MEMS sensor industry

MEMS devices are widely used and have a large market space

· MEMS products are becoming more abundant, and China is the main market

·The process is partial to customization, and the back-end manufacturing cost accounts for a high proportion

MEMS demand is increasing, integration and intelligent upgrades increase added value

The Internet of Things, 5G, and intelligent driving promote the increase in MEMS usage

·Te profit margin of MEMS devices is expected to gradually increase

The golden age of MEMS is coming, and domestic manufacturers are accelerating growth

·The localization of MEMS devices is broad, and the industrial chain is gradually becoming mature

·The market share of domestic manufacturers is increasing rapidly, and the process of localization is expected to be further accelerated

MEMS acoustic devices take the lead in catching up

MEMS devices are widely used and have a large market space

MEMS products are becoming more abundant, with China as the main market

MEMS is a microelectromechanical system (Microelectro Mechanical Systems), a micro integrated system that uses integrated circuit manufacturing technology and micro machining technology to manufacture micro sensors and micro actuators on a chip. The core components in MEMS generally include two types: a sensor or actuator, and a signal transmission unit. The sensor converts external signals into electrical signals, and the actuator interacts with the outside world. The signal transmission unit can process the signals and connect with other micro systems. MEMS sensors have the advantages of small size, light weight, low power consumption, high reliability, high sensitivity, easy integration, etc., and are gradually replacing traditional mechanical sensors; MEMS actuators represented by RF MEMS are also coming with the arrival of a new generation of communication technology Usher in major development opportunities.

MEMS products are becoming more abundant, and the degree of intelligence and integration is gradually increasing. In 1987, the University of California at Berkeley in the United States invented the micromotor, which is considered the beginning of MEMS technology; in 1993, ADI's micro-accelerometer products were used in large quantities in automobile anti-collision airbags, and MEMS officially entered the stage of industrialization. In the 1990s, MEMS technology developed rapidly, and a variety of processing techniques were developed around deep groove etching technology, and MEMS products such as micromirrors and inkjet print heads continued to emerge. Since 2007, consumer electronics products represented by smart phones have applied MEMS sensors in large quantities, and inertial sensors, magnetometers, optical MEMS, radio frequency MEMS, etc. have emerged as the times require. In recent years, the development of the Internet of Things has continuously promoted the progress of MEMS technology. 9-axis IMU and integrated environment MEMS have been widely used. MEMS integration and intelligence are the future development trend.

Radio frequency MEMS, pressure sensors, microphones, accelerometers, gyroscopes and inertial combinations are currently the most widely used devices. According to Yole's statistics, in the global MEMS product structure, radio frequency MEMS accounted for 19.2%, and pressure sensors, microphones, and accelerometers accounted for more than 10% of other products. The structure of the Chinese market is similar to that of the world. According to data released by CCID Consulting, the revenue of domestic RF MEMS products accounted for 25.9% in 2019; pressure sensors accounted for 19.2%, ranking second, microphones, inertial combinations, and accelerometers each accounted for 7.1% , 8.9%, 6.5%.

China accounts for more than 50% of the global market size of hundreds of billions. From the perspective of market size, according to IHS data, the global MEMS market in 2019 was US$16.5 billion (equivalent to more than RMB 100 billion). In the domestic market, according to CCID Think Tank statistics, the market size in 2019 is about 60 billion yuan, accounting for about 54% of the global market, and the domestic market continues to grow faster than the global market.

The process is partial to customization, and the back-end manufacturing cost accounts for a high proportion

The MEMS industry chain mainly involves four major links: design and development, manufacturing, packaging and testing, and system application. The upstream of the MEMS industry chain includes the design of MEMS devices, the R&D and supply of materials and production equipment, the midstream includes the manufacturing, processing, packaging and testing of MEMS devices, and the downstream use of MEMS products to integrate terminal electronic products.

Different from the planar structure of IC, MEMS device is a three-dimensional mechanical structure, and the process is customized. Although the MEMS manufacturing process is realized by using IC technology, its essence is completely different from the IC structure: the basic structure of IC, the transistor is a pure electrical device, which is common in all products; while MEMS is a kind of micromachine The structure includes micron-level gears, meters, engines, and pumps. Except for the same silicon material as the IC, the basic structure cannot be completely unified and universal. Therefore, the manufacturing process of MEMS devices is more customized, and there is a saying of "one product, one process".

Basic material properties are the fundamental factor that determines product performance. The purpose of IC manufacturing is to integrate as much CMOS as possible on a silicon chip, but the sensor core usually only encapsulates a few electrical components. For example, an IC needs to integrate hundreds of millions of CMOS, but a force-sensitive sensor core only has 4 resistance elements. Material properties (such as structural mechanical characteristics, material chemical characteristics) and production processes (such as etching depth, accuracy, material stress control) determine the performance of MEMS sensors.

The value of the packaging and testing process accounts for a high proportion, which is the main part of the manufacturing cost. Since MEMS structure is more complicated than IC, it not only needs to encapsulate various chips, but also includes various sensor components such as force, light, magnetism, sound, temperature, chemistry, biology, etc. for sensing and executing motion, energy, information, etc. The cost of packaging for various components with controlled quantities usually exceeds 40%. In addition, in the test link, different excitations are needed to test different MEMS products. For example, the test of a gyroscope requires equipment such as a multi-axis turntable, a vibration table, and an impact table, while a silicon microphone requires external equipment such as an anechoic cavity and a standard sound source. . Combined with the cost of testing, the back-end cost can account for 40% to 80% depending on the device.

In addition, the design and development of MEMS products relies on the experience of R&D personnel. On the one hand, MEMS is a synthesis of multiple disciplines and technologies, involving IC technology, sensor technology, computer technology, wireless communication, and other technologies. It is very important for multi-disciplinary and multi-factor mutual understanding. On the other hand, the interdependence of tools, designs, and processes in the development of MEMS products requires a high educational background and years of research and development experience. Generally, a MEMS project usually requires a highly educated engineer and at least 10 years of work experience, so it is also called the "PhD Level Problem" in market growth.

Due to the existence of the above characteristics, the development and commercialization cycle of the MEMS industry is long. Since MEMS product design to mass production requires mutual matching of design, process, and tools, as well as investment in corresponding process equipment, packaging, and test equipment, the development and commercialization cycle is relatively long. According to relevant data, MEMS pressure sensors, accelerometers, and gas sensor products have taken 20 to 30 years from R&D and design to full commercialization. Before 2012, all MEMS devices had an average commercialization cycle of 28 years.

MEMS

MEMS demand is increasing, integration and intelligent upgrades increase added value

Consumer electronics and automobiles are currently the most important application areas of MEMS. From the perspective of the global MEMS market structure in 2019, consumer electronics is the main application field, accounting for close to 60%, and automotive is the second largest application field, accounting for approximately 19%. From the perspective of the structure of China's MEMS market in 2019, networking and communications, computers, and consumer electronics together accounted for 50%, and the automotive sector accounted for 29%.

We believe that with the increasing demand for IoT, consumer electronics, and automotive MEMS, the income level of sensor manufacturers is expected to increase rapidly, and profitability is also expected to continue to increase, mainly based on: 1) The Internet of Things, 5G, and smart driving drive demand for increased demand, and MEMS devices With further miniaturization in size, unit costs are expected to drop rapidly; 2) Technology upgrades will drive added value.

The Internet of Things, 5G, and Intelligent Driving Promote the Increase in MEMS Usage

The technology wave is the biggest driving force for MEMS demand. In the past, there have been two major technological waves, namely automobiles and the consumer electronics wave led by smartphones. According to the early data of IHS, we can see that before the consumer electronics wave, the growth of the entire MEMS market tends to stagnate. However, the emergence of the consumer electronics wave has brought huge growth momentum to the overall market. The scale of the consumer electronics MEMS market has reached a CAGR of 16% from 2010 to 2019.

The popularization of the Internet of Things has greatly expanded the application scenarios of MEMS. The industrial architecture of the Internet of Things can be divided into four layers: perception layer, transmission layer, platform layer and application layer. MEMS devices are an important part of the perception layer of the Internet of Things. The development of the Internet of Things drives the popularization of smart terminal devices and drives the demand for MEMS. According to the statistics of the Global Association for Mobile Communications Systems GSMA, the number of global Internet of Things devices has increased from 2 billion in 2010 to 12 billion in 2019. The future will benefit from With the development of 5G commercialization and WiFi 6, the Internet of Things market has huge potential. GSMA predicts that by 2025, the global Internet of Things devices will reach 24.6 billion units and will maintain a compound growth rate of 12.7% from 2019 to 2025.

The trend of intelligence has promoted a substantial increase in the use of stand-alone MEMS devices for the Internet of Things. As mentioned above, the Internet of Things has brought many incremental markets, such as smart speakers, smart TVs, and wearable devices. At the same time, the degree of intelligence is also increasing, which promotes the increase in the use of stand-alone MEMS. Take smart wear as an example, the first generation The wearable device pedometer is only equipped with an accelerometer to realize the step counting function. With the update and iteration of the product, the function is becoming more and more abundant. The subsequent second and third generation wearable products have gradually added a pressure gauge and a gyroscope. In addition to the traditional activity recognition and counting functions, smart watches can achieve precise positioning and intelligent interaction. It also adds many health monitoring functions. Products such as MEMS microphones, magnetic sensors, and optical heart rate sensors have been widely used. , The overall MEMS usage has increased significantly.

In the traditional mobile phone and automotive markets, in the short term, MEMS devices will still be the main application areas. 5G and automotive electrification have promoted a steady increase in shipments. At the same time, the amount of stand-alone/vehicle sensors has a significant increase.

Smart phones welcome the 5G replacement wave, and the consumption of sensors and RF MEMS has increased year by year. On the one hand, the accelerated penetration of 5G has stimulated the recovery of the smartphone market: in October this year, domestic 5G mobile phone shipments accounted for 64%; in terms of overall smartphone shipments, driven by 5G, according to IDC’s forecast this year, Smartphone shipments in 2021 will increase by 11.6% compared to 2020, and the CAGR will reach 5.2% in 2020-2024. On the other hand, the use of stand-alone sensors and RF MEMS has continued to increase. Take the iPhone as an example. From the iPhone 2G in 2007 to the iPhone 12 in 2020, mobile phones are becoming more intelligent and rich in functions, such as fingerprint recognition, 3D touch, ToF, and microphones. The addition of functions such as combination and depth perception (LiDAR) has increased the number of sensors (including non-MEMS sensors) from the original 5 to more than 4 times the original to more than 20; the increase in frequency bands brought about by the 5G upgrade is also expected to significantly improve the stand-alone RF The value of MEMS.

The upgrade of driving assistance system drives the increase in the value of MEMS&sensor bicycles. Autonomous driving has become a major trend. The perception of environmental information is the basis for automatic driving. The higher the level of autonomous driving, the higher the demand for information perception capabilities, and the corresponding MEMS & sensor usage and value will increase accordingly. According to data from NXP and Strategy analysis, L1/2 level autonomous driving requires only 1 camera module, 1-3 ultrasonic radars and lidars, and 0-1 fusion sensors. The value of the new semiconductors is 100-350 US dollars. , And to L4/5 level autonomous vehicles will introduce 7-13 ultrasonic radar and lidar, 6-8 camera modules and will introduce V2X modules and multi-sensor fusion solutions, the value of the new semiconductors will be more than 1,000 US dollars. In addition, in the short term, real conditions have exposed the defects of ADAS, leading to the occurrence of some safety accidents. As a result, the demand for the safety of ADAS systems has soared. These shortcomings have renewed efforts to improve LIDAR, RADAR and other imaging equipment. The sensor system is integrated into the self-driving car.

According to the forecast of Strategy analysis, by 2025, 73% of auto production will be equipped with different levels of autonomous driving functions, of which Level 1 will account for 46%, Level 2 will account for 27%, and by 2035, 95% of vehicles will have different levels of autopilot. Autonomous driving functions, among which Level 3 and above will account for more than 20%, driving the rapid increase in demand for MEMS devices.

During the COVID-19 epidemic, thermal imaging and microfluidic MEMS ushered in growth. Affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, the demand for medical equipment has grown, especially non-contact temperature measurement, which has stimulated the demand for thermopile and micro-thermal radiation meter. Nucleic acid diagnosis has driven the demand for microfluidic products, and ventilators have driven pressure sensors and flow meters. Demand. During the epidemic, thermal imaging MEMS (thermopile and micro thermal radiation meter) and microfluidics have become the biggest short-term growth points.

According to Yole’s forecast, driven by the Internet of Things and mobile phone 5G replacement, the global consumer MEMS market is expected to grow from US$6.87 billion in 2019 to US$11.14 billion in 2025, with a CAGR of 8.4% in 6 years; in electric vehicles Driven by the trend of autonomous driving, the automotive MEMS market is expected to grow from US$2.18 billion to US$2.6 billion in 2025, with a 6-year CAGR of 3%. In addition, the industrial market will also be driven by trends such as the Industrial Internet of Things. Maintaining a compound growth rate of 9.2%, the medical, communications, and defense/aerospace markets will also increase significantly. The overall MEMS market will grow from US$11.5 billion in 2019 to US$17.7 billion in 2025, with a 6-year comprehensive CAGR of 7.4 %.

MEMS device profit space is expected to gradually increase

From the perspective of MEMS price trends, since 2000, MEMS prices have continued to decline, with a CAGR of -3% from 2000 to 2006. After the arrival of the smartphone wave, the demand for sensors has increased and costs have continued to amortize. The CAGR of the price from 2006 to 2012 is -13. %; In 2012-2018, driven by the high volume of RF MEMS, the price CAGR in 2012-2018 was -15%; the ASP in 2019 was around US$0.43.

Benefiting from lower costs and the launch of new products, the gross profit margin of manufacturers in the industry has basically remained stable. Although prices are declining, it can be seen from the trend of the gross profit margin of major manufacturers such as Lou's and Goertek that the profitability of the MEMS business of the industry has basically remained stable: on the one hand, the reduction of chip and package size has promoted the reduction of cost, on the other hand, technology The demand for upgrading has led to the continuous launch of new products, and the gross profit margin of new products is significantly higher than that of old products (such as MEMSIC, the 35% gross profit margin of new magnetic sensor products in 2016 was significantly higher than the gross profit margin of old products 11%), which promotes the overall gross profit margin. Interest rates remain stable.

In the future, MEMS gross profit margin is expected to rise steadily. We believe that there are several reasons for it:

The trend of miniaturization pushes the average cost of MEMS devices to continue to decline. The demand for thinness and lightness in the consumer electronics field drives down the size of MEMS devices. On the one hand, MEMS manufacturers improve the package structure and reduce the device size on the basis of ensuring product performance. On the other hand, they also reduce the size of the chip simultaneously, and the size of the single wafer is fixed. Under the circumstance, the reduction of chip size increases the output of the chip, and also effectively reduces the average cost. In the future, as the size of MEMS shrinks, MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) will gradually transform to NEMS (Nano-Electro-Mechanical System) and achieve continuous reduction in size and cost.

The standardization of packaging is improved, and outsourcing reduces costs. In terms of packaging, due to the partial customization of MEMS and the need to protect their company’s IP, most companies choose to assemble and test themselves. However, as the standardization of MEMS packaging continues to increase, the packaging services provided by OSAT bring more economies of scale than In order to avoid the potential risk of technology leakage, more and more customers will choose the way of outsourcing packaging, which will help reduce costs.

Multi-sensor fusion and collaboration, and intelligence trends bring value enhancement. The trend of intelligence objectively requires more data sources. The number of sensors in a single device is gradually increasing. At the same time, in order to improve the effect of signal recognition and collection and the degree of integration of devices, sensors have begun to achieve fusion and coordination (such as acceleration The combination of meter, gyroscope, magnetometer and IMU form an inertial sensor group). At present, the average price of a single sensor is less than US$1. Compared with a single sensor, products fused with multiple sensors have a higher value, which can reach US$1-2. By further integrating the sensor with MCU or APU to form an intelligent sensing system, the price of the product will be greatly increased to 20-40 US dollars.

Material technology integration and innovation, flexible pressure-sensitive MEMS products are also expected to bring value enhancement. Compared with traditional capacitive solutions, flexible MEMS has lower requirements on the structure and internal space of terminal products, which can effectively reduce assembly costs, and has great application potential in the fields of smart phone pressure-sensitive touch, wearable products, and industrial/medical measurement. . At present, domestic NDT (Newtech Technology) has successfully commercialized the concept of flexible MEMS. Its flexible MEMS is a micro-pressure strain gauge technology based on piezoresistive materials, which can simultaneously detect tensile and compressive strains within a larger strain range. Linear output. As the technology matures, more domestic manufacturers are expected to adopt innovative products.

The golden age of MEMS is coming, and domestic manufacturers are accelerating growth

The localization of MEMS devices is broad, and the industry chain is gradually becoming mature

The domestic market is vast and the localization rate is low. China is the largest electronic product production base and the largest electronic product consumer. In 2019, the global MEMS device market was worth US$16.5 billion, and China accounted for more than half. However, the domestic market is still dominated by foreign manufacturers, and only 6% of the top 10 manufacturers in the domestic market belong to domestic manufacturers.

Domestic manufacturers already have the production capacity of mainstream MEMS devices. From the perspective of domestic MEMS product wafer demand structure, microphones, pressures, print heads, acceleration, and radio frequency devices have already accounted for a considerable proportion. The total demand for 6-inch wafers and 8-inch wafers accounted for 31%, 19%, and 11% respectively. , 6%, 7%. From the perspective of the product categories of head manufacturers, Goertek has covered MEMS microphones, MEMS pressure sensors (air pressure/waterproof/blood pressure/differential pressure, etc.), MEMS airflow sensors, and the combination of sensor products is gradually enriched, AAC Technologies, Rui Chuang Micro-nano and other companies also have some mainstream device production capabilities, and HOREXS is also accelerating the upgrading of MEMS and CMOS packaging substrate technology in large quantities.

The industrial chain is gradually becoming mature. From the perspective of the development process of the domestic industry, in 1986, the country listed sensor technology as a national key research project, and by 2000 the sensor technology system and industry were initially established. In 2001, the country included new sensors in key research and development projects. The technological level of domestic sensors has continued to improve, and the gap with developed countries has been gradually shortened. As of 2015, a complete industrial chain has been formed, with 6,000 independent products. Since 2016, the domestic sensor technology and industry have developed rapidly. At the same time, driven by domestic Internet of Things, 5G, artificial intelligence and other technologies, sensors have continued to develop in the direction of MEMS, intelligence, networking, and systemization.

Specifically, the capabilities of all links in the industry chain have been significantly improved:

OEM manufacturing: The level of technology has been upgraded, and the production capacity has continued to expand. There are three main types of domestic manufacturers with MEMS manufacturing capabilities: professional MEMS foundries, traditional wafer foundries, and IDM manufacturers. In the past, there was a lack of professional MEMS foundries in the country, insufficient process accumulation in traditional wafer foundries, long manufacturing response cycles, and a lack of leading MEMS device IDM manufacturers. But at present, the above situation has improved significantly.

The production capacity of MEMS manufacturing links is continuously increasing. Due to the high boom in the downstream semiconductor market, the foundry capacity is in short supply. In the future, this phenomenon will be alleviated with the commissioning of new capacity. According to SEMI statistics, the MEMS & sensor foundry capacity will increase from 3.9 million wafers/month in 2019 4.7 million pieces/month by 2023. In terms of domestic professional MEMS foundry, Sun Microelectronics acquired Silex, a leading MEMS foundry manufacturer in 2015 (ranked first in professional MEMS foundry revenue in 2019). Currently, its production capacity is expanding, and the Beijing factory plans to produce 30,000 pieces/month. In terms of traditional wafer foundries, SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor's MEMS foundries have also accumulated a certain amount of craftsmanship.

The level of craftsmanship and standardization continue to improve. Saiwei Electronics' acquisition of Silex has greatly improved the level of domestic MEMS foundry. On the one hand, it breaks through the technical barriers (that is, the mastered process IP), and obtains the independently developed, verifiable and customer-recognized IP by Silex of Sweden; on the other hand, with the Silex brand and mature process flow, the product verification cycle is greatly shortened ,Development cycle. Regarding the degree of standardization, as mentioned above, the characteristics of the industry include "one product, one process", implying that each product must be designed from scratch, leading to a longer product commercialization cycle. But at present, more than 80% of the process flow can be standardized (such as oxidation, spin coating, cleaning, zero mask alignment, etc.), and the customized part only accounts for 15%-20% (DRIE, bonding, film Deposition, wafer capping, lithography, etc.), Silex has developed a modular standardized method called SmartBlock, which can achieve rapid prototyping, customization, and rapid mass production without sacrificing process consistency.

Packaging and testing: The overall domestic strength is strong, and some MEMS device manufacturers have independent packaging and testing capabilities

MEMS packaging and testing platforms are steadily developing with the complexity of existing platforms to meet the increasing demand for sensor fusion. In terms of packaging, the trend of sensor fusion promotes the transformation of packaging technology from single-chip packaging to multi-chip packaging. At the same time, chip embedding technology and wafer-level packaging have become the development direction. In terms of testing, testing equipment vendors are improving testing tools and adding new features to reduce costs.

Strong domestic packaging and testing capabilities, with advanced packaging technology delivery capabilities. In the OSAT market, domestic manufacturers occupy a place in the head. In 2017, the top three MEMS packaging market shares were ASE, Amkor and Changjiang Electronics Technology, with market shares of 27%, 23% and 10% respectively. At present, Changjiang Electronics Technology has been able to Provide embedded wafer level ball grid array (eWLB), wafer level chip scale packaging (WLCSP), flip chip level chip scale packaging (fcCSP), fine pitch ball grid array (FBGA) and a series of packaging processes. On the other hand, domestic head MEMS device manufacturers also have independent packaging and testing capabilities, such as Goertek and AAC Technologies. In addition, the domestic MEMS/CMOS packaging substrate manufacturing industry is following the trend and making rapid progress, such as Shennan Circuits, HOREXS And so on, the head companies have taken the lead in mass production of MEMS packaging substrates, and have a certain position in the packaging substrate production industry in mainland China.

Design: domestic leading manufacturers extend to the design link to improve profitability

Domestic MEMS sensor leading companies Goertek and AAC Technologies used to be mainly engaged in system integration and packaging and testing links in the industry chain. At present, they have extended to the field of MEMS chip design.

The market share of domestic manufacturers has increased rapidly, and the localization process is expected to be further accelerated

The market share of domestic manufacturers has increased rapidly, and the momentum remains strong. In recent years, the global market share of domestic MEMS manufacturers led by Goertek has increased rapidly. According to Yole Development’s 2019 ranking of the top 30 global MEMS manufacturers, Goertek and AAC Technologies were successfully shortlisted. Among them, Goertek ranked ninth. It was the first company in China to enter the world’s top ten. MEMS revenue increased by 36% year-on-year, far surpassing other head companies in the same industry; AAC Technologies ranked 22nd, with revenue growth of 11% year-on-year also higher than the overall industry level.

At present, there are many favorable conditions, and the promotion of localization in the future is expected to continue to accelerate:

Domestic policies vigorously promote the development of the MEMS industry: National policies strongly support the development of sensors, and domestic MEMS companies have a high-quality development environment. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of MEMS and sensor technology. In the "Three-Year Action Guide for the Smart Sensor Industry (2017-2019)" issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2017, it clearly pointed out that efforts should be made to make breakthroughs in silicon-based MEMS processing technology, MEMS and complementary metal oxide semiconductors. (CMOS) integration, non-silicon modular integration and other process technologies, promote the development of device-level, wafer-level MEMS packaging and system-level testing technologies. National policies highly support the R&D and innovation of MEMS manufacturing companies. Driven by the policy, domestic MEMS manufacturing companies have obtained good development opportunities.

The objective acceleration of trade frictions and epidemics in the process of localization: Trade frictions and epidemics have made many domestic manufacturers realize the importance of localization in the industrial chain, and the demand for purchasing domestic MEMS devices has increased.

The domestic industry has started for more than 10 years and has basic talent accumulation: As mentioned above, MEMS R&D needs to solve multi-disciplinary cross-cutting issues and requires high talents. MEMS projects usually require highly educated engineers and have at least 10 years of work. Experience. At present, the domestic industry has experienced more than 10 years from its inception to now, and there has been a group of talents with industry experience. At the same time, the rapid development of the domestic economy and the uncertainty of the overseas environment are expected to drive more accumulated professionals in the MEMS industry to return to the country, bringing new momentum to the development of the domestic industry.

The establishment of the Sci-tech Innovation Board, capital assists the development of the industry: The establishment of the Sci-Tech Innovation Board provides effective financing channels for growing MEMS companies and facilitates industrial development.

MEMS

MEMS acoustic devices take the lead in catching up

MEMS microphones are widely used. Not only smart phones and computers need MEMS microphones, but smart TVs, smart wearables, smart homes, and smart buildings also need a large number of MEMS microphones. In addition, industry, medical, military, and smart cities also have certain needs for MEMS microphones. In terms of volume, smartphones, computers, and tablets are still the main application areas of MEMS microphones, with annual shipments in the order of 1 billion. Smart wearables, smart homes, and automobiles currently have tens of millions to billions of shipments each year. Level, but grows rapidly.

The rise of voice interaction drives the rapid growth of demand for MEMS microphones. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has developed rapidly, and voice has become an important human-computer interaction interface. Leading technology companies such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, etc. have introduced voice interaction technologies to promote the formation of the ecosystem. In 2019, the voice of these four manufacturers The number of interactive devices has reached 1.9 billion, mainly mobile phones and computers. The introduction of voice assistants on traditional electronic devices has effectively cultivated the development of user habits. The voice interaction demand of emerging IoT devices is expected to usher in rapid growth. Taking smart speakers and displays as examples, according to Yole's data, the demand for voice personal assistants It will rapidly increase from about 110 million in 2019 to about 280 million in 2024.

The development of TWS earphones and the addition of noise reduction functions have driven the increase in the amount of earphone stand-alone MEMS microphones. Take earphones as an example. Traditional earphones need only 1 microphone for both ears (that is, 0.5 per ear on average), while TWS earphones generally use at least 1 microphone per ear, while Airpods need 2 per ear. Airpods Pro single The ear uses 3 microphones. The logic behind the rapid increase in usage is the replacement of traditional headphones by TWS headphones on the one hand, and the addition of noise reduction function on the other. We can see the clues from the effect of the 3 microphones in Airpods Pro: the No. 1 microphone in Airpods Pro is used For receiving voice; microphone 2 is used to receive external noise signals and send out a sound wave signal with the same noise amplitude and opposite phase to cancel the noise to achieve active noise reduction; microphone 3 is used to detect the noise inside the headset and achieve active noise reduction . The adoption of the technology indicator Apple is expected to drive the rapid popularization of noise reduction technology in TWS headsets, greatly increasing the average MEMS microphone usage of headsets on the market.

Voice interaction and noise reduction are not the end, and the potential of MEMS microphones is vast. At present, microphone array technology, noise cancellation technology, and voice interaction technology have gradually taken our lives and promoted the continuous and rapid development of the MEMS market. In the future, optical microphones (through the cooperation of lasers and microphones to achieve the recording of the frequency response range from 5Hz to MHz, which can be applied to non-destructive testing, ultrasonic measurement, acoustic process monitoring, and medical imaging), acoustic cameras (to draw sound and image maps through microphone array technology) , The realization of noise control and positioning, product quality control) is expected to gradually open up the industrial-grade market of MEMS microphones. The development of 3D sound perception and artificial intelligence technology is also expected to further expand the consumer market.

According to our split, in 2019, smart phones, smart speakers, smart TVs, TWS headsets, and notebook computers are the main application areas of MEMS microphones, and the corresponding market sizes are 11, 1.8, 1.7, 140, and 100 million US dollars, of which smart speakers The market for MEMS microphones corresponding to TWS headsets has the fastest growth. The CAGR will reach 14% and 19% in 2019-2023, and the corresponding market sizes in 2023 will be 290 and 270 million U.S. dollars, respectively. The overall market size of consumer MEMS microphones is expected to grow from US$1.7 billion in 2019 to nearly US$2.1 billion in 2023, with a CAGR exceeding 5%.

The main technical indicators of domestic head manufacturers MEMS microphones have reached the international leading level, and the market share is expected to continue to increase. The research and production of foreign MEMS microphone companies such as Lou's, Infineon, and TDK started early, and they occupied a major global market share in the early stage. But at present, the design and manufacturing process of domestic MEMS microphones has matured, and the corresponding technical indicators have reached the international leading level. This represents the main indicators of Goertek's MEMS microphone products in terms of size, sensitivity, sensitivity tolerance, signal-to-noise ratio, and acoustic overload point. Both have become the global leader. While surpassing technology, domestic leading companies rely on China’s market position as the world’s largest producer and consumer of electronic products, as well as low-cost advantages, and their market share has continued to increase. According to data from Sri Lanka Consulting, its MEMS microphone market share has risen from less than 10% in 2013 to more than 30% in 2019. In 2019, Goertek's micro microphone (ECM+MEMS) market share ranked first in the world, and it is expected to continue to consolidate its leading position in the field of micro microphones in the future.