MEMS Pressure Sensors - Technology and Market Trends 2021

Scope of this report 6

Methodologies and definitions 9

Companies cited in this report 12

What we got right, what we got wrong 13

3-page summary 17

Executive summary 21

Context 55

• Evolution of MEMS sensors
• Introduction to pressure sensors

• Pressure MEMS markets and applications covered
• Pressure sensor technologies

Market forecasts 73

• Global MEMS market forecast and the position of pressure MEMS
• Market forecast split by end-market (units, ASP, $M value)
• Market forecast split by sensor type ($M)
• Automotive market forecasts
• Outlook for powertrain pressure MEMS
• Scenarios for powertrain pressure MEMS in the long term
• Consumer market
• Industrial market
• Medical market
• Defense and aerospace market

Market trends 96

• Automotive market
• Electrification and diesel reduction trend
• xEV classification
• Where are pressure MEMS needed in the car?
• Vehicle production
• Increasing number of sensors
• Green mobility and autonomy require better pressure sensors
• Safety issues associated with Li-ion batteries
• Thermal runaway
• TPMS legislation
• Chinese TPMS companies getting in the ring
• TPMS opportunities beyond integration in new cars
• More data fed to telematics
• Consumer market
• Consumer main end system trends
• Wearable market trends
• Pressure sensor for consumer
• Waterproof pressure MEMS for consumer applications
• E-cigarettes market trends
• Industrial market
• Industrial MEMS pressure sensor market
• Smart metering for water/gas
• Medical market
• MEMS Pressure sensors for medical market
• Pressure sensors – where and for what?
• Pressure sensors application trends: blood pressure
• Huge impact of COVID-19 on ventilators
• Defense and Aerospace
• Numerous sensors aboard an aircraft
• The role of pressure sensors on an aircraft
• Defense and aerospace end-system trends

Market shares and supply chain 149

• Past acquisitions
• MEMS players’ business model diversity
• Top MEMS players
• MEMS pressure sensor competitive landscape by market
• Player ranking by end market in 2020
• Geography breakdown
• Pressure sensor ecosystem
• Business impact on vehicle electrification
• Stronger electrification required to meet CO2 targets – what is the impact on Tier 1 businesses?
• Automotive Tier 1 business evolution
• Pressure MEMS manufacturers companies and future automotive strategies
• Conclusions

Technology trends 172

• Pressure sensors technology penetration
• Pressure sensor types and technologies
• Technology trends: Merit, Infineon
• Technology trends: by end-market
• Resistance to harsh media
• From analog to digital automotive pressure sensors?
• Intelligent tires and intelligent TPMS

Outlook 194

• Pressure MEMS market dynamics
• General conclusions

Yole Group of Companies presentation 197

THE AUTOMOTIVE MARKET IS STILL DRIVING REVENUES FOR PRESSURE MEMS – BUT FOR HOW LONG?

Pressure sensors are widely used throughout the industry across numerous applications. In the last couple of decades, automotive has been one of the main sectors to drive demand for these devices. The development of new systems in conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, as well as hybrid electric vehicles, is demanding complex control systems.

Many different sensing technologies have been used so far for measuring pressure in automotive, industrial, defense & aerospace and other harsh environments. Examples include strain gauges on metal substrates, plus capacitive and piezoresistive sensors using ceramic materials that are used to sense pressures of several tens or hundreds of bars. But for pressure levels below the 5-10 bar mark their sensing elements become relatively big and expensive. This is where MEMS pressure sensors have strongly penetrated.

The global pressure MEMS market amounted to $1,685M in 2019, expected to slightly drop to $1,645M in 2020 due to COVID-19 ebbs and flows. By 2026, the whole market is expected to grow to $2,214M, at a 4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR2019-2026).

During recent years, miniaturization, low power, and cost effectiveness have allowed the consumer market to grow significantly, mainly due to the use of pressure MEMS barometers and altimeters in smartphones, drones, e-cigarettes and consumer white goods. This technology will continue gaining traction by other use-cases, such as 911 e-calls now that all US smartphones must integrate a pressure sensor, for exact altitude positioning, higher attachment rate in smartphones, wearables applications and e-cigarettes.

In medical applications, miniaturization of pressure MEMS has allowed their use in invasive applications like blood pressure monitoring. Other niche markets like catheters, inflating device monitoring for cardiovascular applications that are invasive and require high accuracy, lowcost sensors, are fully using the advantages of MEMS technologies and could foster broader use in the medical market.

The industrial market is also interesting to follow. Because we are at the verge of Industry 4.0 and factory automation, process control and smart meters could present good growth opportunities.
Defense & aerospace pressure MEMS comprise less than 5% of the total pressure MEMS market, growing only slowly and gradually replacing older technologies.
Finally, in the automotive market pressure MEMS continue to grow thanks to the evolution towards greener driving and increased autonomy

levels that demand enhanced safety. Tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) and China 6 regulations will cause the Diesel and Gasoline Particulate Filter (DPF/GPF), Evaporative Emissions Control Systems (EVAP), Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and TPMS applications to grow in the future. However, one risk is imminent. The recent acceleration of battery Electric Vehicles (EV) could mean the slowdown of pressure sensors in the traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) powertrain. But new applications could emerge, such as thermal runaway monitoring in battery cells, promising significant growth.
For the moment and in the next 5-10 years to come at least, powertrain pressure MEMS will keep growing modestly. However, the big question arises is what happens beyond the next decade as the classic ICE powertrain dies.

THE POSITIONS OF THE MAIN STAKEHOLDERS AND THE START OF CONSOLIDATION

Pressure MEMS, being a historically stable market, has not experienced any dramatic changes in its player landscape, besides some recent mergers and acquisitions. In the past two years big players like Amphenol and TE Connectivity were hungry to strengthen their pressure MEMS portfolios and synergies.

Today’s top three pressure MEMS players – Bosch, TE Connectivity and Infineon – are already well established and technologically advanced, operating with large economies of scale. They occupy almost half of the $1,645M total market. Bosch and Infineon were consistently leaders in the past. Bosch has a strong presence in the automotive and consumer market, and Infineon is mainly in the automotive market. TE Connectivity has climbed up the rankings due to the acquisitions of SMI and First Sensor, acquiring significant capabilities for pressure MEMS in medical and industrial markets. Now TE Connectivity has a diversified portfolio.

Furthermore, there hasn’t been any significant funding of new pressure MEMS companies in the last years. This is reasonable, since pressure is a traditional MEMS device that has existed for over 30 years, and MEMS has high entry barriers in terms of capital and technology for newcomers. One wonders if the consolidation of such an established market will continue and smaller players will keep getting acquired by big conglomerates.

PLAYERS’ POSSIBLE DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGIES IN PREPARATION OF THE PRESSURE-LESS AUTOMOTIVE WORLD OF THE FUTURE

The pressure MEMS industry might grow only modestly in the next five years. However, it is at the brink of an imminent decline due to the disappearance of automotive pressure MEMS in ICE powertrains. For the moment, the proliferation of hybrid vehicles that have both ICE and electric powertrains, is not a threat but a sweet spot. Pressure MEMS will still be needed for hybrid EVs, due to the presence of the classic ICE.
But beyond 10 years the pure EV will start winning over hybrid and ICE vehicles, which could become a problem for pressure sensor manufacturers.
There is a risk of more than 100 million units of powertrain pressure MEMS disappearing annually in 10-15 years’ time. Although this wall is further ahead, manufacturers and main stakeholders active in this domain have a few years ahead of them in order to assess the situation and react. Therefore, decisions must be taken soon. Will companies target new markets away from automotive? Or will they look for new applications and novel use-cases? Will they redirect strategy towards other types of sensors? Or will they make acquisitions, leading to market and power consolidation?

Alps Alpine, Altria, Amphenol, APM, Autochips, Baolong, BAT, BMW,  Bosch, CF Sensor, Continental, Danfoss, Delphi, Denso, SMI (Elmos), First Sensor, Fuji Electric, GE Druck, Goertek, Hamilton Medical, Hiway, Honeywell, Infineon, Invensense, JTI, Juul, Kistler, Keller, Kulite, Medtronic, Meggit, Melexis, Memscap, MEMSensing Microsystems, Merit Sensor, Merit Medical, MT Microsystems, Murata, Nano-MEMS, Navinfo, Nextnav, NXP, OMB Warehouse, Omron, Onkar, Panasonic, Philip Morris International, Philips Healthcare, QST, Rohm, Schraeder, Senasic, Sensata, Sensirion, ShuangQiao Sensors, STMicroelectronics, Syrik, TDK, TE Connectivity, Teledyne, Tesla, Tire Safeguard, Thales,  Toyota, TPMS Warehouse,Visture, Volkswagen, X-Fab, and more.

Objectives of the report:

This report is an update of Yole’s “MEMS Pressure Sensors” report. This edition is an updated version with some minor revamping of historical volumes/ASP/market sizes. The analysis and market consolidation/forecasts were done during March 2021 using Yole’s database, with the effect and hypotheses regarding covid-19 recovery and other market dynamics,
up to that date. Therefore, the data that you will find in this report is the best available data, to date.
This report summarizes the status of the MEMS pressure sensor industry in a thorough manner, taking into account the trends for each application and market separately.
Focus of this version is green mobility and electrification, that has significant implications for the future of MEMS pressure sensors.