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Apple's iPhone ushered in the era of the mobile Internet, and iPhone was made by the application of a variety of innovative technology hardware, including MEMS.

The original iPhone in 2007 used MEMS microphones, MEMS accelerometers and other devices to enable mobile phones to achieve various intelligent operations for the first time. In 2010, iPhone 4 used MEMS three-axis gyroscopes for the first time, allowing us to flip or run mobile phone control programs. The AirPods, Apple's TWS headset in 2016, is not only equipped with an MEMS microphone that provides pick-up, noise reduction, voice commands and adaptive equalization, but also an infrared sensor and a motion accelerometer that allows headphones to learn to monitor people's wearing status. So what are the chances of a domestic MEMS in the iPhone, which has created Apple's market capitalization of more than $2 trillion?

Most people may not know that MEMS, a low-key industrial product, is not only recognized by the scientific and technological community as one of the most potential research areas, but also one of the indicators to measure the core competitiveness of industrial countries, and is regarded by people in the industry as "an industry that can never be done in a lifetime."

As a revolutionary key technology everywhere, MEMS has penetrated into every aspect of our lives, covering almost all products that need to be miniaturized. Apple, Huawei, Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO and other consumer electronics brands are inseparable from MEMS technology.

Machinery and microelectronics in 1959, physicist Richard Feynman boldly conceived an atomic-scale industrial world in his speech "there is boundless space in the micro world" at the California Institute of Technology, and people could even swallow "surgeon robots" to remove arterial thrombosis or eliminate tumors. [1]

Today, this idea is no longer science fiction, MEMS is a micro machine many times smaller than the diameter of human hair, it is like cells, building a microscopic world of artificial intelligence [2]. For example, swallowing MEMS diagnostic pills to detect physical indicators in vivo and transmitting them wirelessly to patients in vitro [3], and for example, using MEMS to operate on cells [4]. It can be said that MEMS can help us do what we can do in the macro world.

The full name of MEMS is "Micro-Electro-Mechanical system" (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System), also known as micro-system technology, micro-machinery and so on. It is an integrated micro-device system composed of micro-sensor, micro-actuator, signal processing and control circuit, communication interface and power supply. The system can perform sensing, control and driving operations individually or in batches on the micro scale, and realize various functions on the macro scale.

With the development of technology, scientists put forward the concept of nano-electromechanical system NEMS (Nano-Electro-Mechanical System). Because they have the same structure and belong to the same domain, MEMS refers to MEMS / NEMS in the following text.

MEMS is the crystallization of the most advanced mechanical technology and the most advanced microelectronic technology. It is a kind of technology whose structure is biased towards machinery and microelectronics, and has the advantages of miniaturization, low cost, high efficiency and mass production, which is also its most commercial value: on the one hand, MEMS will use many microscopic simulation elements (similar to the macroscopic mechanical parts we often see), and make up active and tiny devices, such as channels, holes, cantilevers, membranes, cavities, etc. [5] On the other hand, it can make micro-mechanical structure on the chip through micro-nanotechnology, so it can be produced in large quantities with low production cost. [6]

When the mechanical society perceives and moves MEMS is a device that can communicate with nature, perceive the environmental parameters of chemical, electrical, mechanical, thermal, radiation and magnetic fields, and then respond accordingly.

Energy domain concerned by ▲ MEMS sensor, tabulation (fruit shell hard science and technology)

Source: Nanoscale Research Letters [7]

Perception and motion are the two characteristics of MEMS, which can be divided into two categories: MEMS sensor and MEMS actuator. Both functions are to convert the signal or power from one energy domain to another, the sensor converts the environmental signal into electrical signal, and the actuator converts the electrical signal into mechanical motion, both of which complement each other.

Main types of ▲ MEMS sensors and drivers, tabulation (fruit shell hard technology)

Source of information and Lin Weina's prospectus [8]

MEMS sensor is known as "electricity five functions". If processors are compared to the human brain and communications to the nervous system, MEMS sensors are the facial senses and skin, sensing the presence and intensity of physical, chemical, or biomass. The mechanism is that the polymer deposited on the sensing layer of the equipment absorbs specific chemicals, resulting in changes in stress, mass, electrical or mechanical properties, which are finally detected by MEMS using piezoresistive, capacitive or optical sensing mechanisms. It should be emphasized that the MEMS sensor is an upgraded version of the traditional sensor with smaller size, lower power consumption and better performance.

MEMS actuators are equivalent to human limbs and can perform a variety of microoperations and movements, such as micromotors, microswitches, microthrusters, micropumps and microvalves. The mechanism is that electrothermal, electromagnetic, electrostatic or piezoelectric driving mechanisms are used to make the device produce microstructure motion. [7]

▲ MEMS driving and sensing technology and characteristics, tabulation (fruit shell hard technology)

Source: Nanoscale Research Letters [7]

MEMS process flow includes R & D design (chip design, process design, electromechanical and structural design, design verification, etc.), wafer fabrication (fused ion diffusion, thin film deposition PVD / CVD, lithography, dry etching, wet etching, etc.), package testing, which seems to be the same as integrated circuits, but is actually more difficult than integrated circuits. From integrated circuit to MEMS, it is the change from planar process to three-dimensional process, circuit static structure to mechanical movable structure, semiconductor to mechanical / chemical / optics and so on, and the application environment of electronic products to all kinds of natural or man-made environment.

Comparison of ▲ MEMS process and IC process, tabulation, fruit shell hard technology

MEMS substrate material (supporting material) silicon is the mainstream, some special applications will use glass, polymer, metal and so on, titanium dioxide (TiO2), tin dioxide (SnO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) and other metal oxides have gradually become attractive materials. [9]

According to the material, the processing technology is divided into two routes: Silicon-based and non-silicon-based. Silicon-based MEMS processing technology is based on integrated circuit processing technology and has the advantages of batch, low cost and high integration; non-silicon-based processing technology includes LIGA, quasi-LIGA (X-ray synchrotron radiation lithography, electroforming and injection molding) and precision machining technology, and the movable microstructure realized by non-silicon-based processing technology can have larger longitudinal size, but poor batch capacity, poor repeatability and high processing cost. [10] [11]

▲ MEMS manufacturing process incomplete inventory, tabulation (fruit shell hard science and technology)

Although MEMS is good everywhere, it is not easy for developers to say that they love it: on the one hand, it has the characteristics of "one product, one process". There are great differences in the design, manufacture, packaging and testing methods of each device, so it is difficult for the market to form standardization. Only mature products can show a certain degree of concentration [12]. On the other hand, it takes 6 to 8 years to develop a sensor to do MEMS. In addition, it takes nearly 20 years to test and introduce the industrial chain. In addition, the common fault of MEMS and integrated circuit industry is that the price is not proportional to the importance of the product. [13]

Only when there is an application will there be a market. In fact, MEMS is still a post-90s generation, its commercial history is only more than 30 years, and the industry has just entered a mature period. From the history of research and development of MEMS, it is a process from structural research to material research.

Historical development characteristics of ▲ MEMS technology, tabulation (fruit shell hard science and technology)

MEMS will be accompanied by the technological development of electronics, machinery, materials, information, physics, chemistry, optics and biomedicine. At the same time, new devices will be produced when MEMS is combined with different technologies. In this process, some device applications gradually decline, new device applications begin to start, reciprocating cycle, endless.

Throughout the more than 30 years of history, the driving force of new MEMS devices mainly comes from applications, and only when certain devices are used in new products will they lead to large-scale research and production:

The first upsurge of automobile safety from 1990 to 2000

Smart phones triggered the second craze from 2000 to 2010

Smartwatches, TWS headphones and wearable devices dominate the third craze from 2010 to 2020

Applications such as car networking, smart home, smart healthcare, smart city, and the Internet of everything have made the fourth craze ready to start since 2020.

The application stage of ▲ MEMS devices, figure source (Scientific and technological Information reference) [14]

The prospect is good, but the domestic strength is scattered because the production process of MEMS is similar to integrated circuit, so the main player is also integrated circuit enterprise basically. Compared with the hot investment in integrated circuits, the MEMS industry is relatively small, and the high-tech threshold has stopped many startups.

In recent years, the application scenarios of MEMS have gradually increased, and the demand has continued to rise: mainstream smartphones have begun to increase the use of MEMS microphones to 2'4 for speech acquisition, noise cancellation and improved speech recognition; at least 2 MEMS microphones should be used in a single TWS headset for multiple functions such as call, offline wake-up, music control, application opening and noise reduction mode switching. The number of MEMS sensors used in each car has increased to 30 or even hundreds, which can be used to assist autopilot, vehicle detection and other functions.

Driven by application, the market prospect of MEMS is optimistic. Yole predicts that MEMS's global market share will rise from US $12.1 billion in 2020 to US $18.2 billion in 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.17%. Among them, the consumer sector is the largest application market for MEMS, accounting for about 60% of the total income, followed by automotive, industrial, medical, aerospace and communications. [15]

▲ MEMS market situation classified by end market, figure source (Yole)

In terms of devices, MEMS sensors are absolutely the main force, and the global market size is expected to increase from US $9 billion in 2020 to US $12.8 billion in 2026, with an average annual compound growth rate of 6.1%. Among them, pressure sensors and inertial combination sensors have great potential, and the global market size will reach US $2.36 billion and US $2.13 billion respectively by 2026, followed by acoustic sensors (MEMS microphones), acceleration sensors, gyroscope sensors and so on. The growth momentum of MEMS RF devices is fierce, and there will be a global market space of US $4.05 billion by 2026. Inkjet printheads, miniature bolometers, optical sensors and silicon-based microfluidic devices will continue to grow. [15]

▲ MEMS market situation classified by device type, Tu Yuan GE GE Microelectronics prospectus [16]

From the perspective of the field, the four major areas of consumption, automobile, industry and medical treatment all have certain market prospects, but the growth rate is different. Internet of things, smart health care, and smart city are the main driving forces of MEMS.

Global MEMS market situation classified by ▲ in different fields, tabulation (fruit shell hard technology)

Source: Yole

At present, the MEMS market is dominated by foreign manufacturers, and the top MEMS manufacturers include Bosch, Broadcom, Qorvo, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, Golfei, Hewlett-Packard, Lou, TDK, Infineon and so on. Domestic MEMS companies are the pursuers, and Golmud (MEMS microphone), AAC Technology (MEMS microphone) and Gaud Infrared (infrared sensor) are among the top 30 companies in the global market in 2020. [15]

Divided by segment, Lou Shi, AAC and Golfei, which account for 75% of the global market share, are Bosch, Tyco and Infineon, which account for 57% of the global market share. Bosch, Italian and French semiconductors and TDK occupy 76% of the global market share in MEMS inertial combination sensors. [16]

▲ global MEMS manufacturer TOP10, Gore Microelectronics prospectus [16]

In China, the market potential of MEMS is huge. According to Sadie consultants, from 2020 to 2030, the size of the domestic MEMS market will increase from 73.67 billion yuan to more than 120 billion yuan. [17]

China's MEMS started not much later than abroad, but due to historical reasons led to scattered power, fragmentation, serious lack of investment [13], the industry did not take shape until before 2010 [18], only from the MEMS sensor, there is still a large gap, more than 90% of the chips and high-end sensor chips need to be imported from abroad, resulting in a straight rise in prices, and less than 20% in the product structure layout of MEMS. [19]

However, fortunately, China has formed a better enterprise resources, innovation resources and carrier platform, and has at least 37 MEMS production lines [20], the development potential is sufficient.

▲ China MEMS Industry Resource Distribution, Picture Source-Sadie consultant [17]

From the perspective of the secondary market, domestic MEMS has a complete industrial chain of R & D and design, equipment materials, wafer manufacturing, packaging and testing, integrated applications, as well as a rich variety of devices.

▲ China MEMS major listed companies basic information, data sources (prospective Economist [21]

Domestic MEMS investment and merger also continue to be active, with 116 related cases in 2020, with a sum of 34.7 billion [22]. Round An is the main investment in the project, and the closer the perceptual technology is to the application layer, the more it can attract investors, and the larger the project valuation and the amount of investment. From the perspective of investment projects, capital is more optimistic about applications in the fields of biology, machine vision, autopilot and voice interaction. [23]

▲ 2020 domestic MEMS investment and financing events in various areas and the proportion of investment amount, figure source, Sadie consultant [23]

▲ 2020 domestic MEMS investment and financing situation and distribution, figure source-Sadie consultant [23]

▲ unlisted MEMS enterprises incomplete statistics, tabulation (fruit shell hard technology)

Reference materials? Guotai Junan industry observation, deleted and revised [13]

How should the pursuer go? as the pursuer, how should the domestic manufacturers go? The fruit shell hard technology team believes that there are four key points:

1. Domestic MEMS needs to pay attention to industrial centralization. According to the number of MEMS patents in 2020, the United States accounts for 32% of the total global MEMS patent applications, taking the lead. Although China also has 13%, the applicants are mainly universities and scientific research institutions, and there is a certain gap in product industrialization [24]. In addition, the MEMS industry itself is relatively scattered, the domestic is not only lack of systematization, and even place too much hope on short-term profits. [25]

Therefore, domestic MEMS should pay attention to industrialization and centralization in the future, including:

Combination of industry and research: technology is a key point that limits the development of MEMS enterprises. By incubating scientific research institutes or high-tech enterprises, we can provide necessary policies, financial support and MEMS production equipment support to these enterprises, and quickly transform technology into mature products through software and hardware.

Industrial cooperation: the market is another key point that limits the development of MEMS enterprises. MEMS products have a low unit price and a long cycle from R & D to listing, which requires a huge scale to make a profit. If we can form a close strategic cooperation with downstream customers, we can not only provide a stable market, but also fully understand the needs of downstream customers.

Development path: first cooperate with foreign enterprises, introduce MEMS products and technologies with market prospects or buy foreign MEMS self-closed testing, and then independently design and manufacture low-end MEMS for domestic substitution, accumulate technology and market, gradually break through technology and enter the high-end market, and finally continue to annex small and medium-sized enterprises, and copy this experience to other MEMS products. Domestic Golmud and AAC both develop and grow through this model. [26]

two。 Seizing the golden period of the downward cycle of the existing market, consumer electronics will still be the main battlefield of MEMS, but the trend shown in the industry is that consumer electronics demand is poor, and the industry as a whole is entering a downward cycle, which will lead MEMS into the consolidation period. (for details, please refer to the article "Semiconductor running enters the era of Big surplus" by Fruit Shell hard Technology.) at this time, it will be a golden acquisition period for enterprises that have joined MEMS and have accumulated technology, and they can seize this opportunity to make use of the acquisition to quickly enhance their competitiveness. [26]

In addition, during the decline of consumer electronics, new markets in the automotive and medical sectors are more worthy of exploration. In terms of automobile, the short-term demand for new sensors such as lidar, image recognition, active braking, tire pressure and so on will continue to increase [27]. In medical treatment, microfluidic MEMS for nursing points, micro-bolometer for monitoring human body temperature, and piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) for medical imaging will be the new world of MEMS. [28]

3. The key to reduce cost and increase efficiency is contract manufacturing for the MEMS industry, the problem that can not be solved is that the market scale is expanding, but single devices are getting cheaper and cheaper. For downstream manufacturers, MEMS is used to be cheap [29]. MEMS package testing accounts for 30% to 70% of the total cost, so for domestic MEMS manufacturers, if they want to make money, they must first reduce manufacturing costs.

Most foreign MEMS enterprises are IDM mode (Integrated Device Manufacturer, which refers to vertically integrated companies from design, manufacturing, packaging, testing to sales). These enterprises have their own manufacturing capacity. However, in China, it is dominated by the Fabless model (design companies). Although the products designed by these companies are becoming more and more powerful, their manufacturing capacity depends on external contract factories.

What is more difficult is that there is a big gap between the domestic MEMS wafer production capacity and the international advanced level. According to the information of China Electronic Technology Standardization Institute, only the wafer production lines of China Resources Shanghai Advanced Semiconductor, and the production experience can not reach the foreign large-scale production standards, at the same time, there is no unified interface standard for domestic MEMS packaging technology, and the product shapes are very different. [30]

All in all, when manufacturing is no longer a problem, domestic MEMS will become more and more powerful. In addition, domestic manufacturers can offset the impact by adding more additional services, such as providing highly complex software support or AI-enabled sensing solutions.

4. The value of MEMS in the market must be reflected in the application. On the contrary, the application has evolved three times: 2000-2010 is the offline era, the value of sensing and execution is limited to independent actions, such as screen rotation, pedometer, hardware printing; 2010-2020 is the online era, MEMS began to connect with the cloud, such as geolocation, condition monitoring, car navigation and 3D printing. From 2020 to now is the era of life, there is no difference between offline and online, through the built-in machine learning kernel, micro-DSP and the application of artificial intelligence technology, seamless connection between digital and real, such as zero-delay feedback, predictive maintenance, holograms and so on. [29]

In addition to catching up with new materials (such as PZT, aluminum nitride, vanadium oxide) and new packaging (such as 3D wafer level packaging) technology to further reduce cost and increase efficiency, domestic MEMS research and industry should also pay attention to matching with downstream applications to achieve the integration of perception, knowledge and connection.

For MEMS, the most important thing is what he can do. When the application is rolled out, the market will naturally open.

References:

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This article comes from the official account of Wechat: fruit Shell hard Technology (ID:guokr233), author: Fu Bin, Editor: Li Tuo

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