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June 12, 2012 — Semiconductor sensor sales will grow 18% in 2012 to a record $5.7 billion, and continue double-digit growth rates and record-high revenues each year through 2016. The catalyst for growth is embedded features that let sensors automatically control and protect themselves, understand movement, detect changes around them, and support new user interfaces, shows IC Insights’ 2012 Optoelectronics, Sensors/Actuators, and Discretes (O-S-D) Report.

Annual sensors sales declined only once (2% in 2009) since the late 1990s, which was followed by a 53% surge in 2010 and 21% in 2011. Between 2011 and 2016, worldwide sensor sales will increase by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18%, to $10.9 billion in 2016.

Figure. Trajectory of sensor sales 2008-2016. SOURCE: IC Insights.

Within the sensor market segment, accelerometers and gyroscope devices (i.e., acceleration and yaw sensors) continue to be the largest and fastest-growing product category, with dollar volumes projected to increase by a 20% CAGR to $5.9 billion in 2016 compared to $2.4 billion in 2011.  Sales of magnetic-field sensors, such as Hall-effect devices and electronic compass chips, will grow by a CAGR of 16% to $2.7 billion in 2016 from $1.3 billion in 2011, according to IC Insights’ new O-S-D Report.  Pressure sensor sales are expected to rise by a 15% CAGR to $2.0 billion in 2016, from about $1.0 billion in 2011.

Accelerometers and gyroscope devices, along with most pressure sensors, use micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) structures to measure and detect changes around them. MEMS-based devices now account for about 70% of total sensor revenues compared to 54% in 2005. MEMS-based sensors sales will grow at a 19% CAGR 2011-2016, shows IC Insights.

Sensors are part of a broader semiconductor market segment that also includes actuators, such as micro-mirror devices, surface-acoustic wave (SAW) filters, microfluidic chips, inkjet nozzle components, and other MEMS-based products that initiate physical actions from electronic signals.  Sensor sales accounted for 56% of this market’s overall sales in 2011, while actuators represented 44%, or $3.7 billion, last year. MEMS-based actuator sales are expected to grow by a CAGR of 15% to $7.5 billion in 2016, according to the new O-S-D Report’s five-year forecast.

The 2012 edition of the O-S-D Report provides detailed analysis of trends and growth rates in the optoelectronics, sensors/actuators, and discretes market segments. The seventh annual edition of the report contains a detailed forecast of sales, unit shipments, and selling prices for more than 30 individual product types and categories through 2016. Access IC Insights’ new and existing market research products and services please visit our website: www.icinsights.com.

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June 12, 2012 — In the presence of his Royal highness Prince Philip of Belgium, Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan) and imec signed a collaboration agreement during the Belgian economic mission to Japan. Under the agreement, Tohoku University and imec will work closely together in various common areas of research, learning from each other’s expertise and leveraging each other’s strengths.

The collaboration agreement sets the framework for future collaboration projects between imec and Tohoku University where students, research staff, and professors will be exchanged between both organizations. Moreover, the agreement enables the exchange of samples between imec and Tohoku University, and sets the lines for joint research on specific topics. In the past five years, the 2 partners already collaborated on advanced interconnects, micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) packaging and low-power sensor circuit readout design. In the future, the collaboration will be expanded to magnetic random access memory (MRAM) process technology, 3D integration technology, biosensors and wireless communication.

Imec aims to set up strategic collaborative relationships with world-class universities that excel in research areas where imec is also conducting studies, and where collaboration is mutually beneficial. The collaboration will also benefit from imec’s state-of-the-art 200 mm and 300 mm cleanroom facilities.

News courtesy of Kelly Chadwick, Optoiq.com.

June 8, 2012 — MicroGen Systems Inc. chose X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries to produce MicroGen’s first micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) energy harvesters.

X-FAB recently expanded its MEMS fab capabilities at its Germany headquarters.

Dr. Robert Andosca, CEO and cofounder of MicroGen, called the selection process for a foundry partner “exhaustive” and praised X-FAB’s technical capabilities, processes and capacity. MicroGen Systems recently received a new NYSERDA grant to scale the technology into mass production and initial product launches.

The process transfer is underway and volume production will begin in the first half of 2013. 
MicroGen Systems, Inc. is developing and bringing to market a suite of products based on its proprietary piezoelectric vibrational energy harvester (PZEH) technology, micro-power sources that extend rechargeable battery lifetime or eliminate the need for batteries.

X-FAB is an analog/mixed-signal foundry group manufacturing silicon wafers for analog-digital integrated circuits (mixed-signal ICs). X-FAB maintains wafer production facilities in Erfurt and Dresden, Germany; Lubbock, TX; and Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia with approximately 2,400 employees worldwide. For more information, visit www.xfab.com.

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June 7, 2012 — Bosch GmbH Automotive Electronics of Germany retained its position as the world’s top supplier of automotive micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) in 2011, according to an IHS iSuppli Automotive MEMS report.

Overall 2011 revenue for automotive MEMS sensors amounted to $2.24 billion, up 14% from $1.96 billion in 2010. Growth occurred despite a disrupted supply chain in the aftermath of natural disasters last year in Japan and Thailand, with expansion in the next two years to be driven by government mandates in the United States and Europe for electronic stability control (ESC) and tire-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS).

The automotive MEMS Top 10 enjoyed combined revenues in 2011 of more than $2.0 billion, up 11% from $1.8 billion the year before. Together the top 10 accounted for 91% of the market.

Table. Top 10 automotive MEMS manufacturer by revenues ($M). SOURCE: IHS iSuppli Research, June 2012

 

 

 

 

 

Rank

Company

2011 revenue

2010 revenue

Y/Y growth

1

Bosch

$625

$524

19%

2

Denso

$286

$263

9%

3

Panasonic

$202

$181

12%

4

Freescale

$191

$190

1%

5

Sensata

$190

$153

24%

6

Analog Devices

$161

$136

18%

7

Infineon

$139

$117

19%

8

VTI

$103

$76

36%

Tie: 9 & 10

GE Sensing

$64

$57

12%

 

Delphi

$64

$62

3%

 

Total Top 10

$2,025

$1,759

11%

Booking $625 million in revenue last year, Bosch’s 19% expansion from $524 million in 2010 outpaced the 14% growth of the automotive MEMS industry as a whole. It was also $339 million ahead of the #2 supplier, Denso Corp., which grew 9% to post revenue of $286 million in 2011.

“Bosch’s success last year can be credited to its internal captive market, which promoted stable revenue and visibility into future demand for the company,” said Richard Dixon, principal analyst for MEMS & sensors at IHS. “Bosch is a major player in the dominant auto MEMS markets — being the No. 1 supplier overall in MEMS sensor shipments for ESC systems in vehicles; as well as supplying the highest combined total of related automotive MEMS sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and pressure sensors. Bosch’s performance was also boosted by a rapidly growing airbag market in China, along with a surge in demand for frontal and side airbags in the United States, where especially stringent testing is needed for side impacts of vehicle doors, unlike in Europe or anywhere else in the world.”

Denso is the major supplier in its domestic Japanese market, with a diverse customer base that also includes almost half of Toyota’s auto MEMS business. Denso as a concern reported heavy declines in sales in the second quarter of last year after the Japan earthquake-tsunami disaster in March, but managed to recoup its losses during the next quarter. Denso is a top supplier of MEMS sensors of automotive heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) systems, as well as satellite airbag accelerometers and oil-pressure sensors. Nonetheless, Denso’s growth during the last two years has been relatively subdued compared to the rest of the auto MEMS market, because of an overly strong yen against the US dollar hindered exports.

Moving up a spot to #3 in 2011 was Panasonic, with revenue of $202 million, up 12% from $181 million in 2010. Most of Panasonic’s sales came from its automotive gyroscope business, reflecting a narrower focus compared to that of the leading two companies. However, Panasonic is the undisputed leader in in-dash navigation gyroscopes and ranks a very close second to Bosch in gyroscopes needed for ESC systems. The two devices are the highest-priced components in the automotive MEMS space. Panasonic is no longer the sole supplier of yaw rate sensors to European Tier 1 Continental, and in the future will see increased competition from VTI on combo-packaged inertial sensors for ESC systems.

Freescale Semiconductor dropped down one place to #4 with automotive MEMS revenue of $191 million, in a near tie with #5 Sensata. Freescale is the leading supplier of satellite airbag accelerometers, even though it temporarily lost share in that market last year as a result of earthquake damage to its Sendai facility in Japan. Sensata concentrates MEMS production on pressure sensors, and is #1 in high-pressure applications like brake and common fuel rail sensing, using its silicon piezoresistive sensors that are glass-bonded to steel substrates. Sensata also had the second-highest yearly growth rate of 24%, ahead of even top-ranked Bosch.

Among the remaining Top 10, growth ranged from an anemic 3% at Delphi to 36% for VTI, thanks to VTI’s strong position in ESC accelerometers. Infineon and Analog Devices Inc. joined Bosch, Sensata and VTI in recording growth rates higher than the industry average, while GE Sensing had slightly below-average expansion of 12%.

Fuji Electric fell just outside the top 10, with overall revenue of $30 million.

Learn more about this topic with the forthcoming IHS iSuppli report entitled: “Fat Years Ahead for Automotive MEMS Sensors.” For more information, visit the MEMS & sensors research product page at http://goo.gl/bDmQY. IHS (NYSE: IHS) is a leading source of information, insight and analytics in critical areas that shape today’s business landscape. Learn more at www.ihs.com.

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June 6, 2012 — Ali Sebt, CEO of Renesas Electronics America, keynoted Day 2 of Solid State Technology’s The ConFab 2012, an invitation-only meeting of the semiconductor industry. Here, he discusses the role of inexpensive sensors and microcontrollers in energy savings with editor-in-chief Pete Singer.

 

We can no longer consider electronics and equipment “On/Off,” Sebt said. The demand for natural resources is skyrocketing, machines and equipment are being deployed at the individual level, and the global population is growing. To meet power consumption and intelligent environmental needs, we need sensors, Sebt said.

Sensors for humidity, sound, light, and more have become more affordable, and low-power semiconductors are supporting these sensors. Microcontrollers can modulate energy consumption based on sensor input.

Renesas is advocating for these low-cost microcontrollers to be used in new buildings and new equipment to start, avoiding higher retrofitting costs.

Learn more from Ali Sebt’s ConFab 2012 keynote in the report here.

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June 5, 2012 — Day 2 of The ConFab, Solid State Technology’s invitation-only meeting of the semiconductor industry, opened in Las Vegas with Ali Sebt, CEO of Renesas Electronics America, delivering “Smart Society, the Sensing Era and Signal Chain.” Sebt addressed how the semiconductor industry can support this smart society emerging around us, and help it grow. Start with a focus on the complete signal chain — from analog to digital to low power to the software intelligence — and we’ll end up with the next generation of connectivity for a smarter world.

The trend toward “Smart Society” is emerging from the home and office to our cities and the grids that power them, Sebt said. “Smart” in this case refers to any object or place that is connected to the Internet, and is sometimes called the “Internet of Things.” We live in a world where people interact with their electronics more efficiently, more conveniently, more safely, and with greater intelligence and intuition, Sebt said, and we also pay close attention to energy consumption. From the era of stationary personal computers, we moved into an era of networked connectivity, with more focus on performance than energy consumption. As the mobile era emerges, and the Internet of Things grows, battery life and energy consumption are front of mind at tuned-in semiconductor companies.

Low-power ICs are the pillars on which Smart Society is built. Low-leakage transistors have been a focus at Renesas since the 1980s, Sebt notes, but today, the ability of our electronics to intelligently interpret the analog world is just as important.

A network of sensing elements helps make this possible. Sensor fusion combines pressure, light, directional, and other sensory inputs into meaningful capabilities for users. This network of smart detectors uses “The Signal Chain” to handle the analog-to-digital conversion, signal conditioning and digital control necessary to process sensed data and arrive at an intelligent decision. Sebt mentioned camera-integrated infrared occupancy sensors that can detect radiating body heat to assist emergency responders in visually obscured situations as just 1 example of the pervasive network of sensors enabling today’s society. Consider the smart home, wherein these IR occupancy sensors are combined with temperature and humidity sensors for comfort, air quality sensors alerting occupants to the presence of CO2 and volatile organic compounds, and light sensors for energy control and security. With intelligent control electronics, these sensors can be combined and networked for applications impossible as stand-alone devices. Microcontrollers make the sensors meaningful and efficient. Sebt developed this idea further with a discussion of commercial buildings, and considered other examples such as supporting electric vehicle batteries and smart energy metering for power generation and storage/distribution.

Sebt then turned his focus to security in the connected Smart Society. The minute you add connectivity to an embedded system, you expose that system to malicious hackers, unauthorized users, and denial-of-service attackers, he said. Immediately, authentication becomes a must-have feature.

Video interview with Ali Sebt and Solid State Technology chief editor Pete Singer

 

The ConFab sessions cover economic outlooks, technology trends, the foundry-fabless relationship, 3D packaging, and tool investments/obsolescence. Click on any of the keywords for a session preview or recap.

 And check out the Day 1 keynote’s salient points on the “virtual IDM” concept, from John Chen, PhD, VP of technology and foundry operations at Nvidia Corporation.

June 5, 2012 — Semiconductor supplier STMicroelectronics (ST, NYSE:STM) is now mass manufacturing its micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) microphones in plastic packages. Plastic packaging increases durability for consumer and professional end-use sectors, in mobile phones, tablets, headphones and more. The technology also saves space in the device compared to metal-lid MEMS packaging.

ST says that its microphone assembly process ensures good electrical and acoustic performance and mechanical robustness. The MEMS microphones integrate an internal shielding cage from electromagnetic immunity. Plastic packages proved better than metal-lid designs in compression and drop tests, withstanding a 40N force and 40 drops from 1.5m with a static force of 15N on the package.

The plastic package offers a slimmer form factor, advancing the microphone chip size reduction to 2mm2. This is a step on the path to MEMS microphones embedded in silicon cavities, said ST. Also read: MEMS microphones shrink to grow market share

ST’s MEMS microphones can be assembled on flat-cable printed circuit boards (PCBs) or rigid PCBs, with the sound hole designed in the package to either appear on the top or bottom for the shortest acoustic path from the environment to the microphone. Top-port microphones suit the size and sound-inlet position requirements of laptops and tablets; bottom-port microphones are common in mobile phones. The packages can be placed with standard surface mount assembly equipment.

The microphones can be used with ST’s Smart Voice processors for multi-microphone applications and Sound Terminal audio processing chips. ST supplies semiconductors and MEMS to customers in sense and power technologies and multimedia convergence applications. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com.

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June 4, 2012 — X-FAB Silicon Foundries completed its dedicated noble metal facility for micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) and post-complementary oxide metal semiconductor (CMOS) processing in Erfurt, Germany. The company also marked a milestone, shipping its 1 billionth MEMS device.

The dedicated MEMS manufacturing facility will add gold deposition and patterning capabilities to X-FAB’s existing MEMS capabilities at Erfurt. The facility has capacity for approximately 100,000 wafers/year, processing MEMS for high-growth consumer, mobile, and computer end markets.

The noble metal processes facility began construction in late 2011, and was completed on schedule. The full equipment set is installed and being qualified for production.

X-FAB has manufactured and shipped 1 billion MEMS devices, since production began in 1995. Used in consumer, automotive and medical applications, MEMS made at X-FAB include gyroscopes, pressure sensors, accelerometers, microfluidic devices, thermopiles, and CMOS-integrated MEMS sensors and wafer-level packaged (WLP) devices. Improvements to its MEMS capacity include adding 8” wafer capability and the new noble metals processing unit, as well as ready-to-use design IP blocks, said Iain Rutherford, business line manager for X-FAB’s MEMS foundry service.

X-FAB will discuss these new MEMS achievements at Sensors Expo, Booth 826, on June 6-7 in Rosemont, IL.

X-FAB is an analog/mixed-signal foundry group manufacturing silicon wafers for analog-digital integrated circuits (mixed-signal ICs). X-FAB maintains wafer production facilities in Erfurt and Dresden, Germany; Lubbock, TX; and Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia with approximately 2,400 employees worldwide. For more information, visit www.xfab.com.

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June 1, 2012 – GLOBE NEWSWIRE — MEMSIC Inc. (Nasdaq:MEMS), maker of micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) sensing solutions, tapped John L. Newton to serve as VP of marketing.

Newton is tasked with introducing MEMSIC’s accelerometers, magnetic sensors, gas flow sensors and its sensor-based systems to the automotive and industrial market sectors. Newton said that he is “excited to lead the effort to introduce [MEMSIC’s] technology to a wide array of new markets and applications,” noting that sensing is a fast-growing field. His first major project will focus on the launch of the company’s industrial MEMS-based gas flow sensor module, at next week’s Sensors Expo & Conference in Chicago.

Newton brings 23 years of in-depth experience in the integrated circuits (IC) industry to MEMSIC, including 9 years at Maxim Integrated Products, where he co-founded its high-speed signal processing business unit. He’s also served in various positions at Analog Devices and Custom One Design Inc., an early-stage supplier of highly integrated semiconductor products.

Newton holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

His experience in product design, development and marketing activities as well as a broad business background in the IC business will serve MEMSIC well as it introduces new products to the stable, high-margin industrial and automotive markets, said Dr. Yang Zhao, MEMSIC chairman, president, and CEO.

MEMSIC Inc. provides advanced semiconductor sensors and multi-sensor system solutions based on micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) technology and sophisticated integration technologies in both the IC level and module level. The company’s shares are listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange (NASDAQ GM: MEMS). Learn more at http://www.memsic.com/.

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May 30, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Inertial sensor maker Qualtré Inc. closed a $10 million round of financing with 2 equity finance partners and one debt financier, all from Massachusetts, where Qualtre is based.

Matrix Partners and Pilot House Ventures contributed equity financing, while Eastward Capital Partners provided debt financing. Qualtre also raised $10 million a year ago, in July 2011.

Qualtré will use the funds to launch multiple products targeting high-volume consumer and industrial applications. The company offers a highly differentiated bulk acoustic wave (BAW) micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) gyroscope architecture, upon which the new products will be based. Developing multiple products off the same design building blocks then tailored to specific applications and markets delivers the most value for customers, said Stan Reiss, a General Partner with Matrix Partners.

Edgar Masri, CEO of Qualtré, also noted that the range of customers for Qualtre products have expressed that its BAW technology is safer in terms of intellectual property rights and long-term supply assurance than tuning-fork gyroscopes.

MEMS gyroscopes are used in end products from mobile phones to electronics stability control systems in vehicles, and diverse applications in between. Also read: Introduction to MEMS gyroscopes

Gyroscopes generated more revenues in 2011 than any other consumer/mobile MEMS. This was the first time gyroscopes topped accelerometers in consumer/mobile MEMS revenues, reports IHS. IHS expects MEMS gyroscopes to be a $1+ billion market by 2015.

Qualtré is a venture-backed company commercializing the next generation of solid-state silicon MEMS motion sensor solutions for cutting edge consumer and industrial applications. It builds upon research conducted by founder and CTO Dr. Farrokh Ayazi, at Georgia Tech’s Integrated MEMS Laboratory. More information can be found at www.qualtre.com.

Matrix Partners is a venture capital firm. Internet: www.matrixpartners.com

Pilot House Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology companies. Internet: www.pilothouseventures.com.

Eastward Capital Partners is a venture debt provider to companies in the Information Technology, Communications, Alternative Energy and Healthcare sectors. Internet: www.eastwardcp.com.

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