

Also in a notable development, Infineon has hit upon a successful formula for operating in the market. The German manufacturer focuses only on silicon, developing and then selling MEMS microphone dies as well as application-specific integrated circuits to traditional ECM companies, which then package the chips into MEMS microphones that are sold afterward under their individual brands. Infineon’s customers include AAC and Goertek, as well as two other Top 12 MEMS microphone suppliers—sixth-ranked Hosiden of Japan; and No. 7 BSE of South Korea.

STMicroelectronics on the rise

Rounding out the Top 5 and becoming a serious challenger last year to the incumbents was French-Italian manufacturer STMicroelectronics, which sold 60 million MEMS microphone units in 2012, up from zero in 2010.

Unlike AAC and Goertek that buy their MEMS dies from Infineon, STM sources from Omron Electronics in Japan and also relies on its own application-specific integrated circuit, producing innovatively assembled MEMS microphones that enable a high signal-to-noise ratio. Nokia is STM’s top customer, but STM also supplies product to HTC, Amazon’s Kindle tablet as well as laptops from HP, Dell, Lenovo and Asus.

The other ranking suppliers in the Top 12 provided MEMS microphones for a range of other electronic devices made by companies besides Apple. Hosiden supplied to Nintendo handheld game players and Sony handsets; BSE provided for Samsung and LG smartphones; Germany’s Bosch played mostly in the laptop segment for HP and Dell; and Scotland-based Wolfson Microelectronics broke through at the end of last year by supplying to the Microsoft Surface tablet.

New kids on the MEMS block

The newcomers to watch included a clutch of Chinese companies. Among them were startups NeoMEMS and MEMSensing, as well as ECM manufacturers Gettop, XingGang and Kingstate. Other new entrants of note besides the Chinese included TDK-EPC from Germany, Solid State Systems from Taiwan, and Tokyo-based New Japan Radio.

Panasonic of Japan shipped MEMS microphones in 2007 for a limited time like fellow Japanese maker Yamaha, but then exited the market due to high costs. While the company had planned to return in 2011 with new product offerings, IHS believes that Panasonic has given up altogether on the MEMS microphone market.

IMT, the largest pure-play MEMS foundry in the US, announced today the appointment of MEMS industry pioneer and technology visionary Dr. Kurt Petersen to the IMT board of directors. Dr. Petersen is recognized as an expert and a voice of the MEMS industry having created fundamental MEMS technology from inception. He has co-founded six successful MEMS companies and acted as a consultant to more than 50 MEMS enterprises.

"MEMS are transitioning from primarily highly specialized applications to the mainstream, increasing production from millions of devices to billions of devices, a shift that is as significant as the development of wireless was to phones," said Dr. Petersen. "The industry needs strong wafer foundries to support this immense growth, and IMT has a solid track record of tackling the most challenging MEMS development projects with technical excellence and innovation, while also delivering devices in volume."

Dr. Petersen has significantly influenced the flourishing MEMS industry. With more than 30 years of expertise, Petersen co-founded Verreon, acquired by Qualcomm; SiTime, a successful MEMS producer; Cepheid, now public with a market cap over $2.5B; and NovaSensor, now owned by General Electric. Serving in a variety of roles at those companies from CTO to president and CEO, Petersen’s work has influenced the development of millions of MEMS parts that are still in production today.

"Dr. Petersen is a fantastic addition to the IMT board. We look forward to leveraging his valuable technical and strategic expertise as we grow the company into the next decade," said Craig Ensley, president and CEO. "Being located near Silicon Valley, the center of MEMS innovation, combined with our strong scientific and engineering expertise and state-of-the-art fabrication facility, IMT is perfectly positioned to lead the next phase of MEMS technology."

With a bachelor of science degree cum laude in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley and a PhD in EE from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Petersen went on to establish the micromachining research group at IBM in 1975, where he wrote the seminal review paper "Silicon as a Mechanical Material," published in the IEEE Proceedings (May 1982). This paper is still the most frequently referenced work in the field of MEMS. Since then he has published more than 100 papers and has been granted 35 patents in the field of MEMS. He has been awarded the IEEE Simon Ramo Medal for his contributions to MEMS, is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and is a Fellow of the IEEE in recognition of his contributions to "the commercialization of MEMS technology."

"I look forward to my advisory role at IMT, because they have one of the most talented MEMS process development teams in the world," added Dr. Petersen. "When it comes to MEMS, IMT is the company to watch."

Additionally, visit IMT next week at the M2M Forum 2013 in Cambridge, Mass. On May 9 at 1:00pm, IMT sales manager Brian O’Loughlin and other panelists will explore the use of MEMS in medical devices and the supply chain challenges associated with "Incorporating End-User Experience into MEMS-Powered Design through Human Factors Engineering."

Innovative Micro Technology, Inc. is the largest pure-play MEMS foundry in the US. With a 30,000-square-foot class 100 clean room in Santa Barbara, Calif., IMT is easily accessible to Silicon Valley, the heart of MEMS innovation. IMT employs scientists and engineers with expertise in magnetics, micro-mirrors, microfluidics, sensors, wafer-level packaging, through silicon-VIAs and planar lightwave circuits.

For more than twelve years, IMT has been working closely to develop and mass produce breakthrough MEMS products for Fortune 500 companies and startups in the optical communications, biotechnology, infrared, RF, and navigation industries.

TSMC


April 26, 2013

TSMC

MEMS Industry Group (MIG), a global industry organization with more than 140 member-companies and partners, will welcome micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), medical industry and academic experts to Cambridge, Mass. for Member-to-Member (M2M) Forum 2013, a conference on the MEMS connection to advancements in healthcare, medical and biomedical applications.

“Tiny, intelligent MEMS sensors—more popularly known for enhancing the user experience with smartphones, tablets and video game controllers—are improving medical technology in dramatic ways. From wearable and implantable drug-delivery systems to remote patient monitoring for diabetes and heart disease, medical researchers and technologists are collaborating on new applications that will improve patients’ health and quality of life in myriad ways,” said Karen Lightman, executive director, MEMS Industry Group. “This year we are bringing M2M Forum, our annual members’ technical conference, to Cambridge, the very heart of innovation in biomedical/medical research and technology. M2M Forum gives attendees a rare glimpse into the opportunities and challenges affecting the entire MEMS supply chain as they integrate MEMS into biomedical/medical devices.”

Agenda highlights of M2M Forum 2013 include:

  • Welcome and Overview: Karen Lightman, executive director, MEMS Industry Group
  • MEMS Standardization Update: Stephen Whalley, director, Sensors, Intel Architecture Group, Intel Corporation
  • Keynote Presentation: “Medical Sensor and Sensing Technologies in the Nokia Sensing X CHALLENGE: New Materials, Medical Research and mHealth Converging Fast!”: Mark Winter, senior director, Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, Nokia Sensing X CHALLENGE, XPRIZE
  • “Outlook for MEMS in Digital Health”: Shane Walker, associate director at InMedica, IHS
  • “The Role of MEMS in the Future of Health Care Delivery”: Mehran Mehregany, PhD, Goodrich Professor of Engineering Innovation Director, Wireless Health Program Director, Case School of Engineering
  • “Microsystems for Implantable Drug Delivery”: Jeffrey Borenstein, PhD, technical director – Biomedical Engineering Center, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory
  • Panel – “Incorporating End-user Experience into MEMS-powered Design through Human Factors Engineering,” with speakers:
    • Mark Diperri (moderator), senior field applications engineer, Freescale Semiconductor
    • Asmita Khanolkar, program manager, SMC Ltd.
    • Tom O’Dwyer, technology director, Healthcare group, Analog Devices
    • Brian O’Loughlin, sales manager, IMT
    • “Overcoming Challenges of Integrating MEMS into Medical Devices – from Product Development to Manufacturing”: Asmita Khanolkar, program manager, SMC Ltd.
    • Keynote Presentation: “Commercializing MEMS-enabled Products: A View from the Ivory Tower”: Martin Schmidt, PhD, associate provost and professor of Electrical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Keynote Presentation: “Fluidic MEMS”: Mehmet Toner, PhD, professor of surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences

MEMS Industry Group (MIG) is the trade association advancing MEMS across global markets. More than 140 companies comprise MIG, including Analog Devices, Applied Materials, ASE, Bosch, Fairchild Semiconductor, Freescale Semiconductor, GE, Honeywell, HP, Intel, InvenSense, Murata Electronics Oy, OMRON Electronic Components, Qualcomm, Sony, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and ULVAC Technologies, Inc.

The fast growing market for sensors for smart phones is re-shuffling the ranks of MEMS suppliers. For the first time, suppliers of inertial sensors have surpassed the major makers of micro mirrors and inkjet heads that have long dominated the industry on Yole Développement’s annual ranking of the Top 30 MEMS companies.

 top 30 MEMS suppliers

STMicroelectronics increased MEMS sales by ~10 percent in 2012, to become the first company with $1 billion in MEMS revenue, moving past Texas Instruments to become the sector’s largest company. Robert Bosch saw 14 percent growth, to ~$842 million in MEMS sales, pushing ahead of both Texas Instruments and Hewlett Packard for the first time to become the second ranking player, according to Yole’s figures. Both ST and Bosch have been aggressively expanding their consumer product lines to offer customers a broad range of sensors, and increasingly also combinations of sensors in a single package for easier integration at lower cost. Their growing volumes also help keep their fabs running more efficiently, for the assured manufacturing capability that volume users demand.  ST, Bosch and other major inertial sensor suppliers saw strong revenue growth despite the 20 percent-30 percent drop in average selling prices for accelerometers and gyroscopes over the year–because of even bigger ramps in unit volume.

“ST increased unit production by 58 percent, to 1.3 billion MEMS devices in 2012, up to some 4 million units a day—not counting its foundry business,” notes Yole Market & Technology Analyst, Laurent Robin. “It’s hard for many companies to match that.”

Yole calculates the MEMS industry overall saw another ~10 percent growth in 2012 to become an ~$11 billion business– in a year when the semiconductor industry saw a ~2 percent decline. The Top 30 companies account for nearly 75 percent of that total MEMS market.

The traditional gap between the big four MEMS makers and the rest of the pack narrowed this year, as strong demand for more MEMS sensors in both consumer and automotive markets drove strong growth across a range of suppliers. Knowles Electronics saw better than 20 percent growth to climb into fourth place with some $440 million in revenues from MEMS microphones, closing in on HP. Panasonic and Denso were close behind with more than $350 million in MEMS sales in their largely automotive markets.

Mobile phones and tablets were the real sweet spot for big growth opportunities, though. Chinese electret microphone supplier AAC made the top companies ranking for the first time as its MEMS microphone sales jumped ~90 percent to ~$65 million, as it became the second source for the iPhone. InvenSense saw some 30 percent growth as it ramped up production of its inertial sensors. Triquint saw a 27% increase in revenues from its BAW filters.

Murata moved sharply up the ranking as its acquisition of VTI created ~$179 million in combined MEMS revenue.

Meanwhile, the traditional major MEMS markets for micromirrors and inkjet heads have matured and slowed, with demand for inkjet heads particularly hit by the consumer printer market’s rapid turn away from replaceable heads to page-wide and fixed-head technologies. That hit revenues at both the inkjet companies and their manufacturing partners.

Yole defines MEMS as three dimensional structures made by semiconductor-like processes, with primarily mechanical, not electronic, function. We also include magnetometers, as they are now so closely integrated with MEMS inertial sensors, and all microfluidics, including those on polymer. Yole figured MEMS units and value at the first level of packaged device. For companies that do not release MEMS revenues, Yole estimate the figures based on data for product market size, market share, product teardowns, reverse costing, and discussions with the companies.

The gyroscope market is driven by mobile applications, where until recently only two players, STMicroelectronics (ST) and InvenSense, were competing. Now, many companies are present. The first patent disputes to develop over the last few years (linked to Wacoh’s patents) or that are currently occurring (ST vs. InvenSense) signal the beginning of a fight for gyro and inertial combo market ownership.

This analysis represents a link to the technical trends, Yole Développement has observed in the industry. Comparisons and matching between existing product process flows (reconstituted from teardowns) and related patents are provided. In particular, a case study on InvenSense’s MPU-9150 9-axis sensor is included.

As illustrated by the aforementioned disputes, IP is critical in this area; thus, the link between IP and market evolution is critical as well. One of this report’s most important findings is that the focus has shifted to the software side, where considerable value can be created. Indeed, an increasing number of companies with different value chain positions are developing functionalities based on MEMS gyroscopes, along with related IP.

Understanding the key players’ patent portfolios

MEMS gyroscopes

About 200 players are involved in MEMS gyroscope technologies, but the top ten represent 63 percent of the patents filed. Panasonic and Murata lead the way, according to Yole Développement. Both were early players in the industry, with piezo/ceramic style gyroscopes. Other players such as Analog Devices, Robert Bosch, ST and InvenSense developed their technologies based on silicon substrates and the capacitive detection principle. It’s important to note that these players’ MEMS portfolios are generally much larger than what’s included in this report, since many of their patents are generic publications which can apply to many types of MEMS components, and not specifically to gyros. This report provides an in-depth patent portfolio analysis of the three assignees which Yole Développement identifies as today’s industry leaders: STMicroelectroncis, InvenSense and Robert Bosch.

From smart wristwatches that record heart rates, to intelligent armbands that track physical activities, wearable electronics and fitness monitoring devices are attracting increased attention from health-conscious consumers, causing shipments of MEMS sensors used in these products to more than quadruple in just five years.

Starting with a stable base in the $20.0 million range, revenue for MEMS motion sensors in wearable electronics and fitness monitoring is set to climb to $31.0 million this year and then jump 33 percent to $41.3 million in 2014, according to the IHS iSuppli MEMS and Sensors service from information and analytics provider IHS. An even larger increase, equivalent to 47 percent, will occur in 2015 when takings amount to $60.8 million.

“The biggest leap will occur in 2016 when annual revenue rises 50 percent to $91.5 million,” said Marwan Boustany, senior analyst for MEMS & sensors at IHS. “That means the market by then will have expanded by more than a factor of four from $20.8 million in 2011.”

The below figure presents the IHS forecast of global MEMS shipments for wearable electronics and fitness monitoring devices.

MEMS sensors in fitness monitoring devices and wearable electronics

Two trends are spurring demand for wearable and mobile health technology, in turn fueling the MEMS motion sensor market for wearable and mobile health devices, said Boustany. “One trend is the higher average life expectancy of people all over the world, coupled with the amplified prevalence of illnesses like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The second trend arises from greater awareness in the population of health, fitness and wellness issues—indicated by the rapid growth in demand for healthy nutrition, diet programs, gym memberships and even health-based mobile applications.”

Activity monitors such as the FitLinxx Pebble and Fitbug, for instance, are increasingly finding their way into consumers’ hands as employers seek to augment their corporate wellness strategies, noted Shane Walker, senior manager for consumer and digital health research at IHS. “In the United States, this is due in part to the growth of consumer-directed healthcare plans and the Affordable Care Act, which is incentivizing insurers. These corporate programs are opening yet another channel of distribution for new monitoring devices,” he said.

Market drivers and the top wearable electronics devices

“Several factors overall will help drive the market for wearable electronics and fitness monitoring devices,” Boustany said. “For one, the sensor technology has reached a state of maturity, having been introduced to consumers via smartphones and their use of accelerometers, gyroscopes and electronic compasses. The billions of sensors consumed by smartphones to date, meanwhile, have served to lower the average selling prices of the sensors and improved their production. A significant market stimulus also comes from patients diagnosed with health issues related to the lack of exercise, encouraged by their doctors—or in some cases, their employers—to track activity and manage their condition.”

Other important drivers are the proliferation and suitability of the Bluetooth Low Energy 4.0 communication protocol, as are the efforts of sensor manufacturers in combining and miniaturizing sensor technology.

For the latter, sensor fusion technology conjoined with small combo sensors—such as 9-axis inertial measurement units from French-Italian maker STMicroelectronics, California-based InvenSense and Bosch of Germany—make it easier than ever to incorporate motion sensors in a wide range of wearable devices.

Development kits proposed by sensor suppliers like InvenSense have likewise stimulated the imagination of designers for sports applications. Here new products are emerging, such as ski and snowboard goggles with motion sensors to monitor jump heights and the speed of runs, as well as 9-axis motion tracking armbands to improve swimming technique.

Electronics ready to wear

At the end of 2016, the top wearable electronics device overall for MEMS motion sensors will be activity monitors. Already in big demand today, the device features a built-in accelerometer to monitor movement and provide feedback, such as for calorie consumption.

Pedometers will rank second, helping to determine the number of each steps a person takes and popular as an exercise measuring device; followed by smart watches and smart glasses as the next largest application. In the smart watch category, Apple is rumored to be launching an iWatch soon, and both Google and Samsung are also looking to enter the segment.

While all the pieces are in place for the wearable technology and mobile health market to prosper, the mass adoption of activity monitors and similar devices will depend on the success of companies to move to so-called true lifestyle products. The devices by that point will be fashionable, resemble jewelry being worn or remain inconspicuous, allowing the wearer to integrate the gadgets with normal clothing and other accessories. The products should also be easy to use, reliable and competitively priced in order to maximize penetration among consumers.

Growth of the wearable electronics and fitness monitoring market will, in turn, provide good revenue opportunities for MEMS motion sensor manufacturers.

STMicroelectronics has introduced the world’s smallest TVS diode for protecting sensitive electronics in consumer products and handhelds.

As the first such device to be offered in the industry’s smallest standard surface-mount outline of 0.45 x 0.2mm, the ESDAVLC6-1BV2 is one size smaller than today’s 0.6 x 0.3mm devices.

The value of the space saving to designers can be seen by comparing with other chip sizes used in smartphones and tablets.

"A complete motion-sensing IC for features such as indoor navigation and advanced user interface, such as ST’s LSM303D, measures just 3 x 3mm, while some power chips are as small as 2 x 2mm," explains Eric Paris, product marketing director, ASD & IPAD Division, STMicroelectronics. "Trimming 0.2mm or 0.1mm from each TVS can simplify placing components and routing connections, especially if the design contains several such devices."

The ESDAVLC6-1BV2 TVS diode fully satisfies the protection requirements specified in the international standard IEC 61000-4-2. Although other types of electrostatic-discharge (ESD) protectors, such as varistors, are available in the same size, these generally do not protect as effectively. ST’s new ESDAVLC6-1BV2 has a clamping voltage half that of the nearest competing varistor in the same size package, offering greater safety for the internal components. Although useful in many applications, varistors also age, providing progressively less protection with each ESD event clamped.