More MEMS for mobile market

Annual revenues generated by MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) devices built into mobile phones including sensors, audio, displays and RF will continue to rise as the mobile device market accelerates, with smartphones, tablets, e-readers and ultrabooks, according to a report by Juniper Research.

The report identifies three different contributing categories to this opportunity for MEMS devices. Those already deployed (accelerometers, magnetometers and gyroscopes), those currently in initial stages of deployment (displays, RF devices, pressure sensors and microphones) and future applications, such as joysticks, temperature and humidity sensors, speakers and pico-projectors.

The report finds that inertial sensor adoption, including accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers, has mainly depended on advanced availability and capability of gaming and navigation applications, becoming ubiquitous in all mobile devices, particularly in smartphones and tablets. This, along with the continuous growth of mobile device shipments, is driving MEMS sensors forward.

The report author says:

“It is worth noting that MEMS sensors are expected to become an important differentiator for mobile device manufacturers towards enabling different capabilities and functionalities, including location-based and navigation services. There are lots of additional functionalities that smartphones and tablets will pick up over time and those capabilities have already started to appear, such as stabilisation control.”

Other findings from the report highlight the opportunity for other MEMS devices including microphones and RF components in mobile: as device vendors are expected to differentiate themselves with high-quality audio input and to integrate multiple microphones, the total number of MEMS microphones present in mobile devices shipped will exceed two billion in 2016; MEMS RF devices are expected to be found in most products designed for use in wireless products and this is indicated by recent mass production deals in RF MEMS.