Jul 29 2016
Beyond its gloom, the MEMS industry is showing numerous emerging devices that hold promise for future growth. These innovative MEMS solutions were listed by the MEMS & Sensors team of Yole Développement (Yole) in the Status of the MEMS Industry 2016 report (Yole Développement, May 2016).
Today, more than 100 businesses, startups and large companies are involved in exciting developments using MEMS technology. The MEMS approach can be defined as a transfer function: It lowers cost and improves integration and performance.
“MEMS can be seen as a ‘transfer function’ using semiconductor and micromachining technologies to create devices replacing devices that are more complex, bulky or less sensitive,” explains Dr. Eric Mounier, Sr. Technology & Market Analyst at Yole.
Microspeakers could be part of the success story as well. Indeed a big transition is happening now: for the first time, silicon speakers are ready for volume production, enabling the creation of a brand-new multibillion-dollar market for MEMS manufacturers.
Last month, Yole’s analysts had an interesting interview with USound, an Austrian company founded three years ago by several veterans of the MEMS industry. “…Prototypes of the first balanced-armature replacement and the first micro-tweeter are currently being sampled to selected customers,” USound asserted. “Pre-production will start at the end of the summer, along with internal qualification. The technology is ready for adoption and will revolutionize the personal-audio market, similar to what happened with the MEMS microphone.”...
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