Recently, Yole Development, a world-renowned semiconductor industry consulting agency, released the latest report "The Current Situation of MEMS Industry 2022", which disclosed the details of the global MEMS wafer foundry business in 2021.
Among the world's major MEMS wafer foundries, Sweden Silex Microsystems AB, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Sai Microelectronics, ranked first with sales of US$126 million, an increase of 20% over the previous year. This is the third consecutive year that Silex ranked first in the world after 2019 and 2020.
In addition, Teledyne DALSA ranks second with US$100 million in sales, and Silex and Teledyne are the two largest pure MEMS wafer foundries in the world. TSMC replaced Sony , becoming the third largest MEMS wafer foundry, and is the largest MEMS foundry among traditional integrated wafer factories . The largest MEMS wafer foundry in the United States is ranked 6th.
Global MEMS fabs are ambitious for the future. TSMC and Saiwei Electronics both plan to build a new 12-inch MEMS fab. global MEMS sensor leader Bosch is expected to achieve mass production of 12-inch MEMS wafers by 2026. Bosch's MEMS wafer sales in 2021 will increase by 117%!
What is the global MEMS wafer production line? Which production lines have entered the list of the world's largest MEMS production lines?
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MEMS industry development and wafer foundry
According to Yole data, The global MEMS industry is experiencing an unprecedented period of growth, reaching a market size of US$13.5 billion ($13.5B) in 2021. , increased by 210% year-on-year in 2019-2020, and then, 17% year-on-year in 2020-2021.
According to Yole's forecast, global MEMS market will exceed the US$22 billion ($22B) mark in five years. 
021-2027, the global MEMS market size of will grow from US$13.6 billion to US$22.3 billion, with a compound growth rate of 9%.
According to the MEMS terminal application market, the consumer electronics, industry, communications, automobiles, medical care, national defense and aerospace markets will continue to grow, with the compound growth rate except medical care all higher than 5%. , the compound growth rate of the communications market is as high as 25%, and the compound growth rate of automobiles and defense and aerospace is 10%.
▲Source: Yole, Saiwei Electronics
For MEMS sensors, the MEMS wafer manufacturing process is crucial, and MEMS design often includes manufacturing process development. The mature MEMS wafer manufacturing process will help sensor companies to quickly mass production and reduce design costs.
In general, MEMS foundry factory can be roughly divided into four types of : 1. Provide MEMS foundry services to silicon wafer foundry factory; 2. MEMS foundry factory of OEM suppliers; 3. MEMS foundry factory of IDM; 4. Pure MEMS foundry factory.
Although the independent MEMS foundry is growing rapidly, MEMS products are rich in types and functions, and the process development process shows the characteristics of "one type of product, one manufacturing process". MEMS chips or devices have obvious personal characteristics. Except for the same silicon material, there is no completely standard process between different MEMS products. Therefore, IDM foundry in is still in the market leader.
Compared with world-class MEMS wafer fabs, local MEMS wafer fabs in mainland China still have many problems such as immature processes and few design tool libraries. No one has entered the list of MEMS wafer foundry sales, and there is still huge room for improvement in the local MEMS wafer fab industry in mainland China. For the local MEMS production line in mainland China, please refer to "Added 3 new 12-inch MEMS production lines! Inventory of 40 major sensor chip production lines in China (Latest and most complete)”.
▲Source: Yole, Saiwei Electronics
021 Global TOP 15 MEMS wafer foundry situation
, Silex Microsystems AB
021 MEMS OEM sales: US$126 million
MEMS OEM sales in 2020: US$100 million
MEMS OEM sales growth: +20%
Ranking rise: 0
Silex Microsystems AB is located in Jarfalla, Sweden. is a pure MEMS foundry . Its sales increased by 20% in 2021, ranking first. This is the third consecutive year that Silex ranks first in the world for three consecutive years after 2019 and 2020.
Silex is now a subsidiary of China Saiwei Electronics. On July 13, 2015, Saiwei Electronics (at that time, Navi Technology ) acquired 98% of Silex's shares through its Hong Kong investment holding company GAE Ltd. The major shareholders of Silex: CapMan, Priveq, Northzone and Startupfactory agreed to sell all the shares they hold. Silex officially became a MEMS semiconductor company controlled by , a Chinese private enterprise. After
Sai Microelectronics acquired holdings in Silex, built an 8-inch MEMS production line (Beijing FAB3) in Beijing to expand the company's production capacity. In June 2021, the first phase of FAB3 in Beijing is completed and put into production. Currently, the monthly production is about 5,000 pieces, and it is still in the capacity climbing stage. The second and third phases of FAB3 are underway. After all, the total production capacity of FAB3 is expected to reach 30,000 pieces per month.
Silex's advantage lies in the use of its own through-silicon (TSV) technology. Silex also uses lead zirconium titanate as a piezoelectric material for new applications such as energy harvesting.
news shows that Saiwei Electronics signed a "Cooperation Framework Agreement" with the Hefei Hi-Tech Zone Management Committee on January 1, 2022, and plans to invest in the construction of a 12-inch MEMS manufacturing line project in Hefei Hi-Tech Zone . The total investment of is 5.1 billion yuan. It plans to build a 12-inch MEMS production line with a designed production capacity of 20,000 pieces per month. It is expected that the annual income will be achieved after full production. It will be one of China's larger 12-inch MEMS production lines.
, Teledyne MEMS
021 MEMS OEM sales: US$100 million
020 MEMS OEM sales: US$84 million
MEMS OEM sales growth: +20%
ranking rise: 0
Teledyne MEMS is Teledyne DALSA is currently the second largest pure MEMS foundry in the world, with sales of in 2021 increasing by 20%. Before this, it has been the top 1 in the world, surpassing by Silex in 2019. Thanks to the Chinese market it acquired by Silex after it was acquired by Silex, its MEMS OEM share has increased.
Teledyne DALSA formerly known as DALSA Corporation, is a Canadian company specializing in the design and manufacturing of professional electronic imaging components (image sensors, cameras, image acquisition cards, imaging software), as well as professional semiconductor manufacturing (MEMS, high voltage ASIC). Teledyne DALSA is part of Teledyne Imaging Group, an imaging company owned by Teledyne.
, TSMC (TSMC)
021 MEMS OEM sales: US$87 million
20 MEMS foundry sales in 20 years: US$63 million
MEMS foundry sales growth: +38%
ranking rise: +1
TSNC (TSMC) is the world's number one wafer foundry factory, TSMC is not only the world's top wafer foundry TOP 1. Its MEMS foundry business is also ranked among the top 3 in the world. MEMS foundry sales surpassed the image sensor giant Sony. In 2021, TSMC's MEMS business grew by 38%.
TSMC has the world's advanced MEMS process technology and launched the world's first sensor SoC process technology in 2011. This technology creates monolithic MEMS by integrating TSMC's CMOS and wafer stacking technology.
TSMC sensor SoC technology has a process ranging from 0.5μm to 0.11μm, and supports applications such as G-Sensors, gyroscopes, MEMS microphones, pressure gauges, microfluidics and biological gene chips.
TSMC established the Piezo technology test line in 2017 to help customers design and develop micro speakers, microphones, ultrasonic sensors and various types of actuators for medical and health applications. Piezoelectric technology is a new field of MEMS and has great development potential. New piezoelectric film materials have been pre-qualified so customers can focus on product design and architecture to achieve the best time to market.
, X FAB
021 MEMS OEM sales: US$66 million
2020 MEMS OEM sales: US$44 million
MEMS OEMS OEM Sales Growth: +48%
Ranking Rises: +1
X-Fab is a German company with headquarters in Erfurt, mainly OEMS production of analog and mixed signal integrated circuits, as well as high-voltage application MEMS solutions. Germany is one of the world's largest sensor countries. Germany's Bosch (BOSCH) is one of the two world's largest MEMS giants. Thanks to its excellent market, X-Fab has become the world's top 4 MEMS foundry, and X-Fab's MEMS business grew by 48% in 2021.
In 2011, X-FAB Group acquired shares of GmbH, a MEMS manufacturer in Itzehoe, Germany, a spin-off company of the Fraunhof Institute of Silicon Technology (ISIT). This became X-FAB's dedicated MEMS foundry in Itzehoe.
, SONY
021 MEMS OEM sales: US$63 million
2020 MEMS OEM sales: US$63 million 2020 MEMS OEM sales: US$63 million html l2
MEMS OEMS sales growth: 0%
ranking rise: -2
SONY Sony is one of the world's most well-known consumer electronics giants, the global image sensor giant, affected by the weak performance of consumer electronics products , Sony's MEMS business has not grown in the past year, so it was surpassed by TSMC and X-FAB.
Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Company uses its rich experience in manufacturing MEMS and semiconductor technology processing to provide a wide range of MEMS foundry services, including wafer process development (development, engineering samples, small-batch to large-scale production), batch processes available in batch processes (including SOI), surface processes, and semiconductor processes. The MEMS production line is located in Kagoshima, Japan.
, ATOMICA (IMT)
021 MEMS OEM sales: US$30 million
l4 MEMS OEM sales in 2020: US$24 million
MEMS OEM sales growth: +25%
ranking rise: +1
Atomica predecessor was IMT (Innovative) Micro Technology was established in January 2000 and renamed Atomica in May 2021. Specializing in the production of MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) devices, is currently the largest pure MEMS wafer foundry in the United States, with a growth of 25% in 2021.
IMT's fully automatic MEMS production factory can meet customers' batch needs for 6-inch and 8-inch. Unlike CMOS plants, its advantages lie in the flexibility of metals, polymers and other materials, as well as experience in silicon, SOI, glass (melting quartz , quartz, borosilicate) and III-V substrates.
, ASIA PACIFIC MICROSYSTEMS
021 MEMS OEM Sales: US$30 million
MEMS OEM Sales in 2020: US$30 million
MEMS OEM Sales: 0%
Ranking up: -1
ASIA PACIFIC MICROSYSTEMS (APM) was founded in 2001 and is a major global developer and manufacturer of MEMS components. In the early days, APM operated as an integrated device manufacturer for MEMS devices, with special emphasis on the product development of pressure sensor and optical components. Over the decades, APM has gained extensive experience in developing a variety of MEMS devices, including sensors, actuators and micro components. APM's MEMS business has no growth in 2021.
Since 2007, with its production and expertise in MEMS and extensive experience, the company's business focus has shifted to pure MEMS foundry, and has grown its business by expanding the development of more advanced MEMS components. APM currently has a 6-inch wafer fab with dedicated micromachining tools and complete MEMS processing capabilities.
, VIS-Vanguard (world advanced)
021 MEMS OEM sales: US$25 million
2 MEMS foundry sales in 2020: US$22 million
MEMS foundry sales growth: +12%
ranking rise: +1
VIS (world advanced integrated circuit) is one of the TOP wafer foundries in Taiwan, my country's treasure island. In 2019, World Advanced acquired Globalfoundries (Global Foundries) Singapore 8-inch factory for US$236 million, including factories, factory facilities, machinery and equipment and MEMS IP and other businesses. The factory has a monthly production capacity of about 35,000 8-inch wafers. The core business of this factory is MEMS OEM. Therefore, the world's advanced technology replaced GF's global market share of MEMS. The world's advanced MEMS also achieved a 12% growth in 2021 and surpassed Philips.
, Philips Innovation Services
021 MEMS OEM sales: US$24 million
MEMS OEM sales in 2020: US$23 million
MEMS OEM sales growth: +2%
ranking rise: -1
Philips is a global electronics giant, Philips Innovation Services (Philips Innovation Services) is part of it, operating a MEMS foundry in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Although Philips split its semiconductor business in the early years and independently established NXP Semiconductor Company (NXP), and then withdrew from semiconductor manufacturing industry. However, Philips still retains the foundry of Eindhoven, Netherlands, , so the MEMS foundry market share belongs to Philips rather than NXP.
This fab is then used to provide MEMS and microassembly services internally and externally. About 140 people were employed in clean room of 2,650 square meters, of which about 70 were engaged in MEMS and 70 were engaged in micro assembly. The team can assist in MEMS process development as well as MEMS manufacturing and prototyping.
Philips' MEMS foundry is able to process materials from Ag to Zn, including CMOS prohibited materials, alloys, dielectrics and polymers such as Parylene, and can be placed on various substrates, including silicon, compound semiconductors and glass.
The factory can produce various types of MEMS equipment, especially in the production of microfluidic equipment in printing and medical electronic applications.The group also offers a variety of wafer bonding technologies, including proprietary bonding technologies, MEMS-last CMOS wafer integration and back-end processes such as micro-assembly and MEMS device testing.
0, Tower SEMI
021 MEMS OEM sales: US$20 million
MEMS OEM sales in 2020: US$20 million
MEMS OEM sales growth: +2%
Ranking rise: 0
Tower Jazz (Tao Tower Semiconductor) was established in Israel in 1993. After its establishment, it successively acquired wafer factories of American National Semiconductor, Micron , Maxim Integrated Products and other companies, as well as wafer foundry Jazz Semiconductor, which was acquired by Intel in 2022. tower semiconductor type Israel's largest foundry factory and one of the world's major wafer fabs.
Tower SEMI provides high-volume MEMS manufacturing solutions, supporting high-end accelerometer , gyroscope, oscillator , power management controller , audio sensors and actuators, radio frequency MEMS tuners, infrared pixel array sensors, and drivers.
Tower SEMI transforms new technologies from creativity to mass production in 6-inch, 8-inch and 12-inch manufacturing plants around the world, with over 15 years of high-volume MEMS manufacturing capabilities.
1, BOSCH
021 MEMS OEM Sales: US$20 million
2020 MEMS OEM Sales: 600 USD 10,000
MEMS OEMS sales growth: +117%
ranking rise: +4
BOSCH (Bosch) is a German semiconductor and electronics giant, and is collectively known as the two major MEMS giants in the world, together with the US Botong . In recent years, with the booming development of Bosch's sensor business, Bosch has surpassed Broadcom and gradually became the world's number one MEMS sensor company.
Bosch's MEMS OEM sales all come from its own MEMS sensor needs, and it is a typical IDM manufacturer. In 2021, Bosch's MEMS OEM business grew by 117%! is the fastest growing company of all MEMS fabs. All Bosch MEMS sensors are manufactured in Reutlingen, Germany. The manufacturing process takes more than three months and hundreds of steps.
2, UMC
021 MEMS OEM sales: US$18 million
2020 MEMS OEM sales: US$15 million
MEMS foundry sales growth: +18%
ranking rise: -1
UMC ( Lianhua Electronics ) was established in 1980 and is one of the main wafer foundries in Taiwan, my country's treasure island. UMC Most of its twelve-inch and eight-inch wafer fabs and R&D centers are located in Taiwan, and several other wafer fabs are located in other parts of Asia. UMC has a total of twelve wafer factories, with a total monthly production capacity of about 800,000 pieces, mainly eight-inch mature process wafers.
UMC's MEMS foundry production line is mainly 8-inch wafer lines, including microphones, inertial sensors, pressure sensors and environmental sensors (temperature/humidity sensors, gas sensors ), and has shipped more than hundreds of thousands of wafers.
3, STMicroelectronics
021 MEMS OEM sales: US$16 million
2020 MEMS OEM sales: 16 million
2020 MEMS OEM sales : US$13 million
MEMS OEMS sales growth: +19%
ranking rise: -1
STMicroelectronics (STMicroelectronics , ST) is an international IDM company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. STMicroelectronics is also a global sensor giant and the world's top 4 MEMS sensor manufacturers. Its MEMS foundry sales mainly come from the needs of its own sensor business.
4, ROHM
021 MEMS OEM Sales: US$9 million
2020 MEMS OEM Sales: 800 Ten thousand USD
MEMS OEMS Sales Growth: +15%
Ranking Rises: -1
ROHM (Rohm) is a world-renowned semiconductor and sensor manufacturer, specializing in the MEMS process of thin-film piezoelectric components, based on its subsidiary LAPIS Semiconductor Miyazaki has built a manufacturing process that provides piezoelectric MEMS optimized for a variety of markets and applications. The main advantages provided by the MEMS process of
ROHM using thin-film piezoelectric components include: high-quality and flexible product manufacturing and control in an integrated production system; the use of 6-inch and 8-inch wafers; and the operation of all-weather can accelerate development while achieving early production start-up.
5, Semefab
021 MEMS OEM sales: US$8 million
2020 MEMS OEM sales: US$7 million
2020 MEMS OEM sales: US$7 million html ml3
MEMS foundry sales growth: +8%
ranking rise: +1
Semefab was founded in 1986, located in Scotland, England. It started as a Fabless chip design company and later owned its own wafer production line. Currently, MEMS foundry is Semefab's largest business section .
Semefab produces various MEMS sensors, which can provide OEM services to many OEMs around the world. The product includes gas flow sensors, customized technology based on the principle of mass flow , with micro heaters and temperature sensors on the film; gas concentration sensors, which adopt custom technology to achieve resistance changes based on specific gases; strain gauge , custom technology using piezoelectric effect of special materials. In addition, there are liquid viscosity sensors and blood analysis sensors.
Semefab has a series of proprietary technologies, such as Micro Hot Plate, which creates broadband infrared (IR) light sources suitable for gas spectroscopy; thermopile for non-contact temperature detection; breath sensors, easy to wear, for monitoring respiratory conditions, sleep apnea, etc.
Conclusion
China's sensor technology has many boredoms, but the most deadly and severe part is the sensor chip.
Except for Sweden Silex, which was acquired by Saiwei Electronics, which ranks among the top 1 global MEMS foundry manufacturers, no other Chinese MEMS manufacturers have entered. Weil shares, Goertek , AAC Technology and other well-known Chinese MEMS giants are also Fables companies.
However, the ambition of Chinese companies to acquire foreign semiconductor giants and master advanced semiconductor technology has also been stuck in by the European, American and Japanese governments. The Swedish government's veto of the application for Silex special technology export license under Microelectronics is a lesson learned from the past.
China's sensor and semiconductor paths are full of difficulties, and it still needs to be accumulated and broken through.
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