BOSTON, USA, International Microwave Symposium 2009 (IMS2009): RF ICs are the essential building blocks that enable voice, data and multimedia distribution in today’s cable, wireless communications, and satellite networks.
Analog Devices Inc. has introduced several new RF ICs with best-in-class performance effective for demanding, high-performance communications infrastructure, industrial equipment and instrumentation, and defense applications.
ADI is showcasing these products, which include a PLL (phase locked loop) synthesizer, two RF/IF gain blocks, a driver amplifier and a TruPwr rms power detector, at the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society’s IMS2009 in Boston (ADI booth #2030) on June 9-11, 2009.
PLL allows maximum flexibility
Phase-locked loops (PLLs) are widely used in satellite, telecom, industrial instrumentation and other electronic applications.
Adding to its popular PLL synthesizer family, Analog Devices’ new ADF4150 PLL synthesizer provides designers with a low phase-noise solution (figure of merit of -222 dBc/Hz), capable of either Fractional-N or Integer-N operation. Operating within a range up to 4.4 GHz, the ADF4150 is software-compatible with ADI’s recently released ADF4350 PLL/VCO (voltage controlled oscillator), offering flexibility for lower phase noise applications within next generation wireless infrastructure and cable networking equipment.
The device is supported by the ADIsimPLL design tool that allows users to select VCO and loop filter and reference input to ease the design and selection of external components.
RF/IF gain blocks offer highest dynamic range up to 4GHz
RF/IF gain blocks are used in a wide variety of cable TV, cellular, and instrumentation equipment applications. The ADL5601 and ADL5602 are broadband RF/IF gain blocks that operate from 50 MHz up to 4 GHz.
The ADL5601 and ADL5602 offer the industry’s highest dynamic range available from internally matched gain blocks, by achieving extremely low noise figures and very high OIP3 specifications simultaneously across the entire 4 GHz frequency range. Both devices also feature integrated internal bias circuitry minimizing the need for external components, which saves board area and cost. Both devices are fully ESD protected and are available in the industry standard SOT-89 package.
Broadband 1-W driver amp consumes less power
Broadband driver amplifiers can be used in a wide variety of wired and wireless applications, including for the ISM, WLL, PCS, GSM, CDMA, W-CDMA, and LTE (long-term evolution) standards.
The ADL5604 high-performance, low-power, broadband 1-W driver amplifier brings together the industry’s best combination of power (1 W) and operating frequency range (400 MHz to 2700 MHz.) The ADL5604 increases signal linearity, and consumes less power, relative to competing RF amplifiers, while being easy to tune. The low current consumption of 325 mA allows excellent thermal performance from a compact 4 mm x 4 mm LFCSP package.
The ADL5604 also includes a shutdown function and integrates the active bias circuitry, which minimizes the need for external components. These features ease design complexities and enables RF designers to more quickly bring cost-effective, highly-efficient RF designs to market.
TruPwr RMS detector
ADI’s ADL5902 TruPwr rms detector (root-to-means square detector) is designed for high-performance RF applications, including power amplifier (PA) linearization/control loops, transmitter power control, transmitter signal strength indication (TSSI) and RF instrumentation that require accurate control of output power and use complex signals with highly varying peak-to-average ratios.
The ADL5902 precisely measures signals with highly varying crest factors up to the industry’s highest frequency for an rms detector of 9 GHz. The ADL5902 also achieves an industry best temperature stability of < ±0.3 dB over its entire 60 dB dynamic range. The ADL5902 extends ADI’s award winning rms portfolio into new communications, military, and instrumentation applications due to its frequency and temperature stability advancements.
The need for an external balun is also eliminated by sending incoming signals directly into the single-ended input. With these features the ADL5902 supports the industry’s focus on increasing efficiency and measurement precision in order to improve ease-of-use and reduce the overall system size and cost.
Showing posts with label Analog Devices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Analog Devices. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Jump in smartphone orders in Q2 lifting silicon MEMs mics
NEW TRIPOLI, USA: Q2 2009 smartphone orders, up nearly 15 percent sequentially, will lift the silicon MEMs microphone market from its worst year since they became commercially available, according to the report: “Silicon Microphones and Speakers: Technology, Market Analysis, and End-Applications,” recently published by The Information Network.
Orders for smartphones reached 41.5 million units in Q2 2009 in anticipation of early Q3 introduction of several new models. Nokia's Ovi Store launched on May 26. On June 6, the long-awaited Palm Pre will launch on the Sprint Network. LG comes back to the market with two new touchscreen-based cellphones. New BlackBerrys are also rumored to be hitting stores soon. I anticipate the iPhone 2009 will be announced next Monday at the Apple WWDC and the new iPhone 2009 out near the end of June.
"The MEMS silicon microphone market has become a hotbed of activity, spurred by record-breaking growth in consumer electronics products such as hearing aids, cellular phones, cordless phones, headsets, and headphones," noted Dr. Robert Castellano, President of The Information Network. "Initial entrants that included Knowles Acoustics, Akustika, and Sonion (Denmark) has grown to include Analog Devices, Wolfson Microelectronics (UK), Freescale, STMicroelectronics, Infineon, and Omron (Germany)."
China suppliers entered the market in recent years and include Shangdong Goer Acoustics Technology Co. Ltd, Suzhou MEMSensing Microsystems Co. Ltd, and AAC Acoustic Technologies (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd.
For 2009, the report forecasts a 5 percent downturn in the cellphone market, from 1,216 million units in 2008 to 1,156 million units in 2009. The smartphone market, which includes the iPhone, will grow 21 percent from 196 million units in 2008 to 238 million units in 2009. This sector is the key growth area for the MEMS microphone.
Orders for smartphones reached 41.5 million units in Q2 2009 in anticipation of early Q3 introduction of several new models. Nokia's Ovi Store launched on May 26. On June 6, the long-awaited Palm Pre will launch on the Sprint Network. LG comes back to the market with two new touchscreen-based cellphones. New BlackBerrys are also rumored to be hitting stores soon. I anticipate the iPhone 2009 will be announced next Monday at the Apple WWDC and the new iPhone 2009 out near the end of June.
"The MEMS silicon microphone market has become a hotbed of activity, spurred by record-breaking growth in consumer electronics products such as hearing aids, cellular phones, cordless phones, headsets, and headphones," noted Dr. Robert Castellano, President of The Information Network. "Initial entrants that included Knowles Acoustics, Akustika, and Sonion (Denmark) has grown to include Analog Devices, Wolfson Microelectronics (UK), Freescale, STMicroelectronics, Infineon, and Omron (Germany)."
China suppliers entered the market in recent years and include Shangdong Goer Acoustics Technology Co. Ltd, Suzhou MEMSensing Microsystems Co. Ltd, and AAC Acoustic Technologies (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd.
For 2009, the report forecasts a 5 percent downturn in the cellphone market, from 1,216 million units in 2008 to 1,156 million units in 2009. The smartphone market, which includes the iPhone, will grow 21 percent from 196 million units in 2008 to 238 million units in 2009. This sector is the key growth area for the MEMS microphone.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Accelerometers set to become leading MEMS device in 2013
EL SEGUNDO, USA: When you turn your iPhone to the side and the screen automatically adjusts from portrait to landscape view, there’s an accelerometer at work. When you swing your Wii controller and bowl a virtual strike, there’s an accelerometer at work.
Indeed, accelerometers in recent years have emerged as a critical input device for some of the world’s hottest electronic products, causing shipments to boom. This will make accelerometers the top-selling Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) device by 2013, according to iSuppli Corp.
The global MEMS accelerometer market will expand to $1.7 billion in 2013, up from $947.7 million in 2007, as presented in the figure.
Source: iSuppli
“Due to this rapid sales growth, accelerometers by 2013 will displace the current leading MEMS products—inkjet heads and Digital Light Processing (DLP) chips—to become the dominant type of MEMS device sold worldwide in 2013,” said Jérémie Bouchaud, principal analyst, MEMS, for iSuppli. “Consumers’ desire for motion-sensing in smart phones and video game systems will boost demand for accelerometers.”
The boom in accelerometer demand will come as a boon to the health of the overall MEMS market. Although global MEMS revenue will decline by 8 percent in 2009—the second decline in market history following a 7 percent decrease in 2008—accelerometers will still manage 1.8 percent growth. Accelerometer revenue will rise by 14.1 percent in 2010 and will maintain double-digit percentage growth in 2011 and 2012.
“A major catalyst for the rise in accelerometer sales is pricing,” Bouchaud noted. “Accelerometers broke the magic $1 barrier in 2008, making them attractive in a larger number of products. Their prices will continue to decline in the coming years, widening their appeal beyond smart phones to reach the wider mobile handset market.”
In 2009, revenue from consumer and mobile applications for accelerometers is expected to exceed that of automotive applications. Until now, Automotive has been the biggest application by far for accelerometers, but this area now is suffering from the global collapse of car production.
Automotive applications accounted for 40 percent of global accelerometer revenue in 2008, down from 78 percent in 2006. In contrast, consumer electronics and wireless accelerometer revenue rose from 22 percent to 58 percent during the same period.
STMicroelectronics rides consumer wave to top of accelerometer market
In 2006, the top five accelerometer suppliers -- Freescale, Analog Devices, Bosch, VTI and Denso -- almost exclusively served the automotive market. However, by the end of 2008, STMicroelectronics had taken the lead in accelerometers based on its significant success in supplying the burgeoning consumer and wireless communications markets.
STMicroelectronics’ global accelerometer revenue rose to $220 million in 2008, up by nearly a factor of eight from $29 million in 2007. The company’s accelerometer market share rose to 20 percent in 2008, up from 4 percent in 2006.
Indeed, accelerometers in recent years have emerged as a critical input device for some of the world’s hottest electronic products, causing shipments to boom. This will make accelerometers the top-selling Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) device by 2013, according to iSuppli Corp.
The global MEMS accelerometer market will expand to $1.7 billion in 2013, up from $947.7 million in 2007, as presented in the figure.
Source: iSuppli“Due to this rapid sales growth, accelerometers by 2013 will displace the current leading MEMS products—inkjet heads and Digital Light Processing (DLP) chips—to become the dominant type of MEMS device sold worldwide in 2013,” said Jérémie Bouchaud, principal analyst, MEMS, for iSuppli. “Consumers’ desire for motion-sensing in smart phones and video game systems will boost demand for accelerometers.”
The boom in accelerometer demand will come as a boon to the health of the overall MEMS market. Although global MEMS revenue will decline by 8 percent in 2009—the second decline in market history following a 7 percent decrease in 2008—accelerometers will still manage 1.8 percent growth. Accelerometer revenue will rise by 14.1 percent in 2010 and will maintain double-digit percentage growth in 2011 and 2012.
“A major catalyst for the rise in accelerometer sales is pricing,” Bouchaud noted. “Accelerometers broke the magic $1 barrier in 2008, making them attractive in a larger number of products. Their prices will continue to decline in the coming years, widening their appeal beyond smart phones to reach the wider mobile handset market.”
In 2009, revenue from consumer and mobile applications for accelerometers is expected to exceed that of automotive applications. Until now, Automotive has been the biggest application by far for accelerometers, but this area now is suffering from the global collapse of car production.
Automotive applications accounted for 40 percent of global accelerometer revenue in 2008, down from 78 percent in 2006. In contrast, consumer electronics and wireless accelerometer revenue rose from 22 percent to 58 percent during the same period.
STMicroelectronics rides consumer wave to top of accelerometer market
In 2006, the top five accelerometer suppliers -- Freescale, Analog Devices, Bosch, VTI and Denso -- almost exclusively served the automotive market. However, by the end of 2008, STMicroelectronics had taken the lead in accelerometers based on its significant success in supplying the burgeoning consumer and wireless communications markets.
STMicroelectronics’ global accelerometer revenue rose to $220 million in 2008, up by nearly a factor of eight from $29 million in 2007. The company’s accelerometer market share rose to 20 percent in 2008, up from 4 percent in 2006.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
2008 industrial semiconductor revenues overtake automotive; Infineon, ST top two suppliers
LONDON, UK: According to analysis by Semicast Research, revenues for semiconductors in the industrial sector exceeded those in the automotive sector for the first time in 2008. Semicast estimates that industrial semiconductor revenues grew to $22.1 billion in 2008, a rise of almost 11 percent from $20.0 billion in 2007.
Semiconductor revenues in the industrial (including medical) sector have been broadly similar to those in automotive for several years. However auto sales have gone into reverse recently as consumers have chosen to defer new car purchases, with Chrysler and GM receiving government funding and even Toyota making a loss.
The worldwide automotive semiconductor market is estimated to have fallen by around 5 percent in 2008 and with car manufacturing plants on extended shutdown and consumer confidence still low, a further fall in 2009 looks certain.
Although industrial does not benefit from the hype and glamour of other sectors, neither does it exhibit the “boom-and-bust” cycle so typical of the semiconductor industry as a whole.
Further its broad applications base (encompassing areas as diverse as medical imaging, lighting control and farm machinery) and correspondingly fragmented customer base, help to ensure a spread of risk and uncertainty during these unprecedented times. Colin Barnden, Principal Analyst at Semicast Research, commented, “In the current economic climate, industrial is one sector which semiconductor vendors can look to as a safe haven for more dependable revenues”.
The industrial semiconductor market continues to have no clear number one supplier and Infineon Technologies and STMicroelectronics again competed for the position of largest supplier in 2008. With less than one percentage point of market share between them, Semicast judges Infineon to have recorded fractionally higher sales than ST in the industrial sector in 2008, although with such a fine margin that the Euro-to-Dollar exchange rate plays a decisive role.
The analysis clearly shows that in 2008, as in 2007, these two suppliers were the market leaders, ahead of Texas Instruments and Renesas, who themselves compete for third place. The largest suppliers are typically leaders in either standard linear, power discretes or microcontrollers, with Intel the only major exception to this rule among the top ten.
Although the industrial sector is by no means immune to the effects of the global recession, the diversity of its application and customer bases offers a strong foundation to support demand over the short term.
In addition, economic stimulus plans to raise government spending during the downturn are certain to be concentrated in areas of high political importance, such as energy conservation, medical electronics and security, all of which will benefit semiconductor demand in the industrial sector. Semicast predicts another fierce battle between Infineon and ST in 2009, although as recent events have clearly shown, be ready to expect the unexpected.
Market share estimates for semiconductor suppliers to industrial sector in 2008
1, Infineon Technologies 8 percent
2. STMicroelectronics 7 percent
3. Texas Instruments 6 percent
4. Renesas Technology 6 percent
5. Analog Devices 4 percent
6. Intel 3 percent
7. Vishay 3 percent
8. Toshiba 3 percent
9. National Semiconductor 2 percent
10. Freescale 2 percent
11. Others 56 percent
Notes:
Margin of error +/- 0.5%. All percentages are rounded.
Rate of Exchange: US$ 1 = EUR 0.683.
Source: Semicast Research (May 2009)
Semiconductor revenues in the industrial (including medical) sector have been broadly similar to those in automotive for several years. However auto sales have gone into reverse recently as consumers have chosen to defer new car purchases, with Chrysler and GM receiving government funding and even Toyota making a loss.
The worldwide automotive semiconductor market is estimated to have fallen by around 5 percent in 2008 and with car manufacturing plants on extended shutdown and consumer confidence still low, a further fall in 2009 looks certain.
Although industrial does not benefit from the hype and glamour of other sectors, neither does it exhibit the “boom-and-bust” cycle so typical of the semiconductor industry as a whole.
Further its broad applications base (encompassing areas as diverse as medical imaging, lighting control and farm machinery) and correspondingly fragmented customer base, help to ensure a spread of risk and uncertainty during these unprecedented times. Colin Barnden, Principal Analyst at Semicast Research, commented, “In the current economic climate, industrial is one sector which semiconductor vendors can look to as a safe haven for more dependable revenues”.
The industrial semiconductor market continues to have no clear number one supplier and Infineon Technologies and STMicroelectronics again competed for the position of largest supplier in 2008. With less than one percentage point of market share between them, Semicast judges Infineon to have recorded fractionally higher sales than ST in the industrial sector in 2008, although with such a fine margin that the Euro-to-Dollar exchange rate plays a decisive role.
The analysis clearly shows that in 2008, as in 2007, these two suppliers were the market leaders, ahead of Texas Instruments and Renesas, who themselves compete for third place. The largest suppliers are typically leaders in either standard linear, power discretes or microcontrollers, with Intel the only major exception to this rule among the top ten.
Although the industrial sector is by no means immune to the effects of the global recession, the diversity of its application and customer bases offers a strong foundation to support demand over the short term.
In addition, economic stimulus plans to raise government spending during the downturn are certain to be concentrated in areas of high political importance, such as energy conservation, medical electronics and security, all of which will benefit semiconductor demand in the industrial sector. Semicast predicts another fierce battle between Infineon and ST in 2009, although as recent events have clearly shown, be ready to expect the unexpected.
Market share estimates for semiconductor suppliers to industrial sector in 2008
1, Infineon Technologies 8 percent
2. STMicroelectronics 7 percent
3. Texas Instruments 6 percent
4. Renesas Technology 6 percent
5. Analog Devices 4 percent
6. Intel 3 percent
7. Vishay 3 percent
8. Toshiba 3 percent
9. National Semiconductor 2 percent
10. Freescale 2 percent
11. Others 56 percent
Notes:
Margin of error +/- 0.5%. All percentages are rounded.
Rate of Exchange: US$ 1 = EUR 0.683.
Source: Semicast Research (May 2009)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Consumer MEMS shine amid gloom: iSuppli
I was fortunate enough to attend a webinar on MEMS organized recently by iSuppli. The webinar looked at the growth potential of this segment, especially during the downturn, as well as some top MEMS suppliers.
According to Jeremie Bouchaud, director & principal analyst, both consumer and mobile MEMS supply has been exploding. The overall MEMS market is likely to grow from $1 billion in 2006 to $2.5 billion in 2012! There will be strong acceleration due to growth of cell phones -- a hotbed for MEMS, he said.
However, the share of MEMS for rear projection TV is vanishing. A market worth $300 million in 2006 is slowly disappearing, and will, in fact, disappear by 2012. Among other growth areas, personal navigation devices (PNDs) and remote controllers will also see growth.
Consumer and mobile market by MEMS device
The main segments include accelerometers, as well as gyroscopes, RF MEMS switches and capacitors, microphones, etc. The penetration of MEMS devices in CE products is said to increase quite fast.
MEMS growth in cell phones will be faster. It will grow from 3 percent in 2007 to 10 percent in 2008. All of the new, best selling smartphones, such as the iPhone, Nokia N95 and N96, Samsung Omnia, HTC Diamond, Google G1, Blackberry Storm, new Palm OS, etc., have accelerometers. A number of mid range phones also have accelerometers, eg. Sony Ericsson's models.
MEMS usage is also growing in gaming. From 1998-2005, there was technology push with limited success. However, in 2006, Nintendo showed the way with its Wii, as did the Sony PS3. Microsoft did not enter this field back then!
Interestingly, 2006-08, motion sensing unveiled new, untapped target groups for gaming -- the so called casual gamers. In Xmas 2008, Microsoft also embraced motion sensors with accessories. Hence, the penetration of motion sensors has really improved. The next third generation platform will include accelerometers and gyroscopes.
Top 15 MEMS suppliers
The key question: who all are shipping these products? According to iSuppli,The top 15 MEMS suppleirs for CE and mobile phones are: STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, Avago Technologies, Knowles, Analog Devices, Murata, Kionix, Epson Toyocom, Invensense, Panasonic, Bosch Sensortec, Freescale, Hokoriku, VTI and Memsic.
Some other companies to watch are:
Accelerometers and gyroscopes: Qualtre, Oki, Wacon, Alps, Virtus, Ricoh.
Pressure sensors: Intersema (MEAS), Metrodyne.
Microphones: Infineon, Wolfson, Memstech, Yamaha, Omron, Panasonic, MEMSensing, AAC, Goertek.
Pico-projectors and other MEMS displays: Microvision, Nippon Signal, Samsung, Konica Minolta, Scanlight, Qualcomm, Pixtronix, Unipixel
RF MEMS switches and capacitors: Wispry, Epcos, RFMD, Baolab.
MEMS oscillators: SiTime, Discera, NXP, Seiko, Intel.
BAW filters: Triquint, Skyworks, MEMS Solutions.
MEMS actuators for autofocus and zoom: Simpel, Sony.
Micro-fuel cells: Angstrom, Tekion, Medis.
It is understood well that not all of these companies will be successful. However, they all need to be monitored carefully.
Commenting on cell phones as a hotbed for inertial and magnetic sensors, Dr. Richard Dixon, senior analyst MEMS, iSuppli, said that the market for accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers is in cell phones. This market will reach $730 million in 2012. Gyroscopes are not in the market yet, and are likely to enter by 2010. The total growth rate is very fast. In units, the annual growth rate is said to be 97 percent.
Interestingly, Apple has contributed significantly to growth of MEMS. The iPhone had a great application. Other vendors followed suite with a 'me too" strategy. Apple also had sustainable business model with downloads on the Apple Store. The chicken and egg issue of price was solved. Also, with the iPhone, there was a free field test of motion sensing based applications.
Major suppliers of accelerometers for cell phones today, include STMicroelectronics, Bosch Sensortec, Analog Devices, Hokuriku, Kionix, MEMSIC, Freescale, Oki. Of these, ST has really been very impressive, while Bosch saw impressive growth in 2008. MEMSIC dropped share in 2008.
Navigation in cell phones next big thing
According to Dixon, navigation in mobile phones is the next big thing. Leading navigation markets by platform are: mobile phone navigation, smartphone navigation, PNDs, car aftermarket and car OEM in-dash, respectively. By 2010, the mobile phone/smartphone navigation segment will account for over 60 percent of the market.
Similarly, magnetic sensors will take off in 2009 for e-Compass. There has been penetration of magnetometers in GPS phones. They have been around since 2003 in Japanese phones. These rather esoteric applications and also had technical issues.
There were successful implementations in 2008 for navigation. Eg., the G1 Street View, and the Nokia 6210. Also, 3D compass in combination with 3D accelerometers.
The leading suppliers in this space today, include AKM, Honeywell, Yamaha, Aichi Steel. In the R&D segment, the leading players are said to be Alps, Omron, Memsic, Oki, ST, Freescale, Demodulation. Growth will be steep from 2009 onward, and take off from 2010 up to 2012.
Another growth are is the multi-sensor packages and IMUs (Inertial Measurement Unit) for navigation. Today, we have six-axis e-compass combining magnetic sensors and accelerometers. In future, there will be IMU for LBS and indoor navigation also using gyroscopes.
The issue with gyroscopes is of: performance, price, size, power consumption and no availability of three-axis. Companies that need to be watched in this space are said to be Invensense, ST, Bosch Sensortec, Qualtre, Oki, Virtus.
Other opportunity areas
Later, Jeremie Bouchaud highlighted two other opportunity areas.
MEMS microphone market presents a major opportunity. It will reach close to $400 million by 2012. In 2008, already 325 million units were selling in cell phones and laptops. Leading players in this segment are said to be Knowles, Akustica, Infineon, Sonion, Memstech, AAC. Knowles has over 90 percent of the market share.
MEMS pico projectors is another growth area. Companies have made lot of progress in this segment. The pico projectors come in various varieties.
In the MEMS scanner based segment, the R&D is led by firms such as Microvison, Konica, Minolta, Scanlight, Nippon, Signal, Symbol. These solutions came first as stand alone projectors. Later, it will come on cell phones. The best opportunity is said to be at the module level.
Another sub-segnent is the DLP based projectors. First it will be in form of a pico-projector, later, followed by usage in cell phones.
Bouchaud advised watching out for non-MEMS alternatives, such as Light Blue Optics,
3M and Logic Wireless.
Coping with commoditization and price erosion
The ASP of MEMS devices for CE and mobile phones is dropping at -13 percent per year. So, what are the ways to get profitable?
To be profitable, there is a need to achieve economies of scale by combining consumer and automotive. Also, there is a need to move wafer size to 8-inch. Next, there is a need for externalizing to foundries. ADI and TSMC have already showed the way. Now, USMC, Tower, Dongbu, Magnachip, Omron, etc., are following.
Innovation, in terms of packaging and 3D integration, test, multi-sensor packages, is another way for making profits. There is an opportunity for the equipment suppliers as well.
Consumer MEMS is currently glowing as a light in today's dark times! It is said to grow from $1 billiom in 2006 to $2.5 billion in 2012, with 19 percent CAGR. This optimistic forecast has already started. Accelerometers are present in 10 percent of cell phones in 2008 as against 3 percent in 2007.
There exist a number of opportunities. Small companies can be successful, eg. Kionix and Invensense. There are still opportunities for newcomers. These can be large companies, fabless startups, foundries, software companies, equipment suppliers, etc. Consumer MEMS is an extremely dynamic market, having fast design cycles.
According to Jeremie Bouchaud, director & principal analyst, both consumer and mobile MEMS supply has been exploding. The overall MEMS market is likely to grow from $1 billion in 2006 to $2.5 billion in 2012! There will be strong acceleration due to growth of cell phones -- a hotbed for MEMS, he said.However, the share of MEMS for rear projection TV is vanishing. A market worth $300 million in 2006 is slowly disappearing, and will, in fact, disappear by 2012. Among other growth areas, personal navigation devices (PNDs) and remote controllers will also see growth.
Consumer and mobile market by MEMS device
The main segments include accelerometers, as well as gyroscopes, RF MEMS switches and capacitors, microphones, etc. The penetration of MEMS devices in CE products is said to increase quite fast.
MEMS growth in cell phones will be faster. It will grow from 3 percent in 2007 to 10 percent in 2008. All of the new, best selling smartphones, such as the iPhone, Nokia N95 and N96, Samsung Omnia, HTC Diamond, Google G1, Blackberry Storm, new Palm OS, etc., have accelerometers. A number of mid range phones also have accelerometers, eg. Sony Ericsson's models.
MEMS usage is also growing in gaming. From 1998-2005, there was technology push with limited success. However, in 2006, Nintendo showed the way with its Wii, as did the Sony PS3. Microsoft did not enter this field back then!
Interestingly, 2006-08, motion sensing unveiled new, untapped target groups for gaming -- the so called casual gamers. In Xmas 2008, Microsoft also embraced motion sensors with accessories. Hence, the penetration of motion sensors has really improved. The next third generation platform will include accelerometers and gyroscopes.
Top 15 MEMS suppliers
The key question: who all are shipping these products? According to iSuppli,The top 15 MEMS suppleirs for CE and mobile phones are: STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, Avago Technologies, Knowles, Analog Devices, Murata, Kionix, Epson Toyocom, Invensense, Panasonic, Bosch Sensortec, Freescale, Hokoriku, VTI and Memsic.
Some other companies to watch are:
Accelerometers and gyroscopes: Qualtre, Oki, Wacon, Alps, Virtus, Ricoh.
Pressure sensors: Intersema (MEAS), Metrodyne.
Microphones: Infineon, Wolfson, Memstech, Yamaha, Omron, Panasonic, MEMSensing, AAC, Goertek.
Pico-projectors and other MEMS displays: Microvision, Nippon Signal, Samsung, Konica Minolta, Scanlight, Qualcomm, Pixtronix, Unipixel
RF MEMS switches and capacitors: Wispry, Epcos, RFMD, Baolab.
MEMS oscillators: SiTime, Discera, NXP, Seiko, Intel.
BAW filters: Triquint, Skyworks, MEMS Solutions.
MEMS actuators for autofocus and zoom: Simpel, Sony.
Micro-fuel cells: Angstrom, Tekion, Medis.
It is understood well that not all of these companies will be successful. However, they all need to be monitored carefully.
Commenting on cell phones as a hotbed for inertial and magnetic sensors, Dr. Richard Dixon, senior analyst MEMS, iSuppli, said that the market for accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers is in cell phones. This market will reach $730 million in 2012. Gyroscopes are not in the market yet, and are likely to enter by 2010. The total growth rate is very fast. In units, the annual growth rate is said to be 97 percent.
Interestingly, Apple has contributed significantly to growth of MEMS. The iPhone had a great application. Other vendors followed suite with a 'me too" strategy. Apple also had sustainable business model with downloads on the Apple Store. The chicken and egg issue of price was solved. Also, with the iPhone, there was a free field test of motion sensing based applications.
Major suppliers of accelerometers for cell phones today, include STMicroelectronics, Bosch Sensortec, Analog Devices, Hokuriku, Kionix, MEMSIC, Freescale, Oki. Of these, ST has really been very impressive, while Bosch saw impressive growth in 2008. MEMSIC dropped share in 2008.
Navigation in cell phones next big thing
According to Dixon, navigation in mobile phones is the next big thing. Leading navigation markets by platform are: mobile phone navigation, smartphone navigation, PNDs, car aftermarket and car OEM in-dash, respectively. By 2010, the mobile phone/smartphone navigation segment will account for over 60 percent of the market.
Similarly, magnetic sensors will take off in 2009 for e-Compass. There has been penetration of magnetometers in GPS phones. They have been around since 2003 in Japanese phones. These rather esoteric applications and also had technical issues.
There were successful implementations in 2008 for navigation. Eg., the G1 Street View, and the Nokia 6210. Also, 3D compass in combination with 3D accelerometers.
The leading suppliers in this space today, include AKM, Honeywell, Yamaha, Aichi Steel. In the R&D segment, the leading players are said to be Alps, Omron, Memsic, Oki, ST, Freescale, Demodulation. Growth will be steep from 2009 onward, and take off from 2010 up to 2012.
Another growth are is the multi-sensor packages and IMUs (Inertial Measurement Unit) for navigation. Today, we have six-axis e-compass combining magnetic sensors and accelerometers. In future, there will be IMU for LBS and indoor navigation also using gyroscopes.
The issue with gyroscopes is of: performance, price, size, power consumption and no availability of three-axis. Companies that need to be watched in this space are said to be Invensense, ST, Bosch Sensortec, Qualtre, Oki, Virtus.
Other opportunity areas
Later, Jeremie Bouchaud highlighted two other opportunity areas.
MEMS microphone market presents a major opportunity. It will reach close to $400 million by 2012. In 2008, already 325 million units were selling in cell phones and laptops. Leading players in this segment are said to be Knowles, Akustica, Infineon, Sonion, Memstech, AAC. Knowles has over 90 percent of the market share.
MEMS pico projectors is another growth area. Companies have made lot of progress in this segment. The pico projectors come in various varieties.
In the MEMS scanner based segment, the R&D is led by firms such as Microvison, Konica, Minolta, Scanlight, Nippon, Signal, Symbol. These solutions came first as stand alone projectors. Later, it will come on cell phones. The best opportunity is said to be at the module level.
Another sub-segnent is the DLP based projectors. First it will be in form of a pico-projector, later, followed by usage in cell phones.
Bouchaud advised watching out for non-MEMS alternatives, such as Light Blue Optics,
3M and Logic Wireless.
Coping with commoditization and price erosion
The ASP of MEMS devices for CE and mobile phones is dropping at -13 percent per year. So, what are the ways to get profitable?
To be profitable, there is a need to achieve economies of scale by combining consumer and automotive. Also, there is a need to move wafer size to 8-inch. Next, there is a need for externalizing to foundries. ADI and TSMC have already showed the way. Now, USMC, Tower, Dongbu, Magnachip, Omron, etc., are following.
Innovation, in terms of packaging and 3D integration, test, multi-sensor packages, is another way for making profits. There is an opportunity for the equipment suppliers as well.
Consumer MEMS is currently glowing as a light in today's dark times! It is said to grow from $1 billiom in 2006 to $2.5 billion in 2012, with 19 percent CAGR. This optimistic forecast has already started. Accelerometers are present in 10 percent of cell phones in 2008 as against 3 percent in 2007.
There exist a number of opportunities. Small companies can be successful, eg. Kionix and Invensense. There are still opportunities for newcomers. These can be large companies, fabless startups, foundries, software companies, equipment suppliers, etc. Consumer MEMS is an extremely dynamic market, having fast design cycles.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Karnataka semicon policy very soon!
The government of Karnataka will be announcing a semiconductor policy very soon, according to Katta Subramanya Naidu, the minister for Excise, Information, BWWB, IT and BT, government of Karnataka, while delivering the opening address at the ISA Excite organized by the India Semiconductor Association.
Over the last several years, India has been a destination favored by almost all leading global semiconductor companies for setting up their development centers for semiconductors and embedded designs.
The size of the Indian semicon design industry is currently $6 billion across VLSI and board design, and embedded software, with the potential to be around $9 billion by 2009. There are nearly 200 companies and it employs over 130,000 professionals, all over India, with the potential to employ over 180,000 by 2009. The Indian semicon design industry has a CAGR of nearly 22 percent versus the global average of 7-8 percent.
Nearly 90 percent of the VLSI design work is done out of Bangalore alone. Appropriately, the ISA is headquartered in Bangalore, the heart of India's chip industry. The minister said: "The conducive work environment policies and high-quality talent are the important attractions for both MNCs and Indian companies to set up shop here. We value the contribution of our technology leaders and engineers to build the economy of the state and make it a global leader. Bangalore is next only to Silicon Valley, California, in terms of the work done here."
New centers likely
In future, the government of Karnataka wants to look at Mysore, Mangalore and Hubli as important centers to be developed. "These are centers of education with high quality and quantity of engineering talent. Our government is working on improving the connectivity to these cities to help attract investment there, as well as the expansion of companies from Bangalore to other towns within Karnataka," he added.
Welcome the ISA initiative to launch Excite, a program for the semiconductor and ecosystem companies, he noted that it was a good platform to understand the technology trends and to collaborate with the right partner.
He said: "Karnataka today is at the crossroads. We have the direction and leadership of Hon'ble chief minister Yeddyruppa. He is extremely committed to the cause of making Karnataka as the most preferred destination for the semiconductor industry and electronics hardware manufacturing. My (BJP) government would be glad to extend any support for your business plans in the state."
Semicon policy soon
The state government plans to announce a semiconductor policy in the very near future, actually. It has also earmarked land for a hardware technology park near the new airport (in Devanahalli).
The government is also thinking in the lines of finishing schools in PPP mode as the semiconductor industry is technology driven, and demands continuous training and re-skilling of the workforce.
Initiatives in Karnataka
The minister pointed out that his government has been taking several pro-active steps for further accelerating the growth of these sectors, as well as for their expansion in tier II and III cities. For these two sectors, the government proposes to identify and set apart exclusive IT/BT zones in Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum, Shimoga and Gulbarga.
Yeddyruppa, the state chief minister, has made an announcement of a number of initiatives to boost the growth and development of IT/BT. A bio-IT park on a 100-acre plot is proposed to be developed with private participation near Bangalore. IT parks, with private participation, would be set up in tier II and III cities. A massive IT city on the lines of the Electronics City near Bangalore is under consideration. Similarly, BT parks are proposed to be set up in Mangalore, Dharwad and Bidar. KEONICS, a government of Karnataka undertaking, will play a major role in development of the IT city, IT parks and computer literacy campaigns.
He added that the state government believes in formulating initiatives and policies in consultation with the industry. The existing Mahithi IT policy is also being revised with inputs from the Vision Group on IT headed by N.R. Narayana Murthy of Infosys.
"The state government would be happy to see IT and BT developments happening in tier II and III cities. We are taking steps to improve and upgrade the infrastructure in these cities. The CM is personally reviewing the construction and upgradation of airports in Mysore, Shimoga and Gulbarga, which will provide vital air connectivity, essential for the growth of industry and business," he noted.
The NASSCOM-Kearney report has identified 43 potential locations in the country for IT development. The report also suggests measures to be taken to make these locations attractive for IT investments. Recommendations, such as improving the quality of education, imparting employable skills to the uneducated youth, improving infrastructure, particularly, air connectivity, etc., would be taken into consideration.
The minister said: "Our government would take all the necessary steps to ensure that there is no flight of investment to other states, and to make Karnataka the most attractive region for IT/BT investments. We want the semiconductor industry to grow and flourish in the state."
Participative semicon policy likely
Elaborating on the proposed semiconductor policy for Karnataka, Ashok Kumar C. Manoli, principal secretary to the government, said: "When you look at India, it is software, and when you look at China, it is hardware. We should make a beginning and try and become the global capital for both hardware and software. We need to design such a policy that design activities continue and also facilitate manufacturing."
He added: "We will come up with a very participative semiconductor policy. It will also look at addressing infrastructure requirements for manufacturing setups." According to him, the hardware industry is the foundation for the entire revolution, which the government is looking at. He requested all companies present at the ISA Excite to participate at the forthcoming BangaloreIT.com event, and added that the state government was committed and fully geared up to deliver.
Announcing the ISA Excite initiative, Sanjeev Keskar, country sales manager, Freescale Semiconductor India Pvt Ltd, said: "We need to collaborate with the right partner. The ISA felt the need to arrange an ecosystem meet. Telecom and healthcare are the two drivers of importance." The ISA has plans to take Excite to other cities too, possibly, New Delhi, focusing on industrial and consumer.
The one-day ISA Excite event had an exhibition running simultaneously, featuring about 40 companies. These included ARM, Farnell, Ittiam Systems, Broadcom, Cosmic Circuits, Windriver, Wipro, HCL, AMDL, LSI Logic, TI, NXP, Cisco, Synopsys, SemIndia, Freescale, Open Silicon, MindTree, AMD, Analog Devices, RFMD, Cir-Q-Tech, NewEra, STPI, etc.
Over the last several years, India has been a destination favored by almost all leading global semiconductor companies for setting up their development centers for semiconductors and embedded designs.The size of the Indian semicon design industry is currently $6 billion across VLSI and board design, and embedded software, with the potential to be around $9 billion by 2009. There are nearly 200 companies and it employs over 130,000 professionals, all over India, with the potential to employ over 180,000 by 2009. The Indian semicon design industry has a CAGR of nearly 22 percent versus the global average of 7-8 percent.
Nearly 90 percent of the VLSI design work is done out of Bangalore alone. Appropriately, the ISA is headquartered in Bangalore, the heart of India's chip industry. The minister said: "The conducive work environment policies and high-quality talent are the important attractions for both MNCs and Indian companies to set up shop here. We value the contribution of our technology leaders and engineers to build the economy of the state and make it a global leader. Bangalore is next only to Silicon Valley, California, in terms of the work done here."
New centers likely
In future, the government of Karnataka wants to look at Mysore, Mangalore and Hubli as important centers to be developed. "These are centers of education with high quality and quantity of engineering talent. Our government is working on improving the connectivity to these cities to help attract investment there, as well as the expansion of companies from Bangalore to other towns within Karnataka," he added.
Welcome the ISA initiative to launch Excite, a program for the semiconductor and ecosystem companies, he noted that it was a good platform to understand the technology trends and to collaborate with the right partner.
He said: "Karnataka today is at the crossroads. We have the direction and leadership of Hon'ble chief minister Yeddyruppa. He is extremely committed to the cause of making Karnataka as the most preferred destination for the semiconductor industry and electronics hardware manufacturing. My (BJP) government would be glad to extend any support for your business plans in the state."
Semicon policy soon
The state government plans to announce a semiconductor policy in the very near future, actually. It has also earmarked land for a hardware technology park near the new airport (in Devanahalli).
The government is also thinking in the lines of finishing schools in PPP mode as the semiconductor industry is technology driven, and demands continuous training and re-skilling of the workforce.
Initiatives in Karnataka
The minister pointed out that his government has been taking several pro-active steps for further accelerating the growth of these sectors, as well as for their expansion in tier II and III cities. For these two sectors, the government proposes to identify and set apart exclusive IT/BT zones in Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum, Shimoga and Gulbarga.
Yeddyruppa, the state chief minister, has made an announcement of a number of initiatives to boost the growth and development of IT/BT. A bio-IT park on a 100-acre plot is proposed to be developed with private participation near Bangalore. IT parks, with private participation, would be set up in tier II and III cities. A massive IT city on the lines of the Electronics City near Bangalore is under consideration. Similarly, BT parks are proposed to be set up in Mangalore, Dharwad and Bidar. KEONICS, a government of Karnataka undertaking, will play a major role in development of the IT city, IT parks and computer literacy campaigns.
He added that the state government believes in formulating initiatives and policies in consultation with the industry. The existing Mahithi IT policy is also being revised with inputs from the Vision Group on IT headed by N.R. Narayana Murthy of Infosys.
"The state government would be happy to see IT and BT developments happening in tier II and III cities. We are taking steps to improve and upgrade the infrastructure in these cities. The CM is personally reviewing the construction and upgradation of airports in Mysore, Shimoga and Gulbarga, which will provide vital air connectivity, essential for the growth of industry and business," he noted.
The NASSCOM-Kearney report has identified 43 potential locations in the country for IT development. The report also suggests measures to be taken to make these locations attractive for IT investments. Recommendations, such as improving the quality of education, imparting employable skills to the uneducated youth, improving infrastructure, particularly, air connectivity, etc., would be taken into consideration.
The minister said: "Our government would take all the necessary steps to ensure that there is no flight of investment to other states, and to make Karnataka the most attractive region for IT/BT investments. We want the semiconductor industry to grow and flourish in the state."
Participative semicon policy likely
Elaborating on the proposed semiconductor policy for Karnataka, Ashok Kumar C. Manoli, principal secretary to the government, said: "When you look at India, it is software, and when you look at China, it is hardware. We should make a beginning and try and become the global capital for both hardware and software. We need to design such a policy that design activities continue and also facilitate manufacturing."
He added: "We will come up with a very participative semiconductor policy. It will also look at addressing infrastructure requirements for manufacturing setups." According to him, the hardware industry is the foundation for the entire revolution, which the government is looking at. He requested all companies present at the ISA Excite to participate at the forthcoming BangaloreIT.com event, and added that the state government was committed and fully geared up to deliver.
Announcing the ISA Excite initiative, Sanjeev Keskar, country sales manager, Freescale Semiconductor India Pvt Ltd, said: "We need to collaborate with the right partner. The ISA felt the need to arrange an ecosystem meet. Telecom and healthcare are the two drivers of importance." The ISA has plans to take Excite to other cities too, possibly, New Delhi, focusing on industrial and consumer.
The one-day ISA Excite event had an exhibition running simultaneously, featuring about 40 companies. These included ARM, Farnell, Ittiam Systems, Broadcom, Cosmic Circuits, Windriver, Wipro, HCL, AMDL, LSI Logic, TI, NXP, Cisco, Synopsys, SemIndia, Freescale, Open Silicon, MindTree, AMD, Analog Devices, RFMD, Cir-Q-Tech, NewEra, STPI, etc.
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