IR detector market study by Yole: $153M in 2012 and to reach $381M in 2018

Yole Développement has announced the total infrared (IR) detector market generated revenue of more than $153M in 2012, mostly due to the mature motion detection market which relies on high-volume sales of automatic lighting and intrusion detection systems. Yole says however in a scenario that includes spot thermometer function in mobile devices, it is expected that these revenues will top at $381M in 2018, growing at a 16% CAGR, fueled by : • Small detector applications, especially in consumer mobile applications. That growth in mobile applications is expected to be driven, in the short term, by adoption of monopixel sensors for internal temperature measurement and spot thermometry in smartphones and tablets. Technological innovation will be the key to compete successfully with other technologies in that market. Wafer-level-packaging will be necessary to successfully address these markets driven by price and looking for ever smaller form factor sensors. A specific scenario for adoption of IR sensors in mobile devices raises the market revenues in 2018 by $30M. • Array detectors which range from medium size (4x4 to 16x16 pixels) to large size (32x32 and above) are expected to grow at a ~30% CAGR in the 2013/2018 period. Medium size arrays have started to be successfully sold in HVAC for buildings and automotive, people counting for retail, home appliances and will continue ...