Category Archives: MEMS

April 7, 2011 – Five years after losing its leadership position in global MEMS supplies, Texas Instruments is back on top thanks to demand for digital light processing (DLP) technology, according to IHS iSuppli’s new 2010 rankings. (Check out 2009 results here and here.)

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Top 10 MEMS IDM and fabless manufacturers in 2010 (in US $M). *Does not include MEMS foundry revenue. (Source: IHS iSuppli)

"Texas Instruments’ fortunes in the MEMS market have risen and fallen based on the success of its DLP technology," said Jérémie Bouchaud, director and principal analyst MEMS and sensors for IHS, in a statement. Before 2005 it rode popularity of DLP for rear-projection TV sets, but once those started disappearing so did DLP demand and pricing — its sales slumped 31% from 2005-2009.

Now DLP demand is rising again with the emergence of front-projectors and pico projectors, particularly in China and India, thanks in part to its ability to project 3D content (helps in education applications). Meanwhile, pico projectors produce large displays for their diminutive size (<2lb and <60in3), some of which tan put up 50-in. diagonal images on surfaces (e.g. a wall) using the DLP technology — perfect for advanced mobile devices such as smartphones and netbooks. (A million DLP pico projectors shipped in 2010, iSuppli notes.)

And so, TI enjoyed nearly 25% growth in 2010, third best among the top-10, raking in $793M worth of MEMS. HP’s sales actually declined a fraction to $782M.

A quick snapshot of the other top-10 players:

Hewlett-Packard: The now-No. 2 MEMS chipmaker stagnated due to weakness in the inkjet printhead sector, which contracted -0.8%. HP’s shipments were up, but sales were down due to price erosion, but also HP’s gradual switch to permanent parts, which dented its installed base for disposable print nozzles.

The Bosch Group: The company maintained its No.3 spot and leadership in the sensor segment of MEMS, as sales spiked 46% in 2010. Its consumer MEMS sales (Bosch Sensortec) grew even better (51% to $120M) thanks to accelerometers used in cell phones, in which it outpaced all competitors (ADI 30%, Kionix 22%, ST 10%). Meanwhile, Bosch’s sales growth in auto MEMS outraced the overall sector (45% vs. 32%), due to a rapid rebound in car production, more demand for luxury cars and sensor-equipped cars in Germany, Chinese demand for manifold air pressure sensors, and new government mandates for auto safety systems.

STMicroelectronics: The fastest-growing of the big MEMS suppliers (60%) is tops in the rapidly expanding markets for consumer electronics and cellphone MEMS, notes iSuppli. The company has shipped 50% of consumer accelerometer demand in the past two years (meaning it won’t be able to gain much share anymore), and is seeking new growth drivers e.g. in gyroscopes, which brought in $117M in 2010 and represented 85% of the company’s revenue growth in consumer MEMS. MEMS microphones and MEMS pressure sensors for handsets and tablets should contribute to revenue in 2011, iSuppli notes. Meanwhile, ST also is now shipping low-g accelerometers and introducing high-g accelerometers for airbags.

Learn more in IHS iSuppli’s MEMS website: http://isuppli.com/MEMS-and-Sensors/Pages/Products.aspx

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April 5, 2011 — Semico chief of technology and blogger Tony Massimini looks at the AKU230 MEMS microphone from Akustica, and finds the tiny device trimmed down by use of semiconductor manufacturing processes rather than traditional MEMS fab.

From the Semico Spin blog:

"The AKU230 is manufactured using conventional CMOS processes. The microphone membrane is a metal/dielectric layer, manufactured just like every other metal/dielectric layer in a CMOS process. The ADC circuitry is located around the membrane and is fabricated at the same time as the membrane during the same conventional CMOS processes. This approach offers savings in silicon area compared to a MEMS microphone fabricated using more traditional MEMS processes.

Some MEMS microphones have an analog audio output. Some have an analog audio output but can provide a digital output using a second semiconductor, essentially an ADC. Akustica MEMS microphones, including the AKU230, are the only MEMS microphones that combine the microphone and the ADC circuitry on one chip, offering a simpler, less expensive solution and one insertion cost rather than two."

Read more from Massimini in his post, "Akustica AKU230: A Tiny Microphone with Huge Potential," at http://www.mapmodel.com/index.php/2011/03/30/akustica-aku230-a-tiny-microphone-with-huge-potential/

Also read "Akustica digital microphone uses smallest fully integrated MEMS"

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April 4, 2011 — Yole Développement released a report on ferroelectric thin films, comprising an overview of the ferroelectric thin films applications and the current and future industrial ferroelectric thin films users in each application. Yole analyzes deposition techniques and materials (PVD, CVD, CSD) trends, and shares production data for ferroelectric thin films (ferroelectric thin film production forecast 2010-2015 in number of wafers, market shares of the different detection techniques globally and by application, market shares of the ferroelectric material).

Ferroelectric thin films have been used for many years in integrated passives devices (IPDs), ferroelectric memories (FeRAM) and MEMS inkjet heads. Such thin films can be used for ferroelectric, piezoelectric or pyroelectric properties.

Ferroelectric materials were considered exotic semiconductor materials in the past. Thanks to better knowledge and industrialization of these materials, they are increasingly used in many new applications, especially in the MEMS field: MEMS wafer-level autofocus, RF MEMS, MEMS ultrasonic transducers infrared sensors, IPD tunable capacitors, and many others.

Figure. Ferroelectric thin films market forecast (in K wafers 6" eq). SOURCE: Ferroelectric Thin Films Report, Yole Développement.

Physical vapor deposition (PVD) is the dominant deposition technique but chemical solution deposition (CSD) techniques will increase its market share greatly, especially in MEMS applications, thanks to its better material composition. PZT, the most well-known ferroelectric material, will keep the leadership on SBT, BST, except if other materials are developed to replace lead, blacklisted by the RoHs European directive.

Driven by existing and new applications, the production of ferroelectric thin films will grow from 881,000 6" eq. wafers in 2010 to 1,263,000 wafers in 2015, meaning a CAGR of +7.5 %. Inkjet head application and IPDs ESD/EMI planar capacitor represent more than 90% of the production in 2010 but other applications will grow strongly to reach globally 26% of the total production in 2015.

Large industrial companies are already using ferroelectric thin films in various applications fields, showing the reliability of this technology:

  • IPDs: NXP, STM
  • MEMS: EPSON
  • FeRAM: Panasonic, Fujitsu, Rhom, Oki, Ramtron

Companies cited in the report:

Argonne lab, Asicon, Avx, BAE, Brother, CEA Le Ripault, Cranfield University, Deplhi, DRS, Epcos, EPFL, Epichem, Epiphotonics, EPSON , FLIR, Fraunhofer IMT, Fraunhofer IPMS, Fujifilm Dimatix, Fujitsu, Gennum, Hammamatsu, Heimann, Holst centre, Hynix, IBM, Imagine Optic, IMEC, Infineon, Inostek, Ipdia, Irisys, KIST, Kojundo lab, Korean Institute of Technology, KTH, L3Com, LAAS, Lemoptix, Lensvector, LG , Matsushita, Maxim, Microsystem lab, Microvision, Mitsubishi Chemical, Murata, Nippon Ceramic, NovioMEMS, NovioMEMS, NXP, Oce, Oerlikon, OKI, Olympus, ON semiconductor, Onchip, Panasonic, Panasonic, Paratek, Philips, Philips Research, Polight, Pondus Instruments, Pulse, Pyreos, Pyreos, Ramtron, Rohm, Samco, Samsung, Semtech, Siemens Medical, Singapore univ, Sintef, Solmates, Sonitor, Sound Design Technology, Steinbeis Transfer centre, ST microelectronics, Suss, Symetrix Corporation, Tango, Technolas perfect vision, Tegal, Texas Instrument, Tezzaron, Thales, Toshiba, Tyndall, Ulis, Ulvac, US Army lab, Vermon, VTT, Western digital, Wispry, Xaar.

In the next 5 years, many new players plan to adopt or evaluate ferroelectric thin films to enter on key markets, from SMEs (Polight, Irisys, NovioMEMS, etc.) to large groups (Océ, Xaar, Delphi, IBM, Philips research, etc).

Ferroelectric Thin Films report from Yole gives an overview of the ferroelectric thin films industry today. It helps devices manufacturers to evaluate the benefits of using ferroelectric think films technologies, identify new business opportunities and partners, monitor their competitor’s advancements. It also helps materials manufacturers, investors, R&D centers and MEMS & Packaging foundries in their developments to identify new opportunities and partners.
 
Authors:
Yann de Charentenay was granted a master degree in physics in INPG in Grenoble and also in Innovation management from Compiegne University. Since 2003, he has worked for Yole Development in the field of MEMS, materials and compound semiconductors. He has contributed to more than 50 marketing and technological analysis.

Dr. Eric Mounier has a PhD in microelectronics from the INPG in Grenoble. Since 1998 he is a cofounder of Yole Developpement, a market research company based in France. At Yole Developpement, Dr. Eric Mounier is in charge of market analysis for MEMS, equipment & material. He is Chief Editor of Micronews, and MEMS’Trends magazines (Magazine on MEMS Technologies & Markets).

Yole Développement is a group of companies providing market research, technology analysis, strategy consulting, media in addition to finance services. More information on www.yole.fr.

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Dominique Vicard and Nathalie Sprynski, CEA-Leti, France

For more than a decade, CEA-Leti has been developing microsensors capable of precisely measuring their orientation in relation to the Earth’s gravitational and magnetic fields. Now, Leti is beginning to incorporate arrays of these tiny micro sensors into new kinds of instrumented — or proprioceptive — materials.

The goal of this embedded micro sensor initiative is to capture detailed information about the shape, position and motion of objects fabricated out of these new sensor-laden smart materials, and then use mathematical algorithms to analyze that data and apply it to real-world problems.

Potential applications for proprioceptive materials include:

  • Medicine, where they could help determine the shape and curvature of patients’ spinal columns, or define the best shape for medical belts or wound dressings;
  • Aviation and auto design, where flexible, sensor-equipped ribbons could be used to measure turbulence in the wake of fast-moving aircraft or cars;
  • Computer-aided design (CAD), where applying smart-material wrappers to real objects could generate data for creating detailed numerical models, possibly taking the place of 3D scanners;
  • Sports equipment, where the performance of sails, surfboards, skis or other gear could be monitored, evaluated and improved;
  • Games and virtual reality, where smart clothes could capture players’ complete body moves, allowing them to be totally integrated into the game.
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Figure 1. CEA-Leti’s prototype Morphosense tool — embedded with micro sensors — is shown superimposed over a virtual ribbon generated by the system.

To explore the capabilities of proprioceptive materials, Leti researchers have created a ribbon-like prototype called Morphosense, which allows users to remotely capture information about curved shapes in space (Figure 1). Built from a flexible, plastic-coated printed circuit board (PCB) with 16 coupled sensors distributed along the ribbon at 25mm intervals, the system uses a serial-peripheral-interface (SPI) bus to read the sensors’ position data, which is then transmitted wirelessly to a host computer using Bluetooth 2.0 technology.

Two types of sensors are used in tandem to determine the orientation of each point along the Morphosense ribbon. Micro-accelerometer sensors provide data on the ribbon’s orientation to the Earth’s gravitational field as well as acceleration data when the sensor is moving. Micro-magnetometer sensors provide data on the ribbon’s orientation to the Earth’s magnetic field. By embedding both kinds of sensors at each location and combining their orientation information, it is possible to determine the absolute orientation of known points along the ribbon’s surface, which can then be used to generate a mathematical representation of its shape.

The algorithm used to reconstruct the ribbon’s curves requires knowledge of tangential data at each sensor’s position, and the distance between sensors along the ribbon. Based on that, the derivative function can be determined using the arc-length parameter and cubic splines on the unit sphere, and then integrating the three components to retrieve the curve.

Morphosense has enabled Leti to validate the use of proprioceptive materials for both shape capture and motion capture. We still have much to learn about the capabilities and potential uses of embedded micro-sensors, but the technology is looking very promising.

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Figure 2. The shape of more-complex surfaces can be acquired using multiple sensor ribbons in a comb structure.

Having proven the concept of capturing relatively simple shapes and motion from ribbons, Leti is turning its attention to more complex three-dimensional surfaces. One promising approach is to embed sensors in either a rectangular mesh, or a comb structure (Figure 2). By reconstructing the curves independently, then adjusting them according to their distribution (based on known information about the system), it should be possible to reconstruct a smooth surface fitting the curves.

Looking ahead, Leti researchers expect to continue miniaturizing these sensors, as well as integrating them into a wider variety of plastic and textile smart materials. Better algorithms should also help improve the interpretation of sensor data and allow the development of more accurate surface models.

Dominique Vicard is Leti’s lab manager for sensors, functionalization and environment. Contact Vicard at +33.4.38.78.55.59; [email protected].

Nathalie Sprynski is a research engineer in mathematics.
     
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April 1, 2011 — Engineers at Oregon State University have invented a new way to use surface-mount adhesives (SMAs) in the production of low-temperature, microchannel heat exchangers.

"Even though microchannel arrays have enormous potential for more efficient heat transfer and chemical reactions, high production costs have so far held back the broad, mainstream use of the technology," said Brian Paul, a professor in the OSU School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering.

Click to Enlarge"In certain applications, this new approach has reduced material costs by 50%," Paul said. "It could cut production bonding costs by more than 90%, compared to existing approaches to microchannel lamination. And the use of surface-mount adhesives is directly translatable to the electronics assembly industry, so there is less risk going to market.

Microchannels the diameter of a human hair can be patterned into the surface of a metal or plastic, and can be designed to speed up the heat exchange between fluids, or the mixing and separation of fluids during chemical reactions. The accelerated heat and mass transfer leads to smaller heat exchangers and chemical reactors and separators.

This type of technology will be needed, researchers say, in next-generation computers, lasers, consumer electronics, automobile cooling systems, fuel processors, miniature heat pumps and more.

"We have demonstrated the use of surface-mount adhesives to create microchannels on a wide variety of metals, including aluminum, which is very cheap," said Prawin Paulraj, an OSU doctoral candidate and lead author on the recent study. "Bonding aluminum is difficult with conventional techniques."

These very thin pieces of patterned metal can be bonded one on top of another to increase the number of microchannels in a heat exchanger, and the amount of fluid that can be processed. Laminated microchannel arrays are possible in aluminum, copper, titanium, stainless steel, and other metals.

The adhesives are limited in temperature to about that of boiling water. The researchers say that possible uses might include radiators to cool an automobile engine or small, very efficient heat pumps for efficient air conditioning within buildings. Heat dissipation for electronic components could enable further miniaturization. Also read: IBM to use water cooling for future 3D IC processors

This research was conducted at the Microproducts Breakthrough Institute, a user facility of the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute. A patent has been applied for and the are findings reported in the Journal of Manufacturing Processes (Access the article here: http://hdl.handle.net/1957/20495).

University officials are now seeking a commercial partner in private industry to continue development and marketing of the technology, according to Denis Sather, a licensing associate in the OSU Office for Commercialization and Corporate Development.

The Oregon State University (OSU) College of Engineering is among the US’s largest and most productive engineering programs. In the past six years, the College has more than doubled its research expenditures to $27.5 million by emphasizing highly collaborative research that solves global problems, spins out new companies, and produces opportunity for students through hands-on learning.

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March 31, 2011 – Marketwire — Coventor Inc., software supplier for developing micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), expanded its reach in two key geographies with the opening of a new office in Italy, and a new distribution agreement in China.

The expansion positions Coventor to leverage the continued growth of the MEMS market and meet the need for more sophisticated design solutions in the development of MEMS-enabled products.

Sondra Di Sabatino, who has more than 20 years experience in the CAE industry, will head up Coventor’s sales and business developments efforts for Southern Europe and Israel. The office complements the company’s existing operations in Paris. She joins Coventor from Ansoft, where she worked for 13 years and supported key accounts in the semiconductor, automotive and defense industries, as well as major national research organizations. She has also worked at MSC Software, a provider of tools for electro-mechanical design.

In China, Coventor has signed an agreement with AONESOFT to develop and support its customer base in the central and southern regions of the country. The company, based in Wuhan, has 21 employees with deep technical and sales expertise and a strong track record with large commercial and academic enterprises in this area. AONESOFT has helped expand software and hardware sales in this region for MSC, Tektronix, Agilent and Zuken and other leading companies.

"As MEMS devices become more complex and further integrated with traditional electronics systems, we have seen a strong demand in these regions for the type of design platform Coventor offers," said Tom Flynn, VP of sales and business development at Coventor. "This expansion using highly qualified resources fits nicely into our global strategy to help address the toughest MEMS design challenges with a robust design platform."

Coventor Inc. provides automated design solutions for micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and virtual fabrication of MEMS and semiconductor devices. Coventor serves a worldwide customer base of integrated device manufacturers, fabless design houses, independent foundries, and R&D organizations that develop MEMS-based products for automotive, aerospace, industrial, defense, and consumer electronics applications, including smart phones, tablets, and gaming systems. More information is available at http://www.coventor.com.

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March 30, 2011 — Akustica Inc. debuted a single-chip digital MEMS microphone for high-quality voice applications in laptops, tablets and netbook PCs. The AKU230, Akustica’s 4th-generation MEMS microphone, is the company’s first product that leverages Bosch’s MEMS fabrication capabilities and global supply chain.

Akustica chose to move production of their newest complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) MEMS microphone to the Bosch foundry in Reutlingen, Germany because of Bosch’s MEMS manufacturing experience and the rigorous standards of quality that have allowed Bosch to ship more than 1.6 billion MEMS sensors worldwide. "Bosch ships more than 200 million MEMS sensors annually," said Dr. Stefan Finkbeiner, CEO and GM of Akustica.

The AKU230 leverages Akustica’s patented monolithic CMOS MEMS platform, a technology which integrates the mechanical function of microphones and other sensors with analog and digital electronics in a single chip. Akustica maintains a complete in-house MEMS, ASIC, and package design team. As part of Bosch, Akustica has added in-house foundry capabilities. This combination allows the company to rapidly develop both tailored solutions for customers and compelling features for new products, it reports.

Close collaborations between the design and manufacturing teams for the AKU230 enabled Akustica to shrink the size of the monolithic AKU230 die so that the microphone die, which contains the microphone membrane, amplifier and sigma-delta converter, is 0.84 x 0.84mm.

The AKU230’s form factor, interface circuitry and performance were designed to industry standards, making it easy for equipment manufacturers to design Akustica’s digital MEMS microphone into high-volume camera modules or
mass-market mobile computers. With a footprint of 3.76 x 4.72mm, and 1.25mm height, the AKU230 package is also 30% thinner than the previous generation of digital microphones, and suits thin form-factor integrations.

The AKU230 features:

  • -26 dBFS +/-2dB Sensitivity
  • 56 dB typical SNR
  • -57 dBFS Power Supply Rejection
  • An industry-standard, ultra-small, ultra-thin package which fits inside the bezels of even the smallest tablet computers
  • Highly-matched sensitivity control and stereo-microphone data multiplexing, ideal for dual microphone arrays that create directionality and noise suppression to enhance audio quality
  • Immunity to radio frequency and electromagnetic interference, further improving voice capture

Akustica supplies silicon microphone products that aim to improve voice-input quality in a host of voice-enabled applications, from mobile phones to Internet telephony on notebooks and PC camera modules. More information about Akustica is available at www.akustica.com.

The Bosch Group manufactures and markets automotive original equipment and aftermarket products, industrial drives and control technology, power tools, security and communication systems, packaging technology, thermotechnology, household appliances, solar energy and healthcare products. The company acquired Akustica in 2009. For more information, visit www.boschusa.com.

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March 30, 2011 – Business Wire — Discera Inc., silicon timing product maker, launched high-performance DSC21XX I2C and DSC22XX SPI application programmable MEMS oscillators.

These oscillators are available in single- and dual-output configurations with fully programmable output frequencies and drive strength.

With 300 femtosecond RMS phase jitter and 10ppm frequency stability, these are the highest performance programmable silicon-based oscillators to enter production, claims Discera.

Ultra-flexible low-jitter oscillators reduce development and lead times across the electronics industry, said Discera CEO Bruce Diamond, "The DSC21XX and DSC22XX oscillators use MEMS technology to deliver better performance than fixed frequency oscillators with flexibility and reliability," he added.

The DSC21XX and DSC22XX oscillators support various single and dual output CMOS, LVPECL, LVDS, and HCSL configurations. Full field programmability of these oscillators over industry standard interfaces allows a single part to serve as the timing reference for different applications or product configurations. This programmability also enables real-time clock-rate and drive strength adjustment to test system limits or optimize performance for any application. The DSC21XX and DSC22XX fit into flexible FPGA- and CPLD-based designs.

Discera provides CMOS-based MEMS oscillators. More information is available at www.discera.com

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March 25, 2011 — Despite widespread disruption to Japan’s transportation and utility infrastructure, the country’s digital compass makers report they are working to guarantee that supply of the critical component meets rapidly rising global demand.

IHS iSuppli research indicates that 97% of all digital compass manufacturing worldwide in 2010 was conducted in Japan. The world’s top four suppliers of digital compasses are Japanese firms AKM Semiconductor, Yamaha, Aichi Steel and Alps.

AKM said its main fab that produced electronics compasses for the iPad 2 tablet has not been damaged. The fab is located on Kyushu island, far the south of quake’s epicenter. IHS had indicated the company’s delivery of products potentially could be affected by the same logistical and power supply issues impacting all Japanese industries. AKM said that it uses multiple fabs, including one external source, for the fabrication of its compass, allowing it to mitigate potential logistical challenges.

No. 2 supplier Yamaha said its plant manufacturing digital compasses also was undamaged by the quake and that it is not experiencing the power outages plaguing companies in other parts of the country. Yamaha’s Kagoshima factory is also on Kyushu island. The company said it will work to address logistical problems by changing ports to locations that are not affected by the earthquake and electricity outages.

No. 3 supplier Aichi Steel operates its digital compass fab in Aichi Ken near Nagoya. The company said this facility has suffered no damage and that there has been no delay in shipments. 

Fourth-ranked supplier Alps said that although its compass fab is located in Nagaoka, near the quake zone, the facility appears to in good condition and is operating normally. Read updates on MEMS facilities in Japan.

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Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2009-2014 CAGR
Millions of units 4.1 4.5 9.2 58.0  263.4 470.7 693.2 904.9 1111.2 1,279.3 80.5%
Figure. Global digital compass shipment forecast (Millions of units) SOURCE: IHS iSuppli March 2011.

Global demand for digital compasses is rising rapidly, increasing to 263 million units in 2010, up 354% from 58 million in 2009, reports IHS iSuppli. By 2015, shipments will rise to 1.28 billion, as presented in the attached figure.

Digital compasses are becoming standard in tablets and GPS-enabled cell phones, said Jérémie Bouchaud, director and principal analyst for MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) and sensors at IHS. He lists Apple Inc.’s iPhone 3 and iPhone 4, devices operating with Microsoft Corp.’s Mobile Windows 7, and Android phones as examples. Move controllers and the upcoming Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) 2 from Sony Corp also use digital compasses.

Because the calibration of digital compasses regarding electromagnetic interference (EMI) is specific to the systems in which they are used, the components supplied by one company are not easily replaceable with those from another.
 
For more information on the digital compass market, see Bouchaud’s new upcoming report: Digital Compasses Pick up Reigns of Magnetic Sensors Market at http://www.isuppli.com/MEMS-and-Sensors/Pages/Digital-Compasses-Pick-up-Reigns-of-Magnetic-Sensors-Market.aspx?PRX 

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March 25, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — Micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) are starting to be the "Swiss Army Knives" of modern consumer electronics: they can take the form of (or be incorporated in) accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, altimeters, screens, projectors, and microphones. New data from ABI Research indicates that strong growth in the MEMS market over the next five years will result in nearly five billion MEMS being shipped during 2016.

MEMS are found in smartphones, netbooks, media tablets, eReaders, games consoles and handheld gaming platforms, where some of them assist with navigation, dead reckoning, image stabilization, and augmented reality. (Often, consumer devices contain more than one MEMS component.) Still others will underpin new forms of display that use far less power than today’s screen technologies (although initially at greater cost.)

"Initially, smartphones will provide the greatest boost to uptake," notes practice director Peter Cooney, "but if OEMS embrace MEMS displays, they may deliver the strongest overall growth in revenue over time. ABI Research’s MEMS market forecasts depend on device shipments growing as expected. At this point however, we are confident about the prospects for [consumer electronics] CE devices market growth."

The MEMS market is currently split between seven quite specialized major vendors — STMicroelectronics, Asahi Kasei, InvenSense, Bosch, Knowles, Kionix, Freescale Semiconductor — and numerous smaller ones.

"Over time, competition in the MEMS market will result in falling ASPs," says Cooney. "Two of the larger vendors, Bosch and STMicroelectronics, have more diversified product offerings, taking shares across a number of applications. This positions them well to prosper as market conditions change, while other vendors continue to specialize. There is still room for new vendors with new products, however."

ABI Research’s "MEMS in Smartphones and Consumer Electronics" study (http://www.abiresearch.com/research/1006495) analyzes the market opportunity for all of the consumer devices mentioned above in terms of unit volumes, revenues and average selling prices, with forecasts to 2016. ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com

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