What to expect from the MEMS industry in 2021?

An article written by Dimitrios Damianos and Jérôme Mouly, both from Yole Développement (Yole), for Fierce Electronics – Albert Camus in one of his famous allegorical novels “The Plague” described how the population of a small city became confined and cut off from the external world after a resurgence of a plague epidemic and the effects that it had on peoples’ attitudes. Sounds familiar? During the current pandemic, though, while attitudes have indeed changed, at least people remain (socially) connected on a global scale, despite physical distancing. And for that, technology and digitalization have played the most significant role.

One of those technologies, MEMS, has brought a sensing revolution to consumer markets. MEMS microphones in every smartphone and tablet, together with CMOS image sensors, allow people to see and hear each other everywhere in the world. Initially used to manufacture miniature devices for defense and automotive applications, MEMS are now ubiquitous. Global MEMS sensor revenue was US$11.5 billion in 2019, and Yole Développement (Yole) expects it to reach almost US$17.7 billion in 2025, at a 7.4% CAGR over this period, according to their “Status of the MEMS Industry 2020” report.

The market continues to be driven in 2021, with various trends and applications increasingly gaining momentum. For instance, MEMS-based environmental hubs and gas sensors are becoming ever more sought-after, since people’s perception of their immediate environment has changed. The population cares more about the air they breathe, both inside houses but also outside due to pollution. Furthermore, it is believed1 that aerosol transmission, as monitored by exhaled CO2, is associated with the spread of COVID-19, which makes gas sensors ever more relevant in the current context… Full article