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In advance of the 2013 SEMICON West TechXPOTs on lithography and nonplanar transistors beyond 20nm, SEMI asked some of the speakers to comment on the challenges they wanted to highlight.

Just as a boxer avoids a surprise shot to the head or torso by using a “duck and weave” maneuver, so to must front-end technologists confront the challenges associated with extending optical lithography while planning for EUV lithography’s eventual high-productivity solution. For the industry, particularly foundries that generally need to handle multiple platforms for a variety of customers — there is the added pile-on arising from developing the two paths to accomplish control of short channel effects and leakage in transistors beyond 20nm, i.e., ultra-thin silicon-over-insulator (SOI)-based technologies and FinFETs. This year’s SEMICON West front-end processing TechXPOTs on lithography (www.semiconwest.org/node/8471) and transistors below 20nm (www.semiconwest.org/node/8481) will provide critical updates on how technologists are coping with these “contenders.” This article takes a look at challenges the industry is facing with commentary from TechXPOT speakers.

Channel Materials: A Progression of SiGe Alloys

Whether an IC manufacturer chooses to make the giant leap to 3D transistors (e.g., the Tri-gate), or takes an evolutionary approach (e.g., using SOI-based technology as a bridge), all roads lead to the implementation of 3D transistor architectures. No matter the path, however, new channel materials will have to be developed. Paul Kirsch, director of the Front-end Process Division at SEMATECH, anticipates that there will be a progressive range of Germanium (Ge) being added to Si – from perhaps 25 percent Ge up to 100 percent Ge — to form channels in pMOS FETs first, followed by nMOS FETs for logic applications.

“Industry has a great deal of experience with SiGe already,” notes Kirsch. “It’s understood how to handle that material in the fab and it’s well understood and had good performance benefits in the pMOS FET.”

What does need more attention, however, is making SiGe work for the nMOS FET — particularly for contacts and gates. Kirsch further anticipates seeing SiGe entering the roadmap between the 14nm, 10nm, and 7nm nodes, with the possibility that some IC manufacturers could start even sooner than 14nm.

A major hurdle that has to be overcome in the implementation of III-V materials is being able to engineer out the defects from the epitaxial material and the surrounding architecture of the fin to reduce the leakage current. Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is too expensive mainly because of its low throughput. This will mean improving what Kirsch says is the preferred process — metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).  In addition to engineering out defects, the industry will have to fully understand ESH issues because the source materials for this process are toxic and pyrophoric.

“That’s not to say they can’t be understood and handled safely because we have toxic and pyrophoric materials in the fab already, but every process is a little different and attention needs to be given to these materials to make sure that we are handling them very safely,” says Kirsch.

Staying with a Planar Solution

STMicroelectronics’ marketing director of Technology R&D for the Digital Sector, Giorgio Cesana, told SEMI that regardless of the many techniques to extend the technology roadmap, conventional planar bulk technology is reaching its limits.

“The last node will be 20nm because it is unable to provide the traditional speed/power gain vs. the 28nm node,” said Cesana.

To continue to follow the Moore’s Law roadmap, the industry has developed new techniques to produce fully-depleted transistors that overcome traditional bulk planar limits. There are two possibilities: stay on a planar (2D) transistor structure obtaining fully-depleted devices using a thin SOI substrate, or move to FinFET 3D structures.

“STMicroelectronics has opted for the planar solution built on a thin silicon film above a thin buried oxide layer, which is simpler to manufacture while still offering the same fully-depleted benefits,” explained Cesana.

With the company’s 28nm FD-SOI node in production, it is now focusing on the development of the next node.

“At 14nm, this will implement a set of new features for further increasing performances while optimizing power consumption and operating at reduced voltage levels.”

Test and Diagnosis at 16/14nm and Beyond

As the industry moves to 3D transistor architectures, Joe Sawicki, VP and GM of the Design-to-Silicon Division at Mentor Graphics, observes that at 16/14nm, “You’re not just dealing with scaling, you’re dealing with fundamental changes in the transistor and cell architectures. How defects will manifest themselves and behave in these new architectures is still an unknown.”

The key, he pointed out, is going after potential defects at the transistor level using a test generation technology that looks into the standard cell itself (i.e., cell-aware automatic test pattern generation (ATPG)).

“Unlike the standard test pattern generation used today that just looks at the logical boundary of the cell and tries to ensure that all the interconnects are wired correctly, cell-aware ATPG takes that one step further by looking into the standard cell transistor structures to test and ensure that all the individual transistors and the connections between them are functional.”

Though defects that might be unique to FinFET structures below 16nm are still to be determined, Sawicki explains that cell-aware ATPG is capable of defining both static and dynamic fault models on the transistor structures, as well as on the cell-internal interconnect.

“It has already been successful in finding defects at other nodes that the traditional fault models miss,” said Sawicki.

As cell-aware testing goes from 20nm to 14nm, Sawicki anticipates that the only evolution in going to the next node will be in the SPICE level model characterization to create the initial cell-aware fault models.

“Defects in FinFET transistors may cause different behaviors and require slightly different fault models to detect them,” said Sawicki. “Since the cell-aware technology starts with a transistor level cell characterization step to create the fault model, it’s expected that from a usage and ATPG process point of view, there should be little additional evolution to the technology for FinFET technology.” 

Learn more about front-end challenges at SEMICON West 2013 and hear from the experts — live!   Your registration includes free access to the exhibition hall plus all TechXPOT sessions, keynotes and executive panels. Register for SEMICON West through May 10 at no charge: www.semiconwest.org/registration. 

New research led by University of Cincinnati physics professors Howard Jackson and Leigh Smith could contribute to better ways of harnessing solar energy, more effective air quality sensors or even stronger security measures against biological weapons such as anthrax. And it all starts with something that’s 1,000 times thinner than the typical human hair – a semiconductor nanowire.

UC’s Jackson, Smith, recently graduated PhD student Melodie Fickenscher and physics doctoral student Teng Shi, as well as several colleagues from across the US and around the world recently have published the research paper “Optical, Structural and Numerical Investigations of GaAs/AlGaAs Core-Multishell Nanowire Quantum Well Tubes” in Nano Letters, a premier journal on nanoscience and nanotechnology published by the American Chemical Society. In the paper, the team reports that they’ve discovered a new structure in a semiconductor nanowire with unique properties.

“This kind of structure in the gallium arsenide/aluminum gallium arsenide system had not been achieved before,” Jackson says. “It’s new in terms of where you find the electrons and holes, and spatially it’s a new structure.”

These cross-sectional electron microscope images show a quantum well tube nanowire’s hexagonal facets and crystal quality (left), and electron concentration in its corners.

By using a thin shell called a quantum well tube and growing it – to about 4nm thick – around the nanowire core, the researchers found electrons within the nanowire were distributed in an unusual way in relation to the facets of the hexagonal tube. A close look at the corners of the tube’s facets revealed something unexpected – a high concentration of ground state electrons and holes.

“Having the faceting really matters. It changes the ballgame,” Jackson says. “Adjusting the quantum well tube width allows you to control the energy – which would have been expected – but in addition we have found that there’s a highly localized ground state at the corners which then can give rise to true quantum nanowires.”

The nanowires the team uses for its research are grown at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia – one partner in this project that extends to disparate parts of the globe.

The team’s discovery opens a new door to further study of the fundamental physics of semiconductor nanowires. As for leading to advances in technology such as photovoltaic cells, Jackson says it’s too soon to tell because quantum nanowires are just now being explored. But in a world where hundreds of dollars’ worth of technology is packed into a 5-by-2.5 inch iPhone, it’s not hard to see how small but powerful science comes at a premium.

The team at UC is one of only about a half dozen in the US conducting competitive research in the field. It’s a relatively young discipline, too, Jackson says, and one that’s moving fast. For such innovative science, he says it’s important to have a collaborative effort. The team includes scientists from research centers in the Midwest, the West Coast and all the way Down Under: UC, Miami University of Ohio and Sandia National Laboratories in California here in the US; and Monash University and the Australian National University in Australia.

 “We’re training students in state-of-the-art techniques on state-of-the-art materials doing state-of-the-art physics,” Jackson says. “Upon completing their education here, they’re positioned to go out and make contributions of their own.”

Additional contributors to the paper are Jan Yarrison-Rice of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio; Bryan Wong of Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, Calif.; Changlin Zheng, Peter Miller and Joanne Etheridge of Monash University, Victoria, Australia; and Qiang Gao, Shriniwas Deshpande, Hark Hoe Tan and Chennupati Jagadish of the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

The critical processes and technologies necessary to continue Moore’s Law are currently more uncertain than ever before in the history of advanced semiconductor manufacturing. To assess these uncertainties and provide the latest information on EUV lithography, 3D transistors, 450mm wafer processing, and other challenges to preserving the pace of Moore’s Law, the leading authorities on these crucial issues will provide their insights, perspectives and predictions at SEMICON West (www.semiconwest.org), held from July 9-11 in San Francisco, Calif.  Free Registration for SEMICON West 2013 ends on  May 10 — register now: www.semiconwest.org/registration.

Although progress to take EUV lithography into the realm of high-volume manufacturing continues to be made, the readiness of source technologies, mask infrastructure and resist performance are still not known with a high degree of certainty. Until EUV Lithography is ready for high-volume manufacturing, the industry will continue to rely on double-patterning and even multiple-patterning lithography schemes using 193 immersion technology to take it beyond 22nm. How the industry will address these barriers, uncertainties and alternatives will be the focus the lithography session at SEMICON West.

The mobile market is driving the move to novel transistor architectures that offer greater performance and power benefits than traditional planar architectures. Memory and logic manufacturers are pursuing different strategies including leveraging innovations in design rules, new channel materials and processes (e.g., MOCVD) and inspection and metrology challenges.

While materials, architecture and processing technologies are undergoing revolutionary change, wafer processing platforms are also being radically transformed with a planned transition to 450mm wafers. For chip manufacturers and suppliers, this will involve increased levels of collaboration, further advancements in tool prototypes, and increased visibility into related supply chain implications.  The SEMICON West 450 Transition Forum will provide the latest updates on the status of 450 R&D, as well as a review of key technology considerations and a discussion of implications and opportunities for the supply chain.

Each of these programs will take place in the TechXPOT conference sessions on the exhibit floor.  Other TechXPOT programs include sessions on 2.5D and 3D IC Packaging, Productivity Innovation at Existing 200mm/300mm Fabs, Silicon Photonics, Lab-to-Fab Solutions, MEMS, LED Manufacturing, and Printed and Flexible Electronics.  SEMICON West will features over 50 hours of free technical, applications and business programs with the critical, need-to-know information presented by industry leaders.  .

SEMI is the global industry association serving the nano- and microelectronics manufacturing supply chains. SEMI maintains offices in Bangalore, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Grenoble, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. 

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.

AG Semiconductor Services, LLC (AGSS), one of the largest global suppliers of used electronics manufacturing equipment and the leader in managing large scale turnkey projects, today announced that Michael (Mike) Mardesich has joined the company in the role of senior director of sales. An industry veteran, Mardesich is tasked with developing sales strategies, managing sales and contract remarketing services and managing AGSS’ global sales force.

“Mike brings energy and intensity that are ideally suited to support the expansion of our global market presence," said Julian Gates, a Managing Director of AGSS. "He is well known throughout the electronics industry; this experience and his skill set will help solidify AGSS as the leading provider of used equipment and customer solutions to the electronics manufacturing industry."

The company also announced that former head of sales Tim Johnson will transition laterally to focus on growing AGSS’ turnkey services as well as spearhead development of future revenue channels including products and services that support non-traditional IC manufacturing such as MEMS, compound semiconductor, LED and photovoltaic. In his new role as Senior Director, Johnson will continue to support sales, remarketing and value added services as well.

Mardesich has over 30 years of experience in management, sales and equipment valuations in the electronics manufacturing used equipment industry. Prior to joining AGSS, Mardesich was the Senior Vice President of Sales with GE Capital Global Electronics Services. He also held similar positions with Comdisco Electronics Group where he was a founding member. He was an original Board Member of the SEC/N used equipment consortium.

AG Semiconductor Services, LLC is a provider of second-hand electronics manufacturing equipment and services. The company specializes in reselling pre-owned semiconductor manufacturing, IC test/assembly and printed circuit board assembly equipment acquired from leading electronics manufacturers around the world.

MoSys, a provider of semiconductor solutions, today announced that Macnica Americas, a provider of semiconductor distribution and design services, will support the GigaChip Interface in its distribution and technology innovation business.

The GigaChip Interface (GCI) is a scalable, high-performance, serial protocol for chip-to-chip communications that is differentiated in efficiency and reliability, resulting in system-level benefits of reduced power, cost and complexity. Current implementations built with compatible CEI-11G or XFI SerDes electrical transport standards deliver up to 144Gb per second (Gbps) of full duplex data throughput using 16 SerDes lanes when running at a 10G rate. A key differentiator for the GCI protocol is high transport efficiency, even for small payloads. Alternative serial interfaces are typically less than 50 percent efficient when transferring 8 bit and 16 bit data, which means that they deliver less than half the performance at a given bandwidth. The combination of 90 percent transport efficiency, from small to large payloads, with power efficient short reach physical interconnect makes GCI ideal for co-processor, memory, or multi-chip communication. The interface also includes CRC error detection and automatic error recovery provisions to meet the high reliability requirements of enterprise, service provider, and mission-critical communications and compute applications. GCI is an open, royalty-free interface specification designed for use with MoSys’ Bandwidth Engine family of ICs and is suitable for any chip-to-chip interconnect.

“As a provider of turnkey FPGA design services, we have substantial expertise in high-speed communications protocols and networking, and have seen firsthand the pain points caused by the limitations of more traditional interface protocols,” said Marc Levy, Chief Technical Officer for Macnica Americas. “We believe that leveraging the GigaChip Interface for chip-to-chip communications in high-speed, high-density complex FPGA designs provides the performance, efficiency and reliability necessary to enable 100G systems and beyond.”

“Macnica Americas is one of North America’s leading providers of high-performance semiconductor design and distribution services. We are delighted to have Macnica’s support of the GigaChip Interface in its FPGA design services and technology innovation business,” said John Monson, Vice President of Marketing for MoSys. “Through our collaboration and combined expertise in high-speed communications protocols and networking, MoSys and Macnica are poised to provide powerful solutions that connect MoSys’ Bandwidth Engine ICs with leading FPGAs through the GigaChip Interface, while delivering on fast time-to-market requirements.”

MEMSIC, Inc., a MEMS solution provider, today announced that it has agreed to be acquired by IDG-Accel China Capital II, L.P. and its affiliates MZ Investment Holdings Limited and MZ Investment Holdings Merger Sub Limited, for $4.225 per share in cash. Affiliates of IDG currently hold approximately 19.5 percent of the company’s outstanding common stock. IDG and its affiliates will acquire all the outstanding shares of common stock of MEMSIC that are not currently owned by them, including shares underlying outstanding in-the-money equity awards, for approximately $88.5 million.

The price of $4.225 per share in cash represents a premium of:

143 percent over the $1.74 closing price of MEMSIC’s common stock on November 20, 2012, the last trading day before the company announced that it had received a non-binding proposal from IDG-Accel China Growth Fund II L.P. to acquire the company for $4.00 per share;

144 percent over its average closing share price over the 90 calendar days ended on that date; and

56 percent over the company’s closing share price of $2.71 on April 22, 2013.

The Board of Directors of MEMSIC, in approving the transaction, acted at the unanimous recommendation of a special committee, consisting of the company’s three independent directors, that was appointed in November 2012 to consider the IDG proposal and the company’s other strategic alternatives.

“The Special Committee and its advisors conducted a disciplined and independent process intended to ensure the best available outcome for our stockholders,” said MEMSIC’s Lead Director and Chairman of the Special Committee, Roger Blethen. “The Board of Directors approved the IDG transaction because it strongly believes, after carefully considering the company’s strategic alternatives, that it is in the best interest of MEMSIC stockholders and the best of the available alternatives. We believe the $4.225 price is fair and that making that value available to our stockholders immediately in cash is more favorable to them than the other alternatives available, including remaining independent.”

The company’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Yang Zhao, and director Quan Zhou were not members of the Special Committee and did not participate in the deliberations of the Board of Directors approving the merger. Mr. Zhou is an affiliate of IDG. Dr. Zhao will remain employed by the company following the acquisition and will also participate as an equity investor in the acquiring company.

The merger agreement is subject to customary conditions, including a vote of the company’s stockholders. The transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of 2013.

Foley Hoag LLP acted as counsel to MEMSIC. RBC Capital Markets, LLC acted as financial advisor and Richards, Layton and Finger, P.A. acted as special legal counsel to the Special Committee. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP acted as counsel to IDG.

Headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, MEMSIC, Inc. provides advanced semiconductor sensor and integrated sensing system solutions based on MEMS technology and mixed signal circuit design. Its products include accelerometers, magnetic sensors and electronic compass solutions, integrated high performance inertial measurement units for industrial and avionics applications, MEMS flow sensing systems, and wireless sensing network systems.

SAMCO Inc, head quartered in Kyoto, Japan, has expanded its OPTO Films Research Laboratory in California’s Silicon Valley in order to strengthen its research structure and after-sale process support.

SAMCO relocate and expand Silicon Valley office

Placing an emphasis on interaction with cutting edge research SAMCO is expanding its research and development activities at its three global R&D centers – The ‘Kyoto Research and Development Center’; the Silicon Valley ‘OPTO Films Research Laboratory’; and ‘Cambridge Research Center’ located in England’s Cambridge University. 

SAMCO was the first Japanese venture company to open an R&D center in the Silicon Valley. The OPTO Films Research and Development Center in Silicon Valley was established in 1987 as SAMCO’s first overseas research and development center.  Since its establishment it has lead the research of carbon type materials such as diamond thin films, diamond like carbon (DLC), and materials for electrodes etc., as well as the development of thin film deposition systems.  Furthermore, the facility also plays an important role in joint research with universities.

Highlighting SAMCO’s plans for business expansion and the strengthening of its research and development structure, the new facility is about twice as large as the one it replaces. Furthermore, in order to maximize research efficiency, the laboratory is again located in the Silicon Valley, a hub of company research centers and ventures. 

The new laboratory is equipped with SAMCO CVD systems, dry etching systems, cleaning systems, and a suite of thin-film measurement systems.  Research will continue on thin films of carbon-based materials and new research will begin on MEMS fabrication for the bio-medical industries.  Recruitment of local researchers is also progressing, with plans for up to ten researchers to be based at the facility (currently six). 

Along with the expansion of the Silicon Valley facilities, SAMCO has also increased sales personnel in its East Coast sales and service office located in North Carolina’s ‘Research Triangle Park’.  The new OPTO films Laboratory will play an important role, as a demo laboratory, in supporting the expansion of North American sales.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced today that it is introducing a new 129lm/W high efficiency, chip-on-board (COB) family of LED packages, LC013/26/40B, which features a compact light emitting surface (LES), designed for use in high performance indoor and outdoor lighting, and ideally suited for spotlight applications.

 “Samsung proudly presents its new 13, 26, and 40W, 129 lm/W high performance COB package family, based on our world class chip and phosphor technology,” said Jaap Schlejen, senior vice president, LED lighting sales and marketing, Samsung Electronics. “The new COB family, is designed to meet Zhaga specifications, and has a low thermal resistance and superior heat dissipation for high reliability.”

The series – LC013/26/40B, features a 129lm/W light efficacy at 80 CRI (Color Rendering Index) and 5000K CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) and is available in 2700K, 3000K and 4000K versions. By adopting chip-on-board technology that utilizes metal core PCBs, the new COB family offers outstanding color uniformity and light quality, while achieving a high luminous flux of up to 6000lm in a single LED package.

The Samsung COB family will be available in May. Further additions to Samsung’s COB package lineup will be made later this year, to offer even more options for customers.

The Samsung’s COB family will be displayed at LIGHTFAIR International 2013 (Booth #2645), along with other LED packages, as well as new LED engines, lamps and L-Tubes. LIGHTFAIR International will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia from April 23rd-25th.

Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) pressure sensors will achieve accelerated growth this year and become the leading type of MEMS device, driven by increasing use in automotive and the fast-growing handset space, according to insights from the IHS iSuppli MEMS & Sensors Service from information and analytics provider IHS.

Revenue for MEMS pressure sensors this year will reach a projected $1.71 billion, up 14 percent from $1.50 billion in 2012. This year’s growth improves on the already solid 11 percent increase of 2012, but even rosier prospects are in store next year when expansion peaks at 16 percent. Steady, uninterrupted growth will continue until at least 2017, by which time the market will be worth $2.49 billion, as shown in the figure below.

MEMS pressure sensors

Used for control and monitoring purposes in myriad applications, pressure sensors are set this year to become the biggest-selling MEMS device, displacing the incumbent leaders: accelerometers and gyroscopes.

“Pressure sensors play a key role in automotive safety,” said Richard Dixon, Ph.D., principal analyst for MEMS & sensors at IHS. “Because of this, the biggest market remains the automotive segment, where the sensors predominate in tire-pressure monitoring and braking systems. However, wireless applications—led by mobile handsets—will see the most explosive growth this year, up by 90 percent. Other important markets for pressure sensors are in medical electronics, industry, white goods and military/aerospace.”

Automotive rules the road

In automotive, MEMS pressure sensor revenue in 2013 is expected to amount to $1.26 billion, or fully 74 percent of total industry revenue for the year. At least 18 automotive applications will fuel the space, including tire pressure, brake sensors used in electronic stability control systems, side airbags, engine control related to increasingly stringent emissions regulations worldwide, barometric pressure and exhaust gas recirculation pressure.

A rapidly growing new application is in gasoline direct-injection systems using high-pressure sensors up to 200 bar. Gasoline engines, especially in Europe where diesels make up a large proportion of vehicle sales, are enjoying a renaissance in light of upcoming emissions legislation in the EU, due in 2015. Diesel engines already employ many pressure sensors in the engine and in after-treatment systems.

Though automotive will lose some steam in the years to come, the segment will continue to command the largest revenue compared to other markets, with up to two-thirds of total industry takings even by 2017.

Wireless grabs spotlight; other areas also prosper

A strong new contributor this year is the wireless segment, particularly handsets. Pressure sensors will support indoor navigation, measuring altitude and providing a fast lock on global positioning systems that identify with precision on which floor of a building a user is located. Samsung first started using pressure sensors in its Galaxy S III smartphone in 2012, and Apple will be following suit soon, IHS believes.

Subsequent growth here will be very fast as other manufacturers jump on the bandwagon to offer the same functionality in their phones, making wireless the second-largest market after automotive already by 2014. This growth will continue and in 2017, every other smart phone should feature a pressure sensor.

Military/aerospace is a big mover; other markets also expand

For the remaining four markets, revenue growth this year for MEMS pressure sensors will range from 4 to 11 percent.

In medical electronics, pressure sensors will find their most extensive use in the form of blood pressure devices utilized during medical operations. The medical electronics market this year will be the second-biggest after automotive, with revenue of $143.9 million.

MEMS pressure sensors will also find prominent use in industrial electronics, a market worth $112.6 million in 2013; and in consumer electronics, valued at $45.2 million in 2013.

The industrial segment is highly fragmented with many applications, such as in boilers, pumps, and food or semiconductor processing. In comparison, consumer electronics is a small market at present for the sensors, consisting mainly of dive and sport watches, pedometers and hiking altimeters, as well as appliances like washing machines.

Dedicated personal heath-monitoring devices and activity monitors with a watch form factor, for instance, will potentially drive an additional wave of positive movement for pressure sensors, IHS expects.

Other examples that will do the same are motion-tracking devices that measure height for accuracy in stair counting.

Another notable segment is military/aerospace, driven by the commercial aircraft boom at U.S. maker Boeing and at pan-European entity Airbus. Although the total number of aircraft, jets, turboprops and helicopters sold worldwide is less than 10,000 per year, the number of pressure sensors being used here can be significant. A large jet, for instance, needs as many as 130 pressure sensors for an array of applications.

Prices are also high, running from the hundred-dollar to the thousand-dollar range, due to exacting performance requirements. Although the military/aerospace market is currently the smallest this year for MEMS pressure sensors at $39.8 million, growth will be solid at 11 percent.