September 12, 2011 — Silicon magnetic sensors are riding an upswing in automotive production and the expansion in tablet/smartphone adoption to 23.7% revenue growth in 2011, according to IHS iSuppli’s MEMS & Sensors Special Report. This amounts to $1.46 billion in revenue.

2010 was a "blockbuster" year for silicon magnetic sensors, with $1.18 billion in revenue representing a 48.6% increase from 2009. By 2015, revenue will hit $2.47 billion, creating a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.8%. Growth in the magnetic sensor space will cool slightly after 2015, due to the rapid erosion in price of electronic compasses, as well as to an eventual slowdown in automotive applications after fitment rates are reached for safety mandates in electronic stability control systems and tire-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS).

2011 is representative of future growth years for silicon magnetic sensors, said Richard Dixon, Ph.D., senior analyst for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and sensors at IHS. Driving forces for this upswing include an impressive rebound in the automotive passenger-vehicle industry (25% increase in 2010) and integration of compasses into smartphones and tablet computers for user interactions like navigation. The automotive market accounts for 50% of magnetic sensor demand. Applications include wheel-speed sensors, double-clutch systems, battery sensors, and more than 60 other uses.

The market is flooded with higher-cost compasses, mission-critical automotive sensors, and other parts, noted Dixon, as opposed to low-cost switches used in white goods and other technologies. These higher-priced sensors will maintain market growth for several years.

Digital compasses, which grabbed 20% of the magnetic sensor revenues in 2010, are standard in navigation functions on mobile devices, and are emerging for gaming, camera, and other applications where performance can be enhanced.

Remaining applications include industrial products, such as three Hall switches providing commutation for brushless direct-current motors, or current measurement in solar inverters and wind turbines. Consumer electronics use digital compasses for display management, cooling fans, and other miscellaneous applications. The MEMS devices also show up in pace makers, fax machines, and other products.

The largest silicon magnetic sensor supplier in 2010 was Asahi Kasei Microsystems (Japan) followed by Allegro Microsystems (USA).

The top magnetic sensor devices were Hall-effect integrated circuits and elements, designed to sense changing magnetic fields and to measure current and rotational position, along with speed and linear position.

See IHS iSuppli’s report, "Compasses Pick Up Reins of Magnetic Sensors Market" at http://www.isuppli.com/MEMS-and-Sensors/Pages/Digital-Compasses-Pick-up-Reigns-of-Magnetic-Sensors-Market.aspx?PRX

iSuppli’s market intelligence helps technology companies achieve market leadership. Learn more at www.isuppli.com

Subscribe to our MEMS Direct newsletter

September 12, 2011 – PRNewswire via COMTEX — Turkey’s Roketsan Missiles Industries Inc. ordered Goodrich Corporation (NYSE:GR) SiIMU02 inertial measurement units (IMU) for precision guidance tasks on Roketsan’s new CIRIT 70mm laser-guided missile for attack helicopters. The IMUs, GR’s first production order of the micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) devices, will be produced at Goodrich’s Plymouth, UK facility.

The CIRIT missile incorporates the SiIMU02 inertial sensing unit package after customization and qualification of the SiIMU02 package was carried out earlier this year. The MEMS-based device is a fraction the size of legacy IMUs, offering adaptability for the missile’s mechanical and electrical design. Performance was another selection criterion.

The initial low-rate production order will begin a long-term program with Roketsan, predicts Alan Hull, director of business development for Goodrich’s Sensors and Integrated Systems business.

The SiIMU02 IMU offers motion sensing with high accuracy in a small, lightweight flexible form factor that withstands the missile/rocket environment.

Goodrich Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a global supplier of systems and services to aerospace, defense and homeland security markets. For more information, visit http://www.goodrich.com/.

Subscribe to our MEMS Direct newsletter

September 8, 2011 — Consumers have been "hooked" on motion sensing ever since the iPhone came out with a display that automatically switched orientation with the consumer’s movement, says Jérémie Bouchaud, director and principal analyst for MEMS and sensors at IHS. User experience, as well as better gaming and navigation, has made motion sensing a standard feature on smartphones and tablets. This is driving a sales boom for MEMS sensors, Bouchaud noted.

Apple Inc.’s accelerometer adoption in iPhones and iPads has ramped the motion sensor device market for smartphones and tablets, which will nearly double during the next five years, according to IHS iSuppli’s MEMS & Sensors Special Report. Motion sensor technology encompasses microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometers, MEMS gyroscopes, electronic compasses (3-axis magnetometers), and MEMS pressure sensors.

Global revenue from motion sensor technology in smartphones and tablets will expand to $2.1 billion in 2015, up from $1.1 billion in 2011.

Apple kicked off the market for motion sensors in smartphones in 2007 with the introduction of the accelerometer-equipped iPhone. The company further boosted the smartphone motion sensor market in 2010 with the addition of a compass and a 3-axis gyroscope to the iPhone 4 line. That same year, Apple introduced the iPad, using the same motion sensor devices.

Global smartphone shipments will hit 1.03 billion units in 2015, up from 294 million in 2010. Tablet shipments will be 275.3 million units in 2015, up from 17.4 million in 2010. A total of 4 billion motion sensors will ship in smartphones and media tablets in 2015, up nearly fivefold from 864 million in 2010.

Motion-based applications are becoming more elaborate:
The fusion of signals of the various sensors is enabling the much smoother, faster and more precise description of motion. This precision is suited to new applications, including augmented reality, gaming and motion-based web browsing.

Ultimately, signals from motion sensors will be fused with data from other sensors in smartphones and tablets, such as light sensors, cameras, microphones and global positioning systems. When combined with other sources of information, such as calendars, weather forecasts and traffic information, this sensor information can enable "context awareness," allowing handsets and tablets to determine automatically the context of how and where smartphones and tablets are being utilized. This will enable electronic devices to anticipate users’ needs.

Accelerometers and compasses already are nearly ubiquitous in smartphones, with 95 percent and 96 percent penetration, respectively, in 2011. Penetration also is increasing in feature phones.

In 2011, IHS estimates that 29% of smartphones will include a gyroscope, up from 13% in 2011.

Pressure sensors are emerging in the second half of 2011 and will experience growing demand in high-end smartphones starting in 2013 for use in indoor navigation applications.

In the media tablet space, the combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes and compasses is standard in 2011. Pressure sensors already have appeared in some tablets, notably the Motorola Xoom.

See IHS iSuppli’s report Motion Sensors in Handsets and Tablets: It’s all about Fusion: http://www.isuppli.com/MEMS-and-Sensors/Pages/Motion-Sensors-in-Handsets-It-s-All-About-Fusion.aspx?PRX

Subscribe to our MEMS Direct newsletter