Get a unique global and in-depth view of the SILICON MICROPHONE Market:
- Elaborate business strategies per application and market described
- Build your competitive positioning thanks to the exhaustive and detailed competitive analysis
- Estimate silicon microphone market business attractiveness given the technical and business challenges
First signs of MEMS microphone massive introduction
MEMS microphones are already widely used in mobile phones. For example, Knowles SiSonic is in use in more than 20 mobile phone models from handset manufacturers worldwide. The company has announced over 300 million units shipped in mid 2006.
This attractiveness for MEMS microphones started in 2003 when Motorola introduced the exceptionally thin RAZR. MEMS microphones enabled these thin profiles thanks to bottom-port microphones. Designers benefited from the very low component height by using them on the front-side of the PCB.
MEMS microphone advantages
The development of the MEMS microphone business is the results of the numerous benefits of this technology vs. the traditional ECM microphones for handset applications. MEMS microphones were the first to be directly solderable by reflow process for example. ECM manufacturers answered within less than three years with ECMs featuring equivalent capability. The additional advantages, such as the immunity to EM and RFI interference beings significant, benefit the handset industry, but it is expected to be much more valuable for other applications such as integration into notebooks and automotive applications.
20+ MEMS microphone manufacturers
Yole Developpement’s latest report “Silicon microphone market 2007 » features 8 MEMS microphone players currently in production (or sampling).
The MEMS microphone manufacturers have definitely emerged in 3 waves
- 2003: Knowles Acoustics
- Mid 2005 – mid 2006: SonionMEMS, Akustica and MEMStech started to tackle the leadership of Knowles
- End 2006 - mid 2007: 4 new players entered Infineon, Panasonic, Yamaha and Omron
The presence of the last 4 players is setting new rules for the industry. Yole forecasts a consolidation of the market in 2008 – 2009. It will strongly impact the ability of the other 12 players still in development to enter the market successfully. As the industry becomes more competitive, the right IP and the technical choices are key to achieve performance and cost challenges.
To provide this in depth technological overview of the industry, Yole’s report include a detailed company profiles describing all development efforts and product features: design, process, partnership and company strategy.
MEMS market opportunity
The MEMS microphone market is estimated to have reached 117M$ in 2006. The 2005-2006 periods has shown a 90% volume increase. As Yole forecasts a 43% volume CAGR over the 2006 - 2011 period, the MEMS microphone opportunity is clearly one of the fastest growing applications within the MEMS industry.
Yole forecasts a slowdown of the market value by 2011 due to very strong price pressure. It highlights a key question not often answered by the companies: is the market large enough to make margin?
- Price pressure is extremely high due to the maturity of the handset industry and the very cheap well established ECM technology
- Competitors start to be numerous
- Considerable investment is required for these complex acoustic devices.
With the silicon microphone industry now riding its 3rd wave, this report give inputs predicting how big and how dangerous will be the fourth one!
Description of the report
This report gives an accurate segmentation of the market potential of Silicon Microphones. It investigates the advances of the silicon microphones penetration across five fields: Telecom, Consumer electronics, Medical, Automotive and Security.
It analyses each application in details using the following criteria:
- Description of the application and the benefit of Silicon Microphones
- Function and specification requirements for Silicon Microphones
- Description of the market drivers and the integrators
- Analysis of the competitive technologies and players
- Analysis of the Silicon Microphones market
- Evaluation of market volume, average selling price, and market value on the 2006-2011 period
- Major players market share and potential new entrants
- Analysis of the technical and business trends
The report provides over 20 detailed company profiles (in production, sampling or still in development). Each profile analysis deeply the activity of silicon microphone company: products, technology, processes, R&D works and main patents…
Finally the main challenges facing the MEMS microphone industry are discussed:
- Product introduction roadmap
- Player development status mapping
- Business model comparison
- Evolution of the ECM competition
- Technology winners: monolithic vs. several chip solution? Analog vs. Digital?
- Key drivers of microphone and handset manufacturers relationship
- From microphone device to microphone module
This report not only describes the market at the players and applications level, but it provides a global view of the MEMS microphone market allowing to build diversification strategies taking into account the technical requirements.
Companies in the report
AAC, Akustica, Analog Devices, Auxitrol, BSE, Changzhou Tongda-WK Electronic, Dover Electronics, Draper Laboratory, Fujitsu, GN Resound, Hosiden, Infineon, INN, Intensity Electronic, Tachima Tech Corp, Kenwood, Knowles acoustics, Memscap, MEMStech, Microflown, Motorola, NASA, NCT, Neonode, NHK, Nokia, NXP, Omron, Panasonic, Panasonic Mobile Communication, Phone-OR, QinetiQ, Ricoh, Ringford Product Ltd, Samsung, Shenzhen Horn Eletroacoustic Technology, Siemens, Siemens Hearing, SonionMEMS, SPK Electronics, Toshiba, Transound Electronics, VTT Electronics, Wolfson, Yamaha…
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A sustainable market for 15+ silicon microphone manufacturers?