MEMS センサーの発展と世界における市場機会

Research Overview

Opportunities Galore for MEMS Sensors in the Automotive Sector

The ever-increasing need to improve safety features of automobiles and strict implementation of pertinent laws in the recent past have created a mandatory need for constant monitoring of various components and structures in automobiles. This is translating into a greater demand for efficacious monitoring and control systems, resulting in a spurt in the sales of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors. MEMS sensors are ideally suited for automotive applications as they are capable of surviving harsh environment without compromising on performance, thereby paving the way for safer automobiles.

This Frost & Sullivan Technical Insights research provides a comprehensive overview of advancements in MEMS technology worldwide. It provides details on current and future research projects in this exciting arena besides examining market drivers, restraints, key applications, and technological trends.

Systems-on-a-Chip and Nanotechnology Could Drive the Future of MEMS

Systems-on-a-chip is the latest craze in the MEMS arena. Integrated manufacturing of electronics and sensors on the same silicon wafer is likely to lower the cost of control systems. "Integrating sensors, process circuitry, and communication capabilities on the same chip or silicon wafer is closer to reality and prototypes have already demonstrated the feasibility of such systems," says the analyst. "Large-scale manufacturing of these systems at lower costs is quite possible and the day might not be far when consumers could have handheld devices capable of sensing any chemical, gas, or biological agent in real time."

MEMS - particularly bio MEMS, RF MEMS, and optical MEMS - are definitely potential candidates in the search for a 'killer application' by the research community. The emergence of nanotechnology - touted to be the 'next big thing' in the hi-tech world - could bring forth a new gamut of applications that were never envisaged before. "MEMS sensors are likely to be the intermediate communication pipeline between the nanoscale and macroscale world," says the analyst. "This will help overcome technical glitches during the communication process." However, the real impact of this market driver is inherently tied to the success of nanotechnology.

Lack of Application Volume and Standard Manufacturing Practice Influences Market Growth

The evolution of the MEMS industry has been characterized by many difficulties and the industry is currently at a positive inflection point on the growth curve. However, lack of volume in many MEMS applications could hamper the prospects of small- and medium-scale manufacturers. "Even a decade after the successful commercialization of MEMS, the market continues to be driven by a few select products in the automotive and industrial sectors," says the analyst. "Generating volumes from other applications will continue to be difficult until new distributed applications emerge and more functionality is added to the MEMS devices."

Another significant factor hampering market growth of MEMS sensors is the lack of a standard manufacturing technique and consequent difficulties in adopting innovative production methods. This is in stark contrast to the integrated circuit industry where one manufacturing process could be fine-tuned to accommodate many different products and systems. The need for different manufacturing set-up along with the disparity in packaging requirements creates difficulties in switching over product lines in the case of MEMS. Companies have to set aside dedicated assembly lines for a single product or a group of products. Besides these challenges, the transition from existing technology platform to emerging systems calls for large-scale reorganization of the fabrication units. This results not only in cost overruns, but also in the increase of time-to-market for new products. Participants should address these issues if the MEMS market is to flourish.

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Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary

    1. Technology Snapshot

        1. MEMS Growth Reflects Economic Trends

        2. Technological Trends

    2. Scope and Methodology

        1. Scope of the Study

        2. Research Methodology

2. MEMS Market Analysis

    1. MEMS Market

        1. Description of Technology and Applications

        2. Market Trends

    2. Investment Climate

        1. Market Potential

        2. Industry Characteristics

        3. Growth Outlook--Nanotech May Provide for MEMS Expansion

    3. Market Drivers and Restraints

        1. Technical and Market Drivers

        a. Propensity to combine reliability with efficiency and lower cost could translate into improved demand for microtechnologies

        b. Increasing awareness and safety regulations in the automotive sector could translate into demand for effective monitoring and control systems

        c. Need for environmental preservation could propel the growth of chemical sensors to monitor pollutants at the source.

        d. Integrated manufacturing of electronics and sensors on the same silicon wafer could translate into lower cost of control systems

        e. Evolution of micromachining techniques and nanoscale manufacturing could help achieve economies of scale during manufacture

        f. Emergence of alternatives to silicon, like plastics, could pave the way for novel applications where silicon could be unsuitable

        g. Growth of nanotechnology has led to an increased need to communicate between the nanoscale and macroscale world. Microtechnology is well suited to bridge this divide.

        2. Restraints

        a. Lack of a standard manufacturing technique leads to difficulties in taking innovations to production

        3. Challenges

        a. Difference in fabrication processes increases reluctance of semiconductor companies to move to MEMS.

        b. Lack of volumes in many MEMS applications could hamper the development of small and medium scale manufacturers.

        c. Disparate packaging needs of MEMS devices could lead to cost overruns during commercialization.

        d. Emergence of nanotechnology and nanoscale fabrication as a serious contender

        e. Meltdown in the optical networking industry has put MEMS funding on the back foot

3. Sensing Applications in the Transportation Industry

    1. Industry Impact

        1. Assessment of Existing Applications

        2. Products with Potential

    2. Application Spectrum

        1. Safety Devices

        2. Comfort and Safety Applications

        3. Engine and Drive Train

        4. Vehicle Diagnostics

    3. Research Trends

        1. Gyro Sensors Can Increase Vehicle Stability --Japan

        2. Thin Film Magnetic Sensors Aid in Automobile Control - Japan

        3. Novel Device Promises Safer Rail Travel - United Kingdom

        4. On-board Sensors Monitor Engine Oil Viscosity - Austria

        5. Motorola Sensor Improves Tire Safety - United States

        6. Tire Sensor Helps Prevent Accidents - Germany

    4. Industry Specific Issues

        1. Industry Assessment

        2. Growth Prospects

4. Industrial Sensing and Consumer Electronics

    1. Industry Impact

        1. Assessment of Applications

        2. Promising Products

    2. Application Spectrum

        1. Strain Gauges

        2. Industrial Monitoring and Automation

        3. Wireless Sensor Networks

        4. Process Control Instrumentation

    3. Research Trends

        1. Fabrication of Motion Sensor Using MEMS - Taiwan

        2. Extreme Condition Sensors - United States

        3. Characterizing Polymers Using X-Ray Scattering Measurements - France

        4. Novel Inexpensive Humidity Sensor Using CMOS Fabrication Technology - China

        5. Characterization of MEMS Using Digital Holography Microscopes - Italy

        6. Symmetrical Circular-Type Sensor Can Measure Thermal Flow More Accurately - South Korea

        7. Micromachining Paves the Way for Low-Power Magnetic Field Sensors - United States

        8. Low-Cost Inductive Proximity Sensors Find Industrial Applications - Switzerland

        9. Sensor Produces Little Resistance to Flow - Sweden

    4. Industry Specific Issues

        1. Industry Assessment

        2. Growth Prospects

5. Analytical and Environmental Sensing

    1. Industry Impact

        1. Existing Applications

        2. Products and Manufacturers

    2. Application Spectrum

        1. Chemical and Electrochemical Sensors

        2. Chromatographic and Spectrometric Sensors

        3. Other Sensor Systems

    3. Research Trends

        1. Sensing Nitrogen Dioxide Using Nano-Crystalline Tungsten - Taiwan

        2. Controlling Emissions with Combustion Monitoring Sensors - United Kingdom

        3. Laser Sensors for Cleaner Engines - United Kingdom

        4. Hand-Held Sensor Can Detect Noise - Japan

        5. Novel Fiber Optic Laser Sensor Can Detect Pollutants - Hong Kong

        6. Selectively Adjustable MEMS-Based Chemical Nose - United States

        7. Nanorings as Nanoscale Sensors - United States

        8. Micromachined Humidity Sensors with Temperature Compensation - Taiwan

        9. Novel Chip for Multiple Detection - United States

        10. Environmental Sensors - Treading towards Smart Solutions - United States

        11. Scanning Probe Microscopes Get Integrated into Optical Displacement Sensors - Turkey

        12. Micro Fluxgate Sensors Reach Micrometer Scales - Greece

        13. Microsystems Enable Precision Spectral Sensing - Germany

        14. Microdisplacement Sensor Is Based on Beam Divergence - Japan

        15. Nano-electromechanical Systems To Weigh Individual Molecules - United States

        16. Spectrometer Detects Environmental Substances - Germany

        17. Conducting Combustible Gas Sensing with Microdifferential Scanning Calorimeters - United States

        18. Low-Power Sensors Detect Hazardous Gases - United States

        19. Using MEMS in Seismic Sensors - France

    4. Industry Specific Issues

        1. Industry Assessment

        2. Growth Prospects

6. Biosensing Applications

    1. Industry Impact

        1. Applications Assessment

        2. Products with Potential

    2. Application Spectrum

        1. Imaging and Medical Diagnostics

        2. Drug Discovery and Delivery

        3. Medical Devices

    3. Research Trends

        1. Taste Sensor Can Detect Bitterness - Japan

        2. Selectively Adjustable MEMS-Based Chemical Nose - United States

        3. Non-Contact Magnetic Temperature Sensor for Biochemical Applications - Japan

        4. Artificial Hands Get a Contact Force Sensor - United Kingdom

        5. Implantable Wireless Biological Sensors - United States

        6. Sensors Render Inexpensive Monitoring System for High-Risk Professionals - Germany

        7. Critical Applications Get Sensitive Lift Force Flow Sensors - Sweden

    4. Industry Specific Issues

        1. Industry Assessment

        2. Growth Outlook

7. Characteristics of the Global MEMS Sensors Industry

    1. Structure of the MEMS Sector

        1. Assessment of the Market Structure

        2. Analog Devices

        3. Motorola

        4. MEMSCAP

        5. Colibrys

        6. Acreo AB

        7. Applied MEMS

        8. Micralyne

        9. Capres A/S

        10. Silicon Microstructures

        11. Boston Microsystems

        12. Tegal

    2. Technology Strategy Analysis

        1. Technology Trends

        2. The Volume Dilemma

        3. The Fab vs Fabless Dilemma

        4. The Evolving Industry Paradigm

        5. Where for MEMS from Here?

8. Key Patents and Contact Details

    1. Patents

        1. Key US Patents

    2. Contact Details

        1. Key Developers of MEMS Technology

9. Frost & Sullivan 2004 Science and Technology Awards

    1. Technology Leadership

        1. Award Description

        2. Award Recipient

    2. Excellence in Technology

        1. Award Description

        2. Award Recipient

10. Decision Support Tables

    1. Car Production

        1. Car Production

    2. Machine Tool Production

        1. Machine Tool Production

    3. Telecom Equipment

        1. Production of Telecom Equipment

    4. Semiconductor Market

        1. Semiconductor Market

    5. Number of Aircraft

        1. Number of Aircraft