More and more Taiwanese semiconductor companies are moving into the micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) market. What is MEMS? MEMS and Nanotechnology Clearing House say the following:
Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is the integration of mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a common silicon substrate through microfabrication technology. While the electronics are fabricated using integrated circuit (IC) process sequences (e.g., CMOS, Bipolar, or BICMOS processes), the micromechanical components are fabricated using compatible "micromachining" processes that selectively etch away parts of the silicon wafer or add new structural layers to form the mechanical and electromechanical devices.
The China Economic News (CENS) reports:
In light of increased availability of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), heavyweight Taiwanese chipmakers are competing for an advantageous position in the market.
Asia Pacific MEMS System Corp., in which United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) holds dominant stakes, recently announced it would contract UMC to make its products designed on sub 0.35-micron processes.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), currently the world`s No.1 pure silicon-foundry supplier, has begun using its 150-mm and 200-mm fabs to make MEMS used in inkjet heads of printers after starting to make contact image sensor (CIS) in cooperation with Omni Vision Inc. TSMC plans to shoot for foundry orders for radio-frequency MEMS and digital mirror device (DMD) next year.
Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) Inc. has won considerable orders to test and package automotive sensor devices, RF-MEMS modules, biochips, and silicon-based microphones in cooperation with subsidiary Universal Scientific Industrial Co., Ltd. for Nordic, VLSI, austriamicrosystems AG, and Medtronic. Industry watchers note that MEMS accounts for around 50% of packaging and testing costs.
For a long time, MEMS technology has been mostly applied to automobiles and industrial equipment. Recently, it has been increasingly built into consumer electronics like mobile phones and game consoles. Apple iPhone and Nintendo Wii are two typical consumer applications of the technology.
Demands for MEMS devices have surged sharply along with brisk growth of consumer-electronics market. Besides foundries TSMC, UMC and ASE, IDMs Texas Instruments (TI) and Sanyo have also entered MEMS market.
And according to Digitimes, both UMC and TSMC are bidding for contracts with Invensense, the world leader in motion sensing solutions for mobile devices. Digitimes says:
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) are said to be geared up to bid for micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) orders from InvenSense, with their respective backend solutions also being prepared, according to industry sources.
The sources indicated that leading MEMS gyroscope supplier InvenSense plans to outsource its front-end CMOS production to foundries in Taiwan, which has spurred the two leading pure-play foundries to compete for the potential orders.
Actually over the past while we have been reading more and more about MEMS. As the CENS articles says, MEMS have been around for a while but the rate of adoption is increasing quickly and more and more MEMS are being applied in consumer electronics. This will definitely provide Taiwan semiconductor companies with more opportunity to expand their market and product offerings. Both UMC and TSMC are ready to provide the fabrication facilities needed. This is another emerging market sector that will be interesting to watch over the next while. We will keep you posted!
MEMS and Nanotechnology Clearing House: What is MEMS Technology?
China Economic News: Taiwanese Chipmakers Venture Into MEMS Segment
Digitimes: TSMC and UMC bid for MEMS devices orders from InvenSense
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