High-value MEMS are projected to reach US$1.6 billion in 2010, up 29.7 percent from US$1.2 billion in 2009

Citation

(2011), "High-value MEMS are projected to reach US$1.6 billion in 2010, up 29.7 percent from US$1.2 billion in 2009", Microelectronics International, Vol. 28 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/mi.2011.21828aab.005

High-value MEMS are projected to reach US$1.6 billion in 2010, up 29.7 percent from US$1.2 billion in 2009

Article Type: Industry news From: Microelectronics International, Volume 28, Issue 1

Revenues for “high-value” MEMS are projected to reach US$1.6 billion in 2010, up 29.7 percent from US$1.2 billion in 2009, according to iSuppli. Such revenue levels translate into equivalent MEMS shipments of 103.3 million units for the year, compared to 2009’s 86.8 million units.

iSuppli defines high-value MEMS as sensors and actuators for applications that are outside the high-volume consumer electronics and automotive volume markets, and instead address the industrial, medical, energy, optical telecom and aerospace-defense segments.

With the exception of the consumer-and-mobile MEMS market, the high-value MEMS space is the fastest-growing MEMS technology sector, ahead of the inkjet and automotive MEMS markets, iSuppli believes. The research firm forecasts that in 2014, high-value MEMS revenues will hit an estimated US$2.6 billion, equating to a CAGR of 19.7 percent when measured from the starting year of 2009.

“The rapid growth of high-value MEMS is being driven by global trends that highlight the unique value proposition that the tiny devices bring to countless applications,” said Richard Dixon, senior analyst at iSuppli. “For instance, MEMS microvalves, pressure sensors and flow sensors are used to help reduce energy consumption in industrial processes, residential heating and transportation systems.”

“MEMS sensors and actuators also play an important role in less invasive monitoring procedures for patients and elderly people, while increasing the efficiency and comfort of drug delivery,” Dixon continued. “And in China, fiber deployments in the country are helping stimulate the overall global optical MEMS market for telecommunications.”

Within the high-value MEMS market, industrial applications such as building automation and semiconductor manufacturing dominate, accounting for approximately 56 percent of overall high-value MEMS revenues projected for 2010, according to iSuppli. Medical electronics are in second place, followed by aerospace-defense in third and wired communications in fourth.

In addition to the robust expansion expected for the years ahead, iSuppli noted that the high-value MEMS market is characterized by the large number of market niches in play. For instance, while the top-20 suppliers for the overall MEMS market account for 79 percent of total revenues, the top-20 suppliers in high-value MEMS account for only 60 percent, leaving more market opportunities for many suppliers to compete in the space.

At present, the high-value MEMS supply chain comprises a wide variety of manufacturers, including large system companies with their own MEMS production like Honeywell and General Electric. The supply chain also includes big semiconductor companies like Analog Devices and Freescale Semiconductor; independent sensor suppliers such as VTI Technologies and Omron; specialised entities like MEMSCAP and many start-ups and fabless semiconductor firms.