"There's no difference between MEMS and microprocessors, " says Roger Grace, a MEMS industry analyst and marketing consultant based in San Francisco.
As MEMS' average selling price has dropped, it has opened or expanded new end-markets for rapidly emerging MEMS technologies like tri-axis accelerometers and radio-frequency MEMS switches.
Generally, MEMS and MEMS-based products don't contend with the same competitive pressures as semiconductors or displays, but as Texas Instruments demonstrates, they aren't immune to it, either.
If MEMS were integrated circuits, this would be 1968: hundreds of small companies chasing new technology, but no dominant player yet no MEMS Intel or Motorola to rise above the pack and give the industry an identity.
The firm expects gross margins to "improve strongly" during 2013, as Mems production reaches economic scale.
STMicroelectronics is now adding new product lines, applications and customers to further increase its MEMS business.
FORBES: Chipmaker STMicroelectronics Sees Big Opportunity In Micro Sensors
One of the smallest MEMS microphones found by iSuppli is a device just over 1mm thick.
Telecom, defense and aeronautics will continue to drive revenue for MEMS of all stripes.
MEMS, he says, bring to PCs the prospect of linking abstraction and the physical world.
Two of the newest mobile phones, Google's Nexus One and Motorola's Droid, both use MEMS microphones in this way.
These physical devices come in a variety of configurations that include various combinations of MEMS motion sensors, motion processors, and appropriate APIs.
These areas, particularly inkjet printer heads, should continue to generate most revenue for the MEMS market in the near future.
In the end, as MEMS drop in price and expand in capability, the opportunities are limited only by entrepreneurs' imaginations.
Yole expects MEMS volumes to increase 30% over last year, while the growth in total market value will track closer to 9%.
The company is currently the largest MEMS supplier for consumer devices globally.
FORBES: Chipmaker STMicroelectronics Sees Big Opportunity In Micro Sensors
Akustica, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, puts a MEMS microphone complete with the circuitry needed for digital output into a package less than 5mm square.
Texas Instruments derives its MEMS revenues largely from its digital light processor (DLP) technology, which steers and focuses light in high-resolution projectors and displays.
From software to completed designs, Hillcrest offers an unmatched suite of motion solutions, with global expertise in software, hardware, MEMS, DSP, industrial design, mechanical design, and manufacturing.
The company leverages its deep expertise in optics, camera modules, MEMS and image processing to deliver pioneering products that expand the boundaries of smartphone photography.
WSJ: Samsung Licenses DigitalOptics Face Detection and Tracking Software
We are helping our customers to innovate and take full advantage of the power of today's MEMS motion sensors using our unique sensor fusion software.
ENGADGET: Xsens teases wearable 3D body sensors that won't cost, will track an arm and a leg (video)
The number of cellphone applications for MEMS microphones doubled between 2005 and 2006 to reach 20% of mobile phones manufactured, according to The Information Network.
But from a product standpoint, the fastest growth will be seen in conventional device categories like accelerometers and radio frequency MEMS that target consumer applications.
Investors waiting for MEMS start-ups to go public are more likely to see them acquired by incumbents, probably when their technology shows some proven value.
Researchers in the field use the acronym MEMS, for micro-electro-mechanical systems.
FORBES: Exponential Growth in Small Machines - Don't Fear, They're Here to Protect You
Texas Instrument's MEMS revenue dropped 10% from 2006 to 2007, according to Yole, as DLP chips have come under heavy pricing pressure in the past year.
Hillcrest also offers fully designed reference remote controls for those companies that have limited in-house design services, leveraging Hillcrest's expertise in industrial design, MEMS electronics, and mass scale manufacturing.
Until about three years ago, the only places to find MEMS at work were in automotive airbag systems, industrial process controls, inkjet printers and projectors and displays.
Each console comes with a controller system that incorporates two MEMS chips, but players often double the fun by buying a second controller to play alongside friends.
The key functions of the MotionEngine are sensor fusion, calibration, 3D device motion, gestures, and cursor control, which are implemented with sensors from a variety of the leading MEMS suppliers.
Indeed, last year, Knowles Acoustics of Itasca, Illinois, which has been making MEMS microphones since 2003, became the first manufacturer to have shipped a billion of the devices.
应用推荐