MEMS

Whether it’s the Internet of Things (IoT), wearables, or industrial automation, new devices and applications are portable, battery-operated and require continuous power.  Wireless connectivity is required for connecting to the Internet.  Today’s devices collect and transmit data from sensors, are always or almost always on and require power.  The semiconductor industry has met the challenge to design devices for low power operation.  But eventually batteries still run out of energy and have to be replaced or recharged.

The market for Micro Electrical Mechanical Systems (MEMS) has been growing at a fast rate.  In 2014 sales of MEMS devices exceeded $14.3 billion, an annual growth of 12.5%. Semico Research projects that by 2018 MEMS sales will reach $21.5 billion.  This is a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.0% from 2013 to 2018.  Gyroscopes and accelerometers will account for a significant amount of the MEMS revenues. But growth will be driven by a wide variety of emerging MEMS.

The number of devices with capability for sensing and connectivity is growing at an exponential rate.  Many companies look to the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) to drive new growth for existing products and open up new business opportunities.  The concept of the IoT is far ranging.  As the name implies it is the interconnection of many things which encompass different functions.