MEMS pressure sensor market by revenue
to reach $1.85 billion by 2014
IHS iSuppli has forecasted pressure sensors will become
the leading microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device
by 2014. IHS iSuppli reports driven by a strong automotive
industry recovery after the recession, pressure sensors
last year generated $1.22 billion in revenue, up 26 percent
from 2009, to reach second place in terms of revenue among
all MEMS devices. Growth this year will be more modest at
6.6 percent, but a double-digit expansion is predicted for
2012 and bBy 2014, revenue for MEMS pressure sensors will
amount to $1.85 billion,, according to IHS iSuppli.
"Pressure sensors will become the top MEMS device
in revenue in three years' time as a result of steady market
expansion," said Richard Dixon, Ph.D., senior analyst
for MEMS and sensors at IHS. "The rapid growth of pressure
sensors means that these devices will trump even the ubiquitous
accelerometers and gyroscopes so popular now in the MEMS
space."
The average price of MEMS pressure sensors varies, depending
on the level of compensation and calibration of the die,
as well as the type of packaging. Pricing could range from
several dollars to tens of dollars for high-value industrial
and medical uses, and climb to hundreds of dollars for the
most specialized applications, such as aircraft hydraulics
or air data measurements-including any combination of industrial
use in harsh media, temperature and pressure, Dixon noted.
The other notable findings shared by IHS iSuppli inlcudes:
The automotive sector remains in 2011 the biggest area for
MEMS pressure sensors, claiming 72 percent share in revenue,
followed by medical electronics at 11 percent and the industrial
segment at 10 percent. The remaining 6 percent of the market
is split between consumer electronics on the one hand, and
military-aerospace on the other.
In the automotive sector, engine management is a leading
application in the form of manifold air pressure sensors
in petrol engines and common fuel rail pressure sensors
for diesel cars, especially in Europe. For improved combustion,
some organizations are also undertaking research on pressure
sensors that can survive inside the vehicle's cylinder to
better measure the exact stoichiometry-the proportion of
elements in a chemical reaction-for feedback to engine management
systems.
Automotive sensors are significantly more expensive than
consumer sensors due to the often-harsh environments in
which the devices operate. Moreover, long qualification
times are needed for the sensors, which also need to be
reliable for stretches of time lasting as long as 15 years.
Some devices, such as brake or tire pressure monitors, are
critical to the safety of vehicles.
One new automotive application of MEMS pressure sensors
can be found not only in automatic transmission but also
increasingly in new double-clutch transmission systems as
well as manuals due to the requirement on greater precision
for control. Different kinds of sensors are possible, and
German manufacturer Bosch recently entered this market with
a MEMS solution in which the oil acts directly on the back
of the silicon sensor (a so-called backside-entry design)
with pressures of up to 70 bar.
In the medical market, pressure sensors are used mostly
as low-cost disposable devices for catheters employed in
surgical operations. But they also can be found in more
expensive devices used for pressure and differential flow
monitoring in continuous positive airway pressure (CPAC)
machines for treating sleep apnea-with significant potential
as implantable sensors after 2015. Operating without the
need for batteries, implantable sensors can be used for
cardiac measurements and to monitor for glaucoma in the
eye.
Within the industrial sector, big segments for MEMS pressure
sensors include the heating, ventilation and air conditioning
(HVAC) sector, level measurements, and various industrial
process and control applications. Aircraft, for instance,
use the sensors to monitor engines, flaps and other functions,
in addition to precision altitude air pressure measurement.
MEMS pressure sensors to date have not been used as much
in the consumer electronics and mobile space, where their
revenue is under $50 million today. Among their diverse
applications, however, are weather stations, sport watches,
bike computers, diving equipment and pedometers, along with
white goods-such as water-level sensors employed for energy-efficient
washing machines.
Author: Srinivasa Reddy N
