MEMS are nearly recession proof

DESPITE the slowdown, sales of MEMS microphone components are set to grow like topsy according to Isuppli.

A micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) microphone is a pressure-sensitive diaphragm etched directly onto a silicon chip. The chip comes with an integrated preamplifier and digital analog-to-digital converter onboard.

MEMS microphones outperform conventional microphones in terms of size, scalability, and sound quality. As a result they have thrived during the recession thanks to their strong acceptance in handsets.

Isuppli forecasted that worldwide MEMS microphone shipments are set to reach 1.1 billion units in 2013, increasing from 328.5 million in 2008. There was a slight deceleration in shipment growth and a revenue decline in 2009, but this was just a blip in an otherwise meteoric rise, Isuppli said.

After five years of double-digit growth, MEMS microphone shipments are set to rise by only 7.5 per cent in 2009 and global revenues will drop to $132.4 million in 2009, down 2.4 per cent from $135.7 million in 2008.

Things must be going well for the technology if a 7.5 percent growth is seen as a dip. Even then, Isuppli said that the problems mirrored that of the technology's early adopter Motorola which stuck them in its Razr handsets. As Motorola shipments fell so did sales of MEMS microphones.

MEMS microphones are becoming less expensive as the volume increases. Software for things like noise cancellation and beam forming for directional microphones using MEMS are pushing their acceptance.

They have been finding their way into notebooks and their penetration in mobile phones has been increasing, Isuppli noted.

It is still price that's holding the technology back. MEMS microphones continue to face competition from older electret condenser microphones, which are much cheaper.

However new suppliers like Epcos and Bosch are entering the market and with mass supply likely soon the industry is going to grow fast, Isuppli predicted. µ