MEMS microphone: Better communication through better listening!

LYON, FRANCE: “2011 is also a very important year with multiple launches of new devices by existing MEMS microphone companies: Analog Devices, Akustica,” explains Wenbin Din, Market Analyst at Yole Développement. More companies with new products will try to compete against Knowles, through new design, new packaging and new software enabling key functions.

Yole Développement released its report, MEMS Microphone, that presents MEMS microphones technologies, the related supply chain and its key players. Yole Développement also analyses the MEMS microphones applications and markets including worldwide market metrics from 2010 to 2016 and market shares. What are the key technologies challenges? What will be the evolution of such market?

MEMS microphones are already widely used in consumer applications such a s mobile phones and laptops . More and more mobile phones are using 2 or more MEMS microphones for Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and other consumer applications such as laptops, camcorders etc., are also tending to use MEMS microphones array (2,4 or 6 microphones) to have the multidirectional function.

“The mobile phone market is still the largest consumer of MEMS microphones. With the penetration of MEMS microphones in the iPhone 4 and other smart phones, Yole estimates rapid growth of the market in 2011-2016. By 2013, shipments will increase to over 1 billion units and more than 2 billion units by 2016”, explains Wenbin Din, market analyst at Yole Développement.

Until now, Knowles has remained market leader with more than 80 percent market share. Even though competitors are growing, such as AAC Acoustic Technologies, Hosiden and BSE, how to compete with Knowles remains the big question for the rest of the players in this industry.

Therefore, the business models of some players are changing. Infineon has turned into a microphone die supplier and works with Asian MEMS microphone players and meanwhile other companies are trying to become microphone manufacturer instead of being just foundry, like MEMSTech. Some players say that it is just a step of transition to buy microphone dies from others.

The access to MEMS microphone original design will be more and more important in the future and we can expect both strong R&D projects and also M&A to get access to MEMS design and manufacturing capabilities. This report offers a more in-depth discussion on this scope and key strategic evolution of the industry.

As the industry becomes more and more competitive, the IP rights and packaging patents are critical for manufacturers to achieve performance and cost challenges. This report will include a special focus on this part and will describe recent disputes of main players.

2011 is also a very important year with multiple launches of new devices by existing MEMS microphone companies: Analog Devices, Akustica, TDK-EPC, Wolfson Technologies… More companies with new products will try to compete against Knowles, through new design, new packaging and new software enabling key functions.