© 2011

MEMS Microphone

Better communication through better listening

Report SAMPLE

Source:: AAC acoustic Source: Akustica Source: Apple Source: ST Source: Knowles Source: Analog Devices

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2011 Copyrights © Yole Développement SARL. All rights reserved.

Table of contents

• 1. Executive Summary • 2. Methodology

• 3. MEMS Microphone Definition and Technologies Overview

– Advantages compared to ECM

– Detection principals

– Monolithic VS. Several chip solution

– Analog/Digital microphones

– Packaging & Patents

• 4. MEMS Microphone Industry Supply Chain and Main Players

– Supply chain overview

– Evolution of business models

– Main Players’ Profiles and Products

– Strategy of Main Players / New Challengers

– Geographic evolution

– Inactive players, M&A and latest announcements

• 5. MEMS Microphone Applications and Market by Application

– Mobile phone application

– Laptop and other consumer application

– Medical, Automotive and Military application

– Penetration rate of MEMS microphone

– MEMS microphone market forecast split by application

• 6. Technology Evolution and Trends

– MEMS Microphone Technology roadmap

– Manufacturing and packaging evolution

– Challenges and opportunities

– From microphone to speaker?

• 7. Conclusion

• 8. Appendix

• 8.1 General overview of the MEMS Business

– MEMS History & Genealogy

– MEMS market challenges

• 8.2 MEMS Manufacturing Overview

– Micromachining technologies

– MEMS processes challenges

– MEMS manufacturing and packaging roadmaps

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Objectives of the report

• The objectives of this report are the following:

– To provide overview on MEMS microphone technologies, packaging & patents

– To provide market data on MEMS microphone market: key market metrics & dynamics:

• Unit shipments and revenues

• Penetration rate by application

• Complete market forecast in 2010-2016

• Average selling price analysis and expected evolution

• Market shares with detailed breakdown for each player

– To provide a deep understanding of MEMS microphone value chain:

• Exhaustive list of players for each step: die, ASIC, packaging…

• Analysis on the new players and potential new entrants

• Analysis on the change of business models and strategies of the main players and new challengers

– To provide application focus on key existing markets and most promising emerging ones: new features,

technology evolution, insight about future opportunities & challenges:

• Functions that are used, new features and specification requirements

• Technology roadmaps with functionalities

• Insight about future technology trends & manufacturing challenges: evolution of front-end MEMS manufacturing, new packaging

technologies…

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2011 Copyrights © Yole Développement SARL. All rights reserved.

Who should buy this report?

• MEMS microphone manufacturers

– Evaluate market potential of future technologies

and products for new applicative markets

– Understand the differentiated value of your

products and technologies in this market

– Identify new business opportunities and partners

– Monitor and benchmark your competitor’s

advancements

• MEMS microphone & packaging foundries

– Understand what are the applications that will

drive the volumes

– Identify new business opportunities and

prospects

• Mixed-signal companies & ASIC manufacturers,

Software specialists

– Spot new opportunities and define diversification

strategies

• Consumer Electronic OEMs

– Evaluate market potential of future technologies

and products for new applicative markets

– Screen potential new suppliers of microphones

– Evaluate the benefits of using MEMS microphones

in your end system

• R&D centers

– Understand the impact of new MEMS microphone

manufacturing and packaging technologies

– Evaluate market potential of future technologies

and products for new applicative markets

• Financial & strategic investors

– Understand the structure and value chain of the

MEMS microphone industry

– Estimate the potential of new devices

– Get the list of the key players and emerging start-

ups of this industry worldwide

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2011 Copyrights © Yole Développement SARL. All rights reserved.

MEMS Microphone Technologies Detection Types

• Five types of silicon microphones have been identified so far:

– Capacitive detection is of high growth and interest today

• Dedicated to low cost and moderate performances devices: i.e. the replacement market of the ECM

– Microflow detection is related to fine sound measurements

• Oriented toward measurement market

– Optical detection is more military / security oriented

• This detection is very accurate and allow lot of noise reduction

• It main feature is to be undetectable compared to other technologies

• They are mainly developed for military applications

– Piezoresistive and piezoelectric detection principle are rarely seen

Detection principles

Capacitive Piezoelectric Piezoresistive Optical

Knowles Electronics

EPCOS / Sonion

MEMSTech

Infineon

Bosch / Akustica

Panasonic

NXP Semiconductor

VTT Electronics

…

Phone-Or (stopped)

Toshiba

NASA

….

Microflow

Microflown

….

AvagoTech

Auxitrol

…

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Supply Chain for MEMS microphones

MEMS die ASIC die Packaging & module Vendor

MEMS die

designers Knowles,

Wolfson,

STM…

ASIC suppliers ADI, Xfab, Infineon…

Packaging and

Assembly players Tong Hsing, ASE…

The detailed supply chain is presented in the report…

MEMS die

foundries Omron,

Sony…

MEMS die design &

manufacturing Infineon, Akustica/Bosch…

Design Manufacturing Design Manufacturing Substrate Assembly Test

ST (IT)

ADI (USA)

Epcos (D)

3S (TW)

Wolfson (UK)

BSE (KR)

Knowles (USA)

AAC (CN)

Infineon /

Hosiden (D, J)

Merry Electronics

(TW)

GoerTek (CN)

Akustica / Bosch

(USA)

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Example of Die Size Reduction for Microphones

2006 Knowles S2.14, 1.6 mm x

1.6 mm, MEMS microphone die,

with a 0.64 mm diameter

diaphragm. The Knowles

microphones use a separate

ASIC die.

2007/2008 S3.15 is 1.35 mm x

1.35 mm and features only two

bond pads, as compared to the

four seen on the S2.14. The

diaphragm is 0.64 mm in

diameter.

2010 S4.10 microphone. The microphone die is

only 1.1 mm x 1.1 mm, with a 0.64 mm

diaphragm. It is worth noting that Knowles

does not appear to have changed the basic

layout of the technology, rather they have been

shrinking the die, thus allowing them to lower

the cost. They have achieved greater than

50% shrink in the die area between the S2.14

product and the newer S4.10 product, implying

a doubling of the chip yield per wafer, while

keeping the microphone diaphragm constant in

size.

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Knowles Acoustics SPM0408HE5H MEMS Microphone

(current generation)

• The Package is composed by three portions of FR4 PCB

electrically connected with a conductive adhesive.

• The two dies are glued on the bottom portion of the

package and wire bonded.

• The ASIC die is encapsulated with a glob-top epoxy

resin.

Package Side view

4.72mm x 3.76mm x 1.25mm

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MEMS Manufacturing Roadmap

Up to 500µm structures Pressure sensors mostly Low cost but restricted design Repeatable process No IC process compatibility

reuse semiconductor manufacturing lines cost can be lower compared to hybrid increased performance BUT process compatibility is an issue XeF2 use

Higher design freedom More sophisticated devices

Inertial MEMS, micro-mirrors, RF MEMS …

New design freedom improves electrical perf. improves yield CMOS standard

Bulk MM

Surface MM

Thin SOI

CMOS MEMS

70-80’s 80-90’s 90-2000’s Today/Future

Thick SOI

Cavity SOI

ME

MS

P

ro

du

ct D

im

en

sio

ns

Timeline

Co

st R

ed

uc

tio

n

3D Integration

?

Inertial MEMS for consumer applications

Integration with high-voltage CMOS (reduced parasitances) Structure increased vertical deflection (micro-mirrors); higher design freedom

W2W or C2W Use of Through Si Vias Most likely scenario for CMOS MEMS stacking in the future But will cost be competitive?

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Companies Cited in this Report

AAC Acoustic Technologies, Akustica/Bosch, Analog Devices, APM, Apogee, Apple, ASE,

AudioPixels, Auxitrol, AvagoTech, B&K, BenQ, BSE, Continental, CSIL, CSMC-Tech, Draper Lab,

Goertek, Google, GMEMS, Hosiden, Infineon, INN, Knowles acoustics/SonionMEMS, LG, Lingsen

Pecision Industries, MEMSensing, MEMSTech, Merry electronics, Microflown, MosArt Packaging,

Motorola, NASA, NCT, Nokia, NXP, Omron, Panasonic, Phone Or, Samsung, Siemens, Silicon Matrix,

Solid State System, ST Microelectronics, Tong Hsing, TDK-EPC, Toshiba, UMC, VK mobile, VTT

Electronics, Wolfson, Xfab, Yamaha…

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2011 Copyrights © Yole Développement SARL. All rights reserved.

Available MEMS Reports

Trends in MEMS

Manufacturing &

Packaging

IMU &High

Performance MEMS MEMS & Sensors

for Smartphones

Uncooled IR Cameras &

detectors for

thermography & nigh

Vision

CMOS Image

Sensors

MEMS Cosim+

MEMS Manufacturing

Cost Simulation Tool

MEMS Players:

Analysis of Financial

Performance

New!

Ferro-Electric

Thin Films

World MEMS Players:

Database 2010

New!

MEMS Microphone

New!

Permanent Wafer

Bonding

New!

New!

Motion Sensors for

Consumer & Mobile

applications

New!

Thin Wafer

Handling

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2011 Copyrights © Yole Développement SARL. All rights reserved.

For more information:

www.yole.fr www.i-micronews.com