The market for MEMS sensors in handsets and tablets was worth $2.2bn in 2012 and is set to be worth about $2.7bn in 2013, according to Laurent Robin, an analyst with specialist research firm Yole D’veloppement. The firm forecasts a CAGR of 18.5% for MEMS sensors between 2012 and 2018, which would create a market value of about $6.4bn.
Average prices will fall, however ‘ the market may be set to treble in value, but volumes will quadruple in the same period. Growth will be driven by the inclusion of a growing variety of sensors in smartphones to support different types of context awareness. In the short term, the key components will be pressure sensors for vertical positioning; inertial measurement units, which combine accelerometers and gyroscope in one package; and RF MEMS for improved multiband, multiprotocol support.
Established leaders include STMicroelectronics and Knowles Acoustics but there is a growing number of start-up and major players. STMicro has 30.3% share in the mobile space, says the report, followed by Knowles with 12.7%, Avago with 11.5% and AKM with 11.4%. After them come Bosch Sensortec, InvenSense, TriQuint, AAC Acoustics, Freescale and many others.