Market for MEMS in Mobile Communications Will Reach 750 M$ in 2009

Research and Markets :

MEMS devices for mobile phones include:

-- Silicon microphone: now at least 2 companies have devices available (Knowles Acoustics and SonionMEMS). The market has reached more than 95 M. units in 2005, 15% higher than our expectations

-- 3D accelerometers: for this application also, the market has increased very rapidly with the new use of the inertial sensors, especially on the Japanese market (for GPS positioning) and in Korea (active logo)

-- 6 DOF IMU: more and more interest is seen from handset manufacturers having an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for high end mobile phone

-- Gyroscope for camera stabilisation and GPS: still under development, as predicted, with a product introduction in 2007 at the earliest

-- Microfuel cell: product introduction announcements in 2007 have been made by several Japanese companies. This was in line with our last year estimation. Volume business should start in 2008. MEMS will be a key technology for the fuel cell but also for several other key devices, like microvalves or gaz detectors

-- Chemical and Biochip: personal weather station and health care monitor

-- RF MEMS: still only one type of product on the market (FBAR from Agilent, Infineon and other companies) with very strong growth of the unit sold... but with a very strong decrease of the price. Another device announced is the replacement of the quartz oscillator by the MEMS based oscillator, starting at the end of 2006

-- Enhanced auto focus and micro zoom: now several companies are proposing MEMS based devices, including Varioptic which is the only company close to production; a spin off from Philips named Laquavista has just been created in order to industrialize the electro-wetting technologies from Philips for displays.

MEMS devices are slowly entering step into the mobile phone business and they are key devices to leverage these new functions. Linked to that, the main industrial companies are now entering the MEMS fields to take part in this growing business. The market will reach 750 M$ in 2009.

Compared to the last estimation, the market in units is growing much faster than expected but at the same time, the market in value is lower than expected: it is now thought that the 2008 market will be in the range of 550 M$ (compared to last year's estimation of 620 M$).

Mems4Mobile 06 Publ 20060130