STMicroelectronics Ships Two Billionth MEMS Chip

STMicroelectronics announced it has shipped two billion MEMS sensors to date and confirmed its top position in MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) devices for consumer and portable applications This volume milestone comes only 15 months after ST passed the one billion MEMS sensors shipped threshold, represents rapid acceleration of shipments and highlights ST’s success in this exciting market.

ST’s MEMS sensors have enabled motion-activated user interfaces in a number of popular consumer devices, including smart phones, tablets, personal media players, game consoles, digital still cameras and remotes, making these more accessible and appealing to people. ST MEMS are also widely used for free-fall protection in laptop hard-disk drives, for implantable devices and many other healthcare products, and for car infotainment and enhanced navigation. In addition, ST is in development with customers on automotive MEMS devices for applications such as airbags and tire pressure monitors.

ST’s Consumer MEMS sales grew more than 80% in 2011, reaching of total of approximately $650 million, well more than twice as large as its closest competitor, according to market research firm IHS iSuppli. The company continues to be the leading supplier to mobile and consumer manufacturers for both motion-sensor types – accelerometers and gyroscopes.

Having captured approximately 50% of the consumer accelerometer market in just a few years, IHS iSuppli credits ST with having achieved even greater success in MEMS gyroscopes, boosting its revenue-based market share in gyroscopes from 1% in 2009 to 70% in 2011.

ST was the first major manufacturer in the world to set up a dedicated 8-inch MEMS fabrication line in 2006, a bold move that launched the hugely successful consumerization of MEMS and its application to high-volume consumer and portable electronics. The company has recently increased its MEMS production capacity to more than 3 million sensors a day, to sustain exploding customer demand for high-performance, cost-competitive sensing devices.