STMicroelectronics to discuss MEMS industry insights at SEMICON Taiwan 2012 MEMS Forum

The phenomenal success of motion-sensing applications in gaming platforms – like the Wii – and in smart phones is spurring the development of MEMS technology, products and applications. It has only been six years since the adoption of motion sensors for a more natural man-machine interface in a consumer application, and the MEMS technology has since changed our daily lives and user experiences dramatically and new opportunities keep opening up. According to Yole Développement, MEMS will continue to see steady, sustainable double-digit growth over the next six years, with 20% compound average annual growth in units and 13% growth in revenues. Yole expects the market to reach $11B in 2012, and grow to a $21 billion market by 2017.

“ST is the leading supplier of MEMS sensors for consumer and portable applications, with a leading foothold across all of the top-selling mobile platforms, supplying a range of accelerometers, gyroscopes, compasses, combinations of motion sensors in one package, as well as pressure sensors and microphones. But this is only the beginning. There is much more on the horizon and MEMS pico-projectors are just one example of new products that ST is planning to make available for smart phones and tablets,” said Benedetto Vigna, Executive Vice President, General Manager, Analog, MEMS and Sensors Group, STMicroelectronics. “We have also collaborated with Microsoft to develop a motion-and-orientation Human Interface Device sensor solution running on the Windows 8 operating system. In addition to that, we also offer a custom driver for the upcoming Windows 8.”

The recent acquisition of the Israeli start-up company bTendo’s intellectual property will enable ST to accelerate the propagation of embedded miniature projectors in next-generation portable consumer devices.

With more than 2.5 billion motion sensors sold in the market to date, ST’s MEMS sensors have enabled motion-activated user interfaces in a number of popular consumer devices, including smart phones, tablets, personal media players, game consoles, digital still cameras and remotes, making these more accessible and appealing to people. ST’s MEMS are also widely used for free-fall protection in laptop hard-disk drives, for implantable devices and many other healthcare products, and for car infotainment and enhanced navigation. In addition, ST is in development with customers on automotive MEMS devices for applications such as airbags and tire pressure monitors.

The SEMICON Taiwan 2012 MEMS Forum will take place on Thursday, September 6, 2012, at Room 401, 4F, TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall, Taipei, Taiwan from 9 AM to 5 PM.