Demand for MEMS devices grew by 5.7% in 2014, according to market researcher IHS, which identified Bosch as the leading supplier of the technology in a market driven by Apple. Claiming the market in 2014 was worth $9.45billion, IHS said Bosch held 12% of sales, worth $1.17bn.
IHS analyst Jeremie Bouchard said Apple boosted Bosch's MEMS revenue in 2014 due to its position as the sole supplier of pressure sensors in the iPhone 6 and 6+. He added that Bosch enjoyed strong growth in demand for its motion combo sensors from Sony for use in the PS4 and for handsets and tablets.
However, automotive contributes 67% of Bosch's MEMS revenue, with the company holding 30% of the market – more than three times as much as second placed automotive MEMS maker Denso.
Texas Instruments benefited from a rebound in demand for its Digital Light Processing technology in 2014 to take second place in the MEMS market. Meanwhile, STMicroelectronics saw its MEMS revenue decline by 19% to $630 million. Despite this decline, ST remains the leading MEMS manufacturer for consumer and mobile applications, holding 15% of the segment. IHS says the decline is due, in part, to ST losing iPhone sockets for accelerometers and gyroscopes, as well as for the combo motion sensors in the Samsung Galaxy S5.
Other companies in the top 10 were HP, Knowles, Avago, Canon, InvenSense, Triquint and Freescale.
Bouchard noted the recent merger between Freescale and NXP will create the leading supplier of automotive semiconductor sensors, including a 'very strong' positon in chassis and safety applications.
Author
Graham Pitcher
Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk