MEMS industry executives meeting in California this month heard
an upbeat assessemnt of the state of the semiconductor-based micro
device industry.
The conference heard optimistic forecasts for
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices such as
accelerometers and multi-axis gyros—increasingly used in mobile
handsets and video games.
“We are experiencing a technology convergence in MEMS: sensors made
for automobiles—extremely complex systems requiring the highest
levels of safety and reliability—are being used for healthcare
devices such as heart monitors and 3D motion tracking," said Karen
Lightman, managing director of MEMS Industry Group, the event’s
host organization.
MEMS is a technology in the fast lane of the semiconductor
market.
As the semiconductor industry struggles to recover from the last
12 months of downturn, it is MEMS technology which could lead the
way.
Thanks to the fast-growing use of accelerometers in mobile
phones, one sector of the semiconductor industry which will show
decent growth this year is the MEMS.
According to analyst iSuppli, the market for MEMS devices used
in consumer and wireless applications will grow 6.4% this year.
According to Lightman, MEMS-based energy harvesters are now
being integrated into consumer and industrial systems. "They may
one day be used in more energy-efficient, even all-electric,
automobiles," said Lightman.
MEMS Executive
Congress, held on November 4-6 in Sonoma,
included delegates from Analog Devices, Freescale Semiconductor,
Surface Technology Systems (STS), STMicroelectronics and Tegal
Corporation.