Showing posts with label MEMS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MEMS. Show all posts

Friday, 2 September 2011

Tablets and Smartphones Spur Record MEMS Revenue Growth in 2011

The market for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) in consumer electronics and mobile communications devices is set to generate record growth in 2011, according to the latest IHS iSuppli Consumer & Mobile MEMS Market Tracker report from IHS.
Revenue for consumer and mobile MEMS—the largest and most dynamic sector of the MEMS market—will hit $2.25 billion in 2011, up by a best-ever annual expansion rate of 37 percent. This compares to the previous high-water mark of 27 percent in 2010 when revenue reached $1.64 billion.
Overall, the five-year revenue forecast starting from 2010 calls for growth by a factor of nearly three to $4.54 billion in 2015, equivalent to a compound annual growth rate of 22.5 percent, as shown in the figure below.
“From the accelerometers and gyroscopes that provide intuitive motion-based displays, to the microphones that allow people to talk on the phone, to the bulk acoustic wave filters that facilitate wireless Internet access, MEMS devices provide many of the basic functions that make tablets and smartphones such compelling products.” said Jérémie Bouchaud, director and principal analyst for MEMS and sensors at IHS. “Because of this, MEMS content in these devices is increasing, driving the expansion of the entire consumer and mobile MEMS market.”
Beyond the 3-axis gyroscopes, accelerometers, microphones and bulk acoustic wave filters already found in tablets and smartphones, a new class of emerging MEMS sensors is stimulating growth. In this category are devices such as thermopiles, varactors, timing devices, pressure sensors for indoor navigation, radio frequency MEMS switches and actuators used for autofocus functions in high-megapixel cameras and pico projectors.
The real blockbuster this year, however, is the 3-axis gyroscope, a standard MEMS device that when used in conjunction with an accelerometer and a digital compass allows for more accurate, smoother and faster motion sensing for applications such as gaming and augmented reality. Revenue in 2011 for 3-axis gyroscopes will soar to $420 million, up from $127 million last year. The 3-axis gyroscope can be found in smartphones such as the iPhone 4 from Apple and the Galaxy SII from Samsung, in virtually all tablet devices, including the Apple iPad 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab; as well as in gaming devices like the PlayStation Move motion controller from Sony.
Overall, gyroscopes this year will generate the second-highest revenue among consumer and mobile MEMS, second only to accelerometers, the device that allows smartphones to rotate from a portrait to landscape orientation and vice versa.
Not surprisingly, mobile handsets—including smartphones—will be the largest application for MEMS this year. MEMS revenue for handsets will reach $1.21 billion, approximately 50 percent of the total consumer and mobile MEMS space.
In second place will be gaming with $221.49 million in revenue, followed by media tablets with $158.64 million. MEMS revenue from tablets, in particular, will show the fastest growth, up an astounding 331 percent from $36.83 million in 2010, and is set to overtake gaming next year to clinch second place.
For its part, gaming will decline this year and the next because of the saturation of the casual gaming market, before it expands again in the 2013-2015 time period as new platforms arrive that use motion sensors.
Unlike gaming, however, nearly all other segments in the space will boast continued growth, including laptops, standalone projectors, cameras, white goods, MP3 players, remote controllers, battery chargers for PCs, toy helicopters, personal navigation devices and ebook readers.
Two new MEMS devices were introduced earlier this year. One was a new type of joystick launched in April by Knowles Electronics, the leading manufacturer of MEMS microphones. The MEMS joystick forgoes optical or magnetic sensors, is slimmer and less power-hungry. The device soon should start finding its way into gaming accessories for handsets and tablets, IHS believes.
The second new MEMS device for the year is a thermopile, introduced in May by TI, the top MEMS manufacturer overall. The thermopile, a contactless temperature sensor, can be placed into a phone or tablet next to the processor to monitor the temperature of the phone or tablet case. By controlling the dissipated heat, the thermopile helps to better tune the operations of the processor as well as push its limits to extract optimal performance.
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Friday, 11 February 2011

ST to develop picoprojector for smartphones with bTendo

Using two micromachined mirrors to create world's smallest projection engine

STMicroelectronics is working with bTendo of Israel to jointly develop the world’s smallest Pico Projector for smart phones and other portable consumer-electronics devices. The solution is based on bTendo’s Scanning Laser Projection engine technology and ST’s MEMS (Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems) expertise, video processing know-how and semiconductor process technology.
Less than 2.5cm3 in volume and below 6mm high, the jointly developed embedded projector solution will offer a focus free, vivid colour, sharp and crisp image, superior to current pico projection solutions, says ST. With two MEMS-based micro-mirror-actuation devices within the system’s optical engine and an advanced video-processing chip, the engine is optimized for smart phones, offering low power consumption and built-in support for MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) to ensure swift and easy integration.
“People want to share their media with others and enjoy the option of expanding their display even for their own personal viewing,” said Benedetto Vigna, Group Vice President and General Manager, MEMS, Sensor and High-Performance Analog Division at ST. “ST selected bTendo’s technology due to its small size, low power and focus-free features, which are all critical for embedded projection modules. ST has a long history in the development of innovative technologies and this joint cooperation will further extend our MEMS sensor expertise, while also complementing and reinforcing our leadership in MEMS gyroscopes and accelerometers for advanced user interfaces."
“We are very excited to collaborate with STMicroelectronics, the world leader in MEMS technologies for mobile handsets, to bring to the market our cutting-edge technology for embedded Pico Projectors,” said Dana Gross, CEO of bTendo Ltd. “ST’s best-in-class semiconductor process technology and design capabilities will enable a cost-effective, low-power solution perfect for personal consumer devices.”

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Wednesday, 5 May 2010

Shipments of Cell Phone Motion Sensors to Rise Fivefold by 2014

Unit shipments up but ASPs fall

Global shipments of motion sensors for cell phones are expected to quintuple by 2014 as smart phones and their operating systems increasingly support motion command and navigation applications that require these parts, say market researchers iSuppli.
Shipments of cell phone motion sensors — accelerometers, compasses, gyroscopes and pressure sensors — will rise to 2.2 billion units in 2014, up from 435.9 million in 2009. Revenue will amount to slightly more than $1 billion in 2014, up from $316 million in 2009.
Motion sensors such as accelerometers and compasses already play a key role in the functionality of smart phones like the iPhone or Google phones. Accelerometers detect when a phone with a large touch screen has been turned on its side, allowing the device to switch from portrait to landscape view. They also play a key role in gaming and navigation functions, and increasingly in augmented reality and context-awareness applications.
The expanding presence of accelerometers in cell phones also can be seen in the hundreds of Independent Design Houses (IDHs) in China adopting motion sensors in 2009. Nearly 20 percent of the global shipments of accelerometers for cell phones went to China in 2009, iSuppli estimates, with the vast majority used in the Chinese gray handset market.

Accelerometers speed ahead In 2014, accelerometers will account for 44 percent of total motion sensor revenue for cell phones. By that time, 65 percent of all phones will incorporate accelerometers, up from 2 percent in 2007 and 28 percent in 2009.
Falling prices for 3-axis parts will promote the growth of accelerometer sales. Prices for low-end, 6-bit 3-axis accelerometers are set to decline to 34 cents by 2014, down from 90 cents in 2008. The share of higher-end 12-to-14 bit accelerometers will increase because these are essential for more sophisticated hand gesture recognition and navigation applications.

Compasses point up “Shipments of compasses for cell phones exploded in the second half of 2009,” said Jérémie Bouchaud, director and principal analyst, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) for iSuppli. “In 2009, 19 percent of GPS phones used a compass, up from 4 percent in 2008.”
Compasses support navigation, enabling auto rotation of maps to match the direction a user is facing. Augmented reality applications that combine the compass, GPS signal and camera are also a big driver in Android phones and in the iPhone 3Gs.
“These attributes are so compelling to consumers that competing smart phone platforms, including Google’s Android and Microsoft’s Mobile Windows 7, are promoting or even mandating support for these features. This will cause shipments of compasses for mobile phones to boom during the coming years.”

Gyroscopes spin up Mobile handset makers showed little interest in gyroscopes until early 2009. That changed, however. in mid 2009 following the success of the Nintendo Wii Motion Plus and the advent of a cascade of new gyroscopes with 2 and 3 axes from InvenSense and STMicroelectronics.
Gyroscopes are expected to enter the first smart phones this summer. The main applications in 2010 and 2011 will comprise a user interface utilizing a gyroscope in combination with an accelerometer, followed by image stabilization and dead-reckoning for in-vehicle navigation. From 2012, gyroscopes will start to be used for in-door navigation in combination with an accelerometer, compass and pressure sensor for floor accuracy. By 2014, the market for gyroscopes in cell phones is expected to amount to $190 million.

Semi opportunity With the anticipated upsurge of motion sensor shipments in the years to come, additional opportunities along the supply chain will be created for semiconductor companies, affording participation to the manufacturers of processors, microcontrollers and navigation chipsets, iSuppli believes. At present, new architectures are being explored that can offload the application processor, optimize power consumption at the system level and improve response time.
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