MEMS Tornado to Challenge Next Generation Packaging

Abstract

In the last decade multiple MEMS devices entered Tornado (avalanche sales growth), adopting along the way the IC packaging technologies with a “twist”. Consumer applications for MEMS devices exploded, with sensor shipments increasing from 10M units in 2007 to over 2B units in 2011. This explosion resulted from Steve Jobs vision converting a cell phone into a powerful computer. Computing power enabled creative user interfaces, such as touch sensitive screens and auto landscape-portrait rotation, opening a Tornado for MEMS. As more complex MEMS devices are finding its way to cell phones, they will be creating packaging challenges. An emergence of even a bigger forthcoming Tornado is surfacing.History shows that all major technologies coming to market enabled advancement of world-changing productivity and balance of power. At a recent conference, a VP of Maxim Integrated Products stated that we have entered the 3rd technical revolution which will free humans for creative work through a fusion of computing, communication and sensing. This will enable MEMS component market to catch up with the semiconductor market ($300B).At the 2010 MEMS Technology Summit conference at Stanford University, Bosch presented a vision for 7 trillion devices driven by Sensory Swarms connected to the Internet to serve 7 billion people in 2017 (in 2010 there were already 5 billion mobile phone subscribers). This vision translates to 1,000 sensors per average person in 2017. We are already seeing high end applications supported by large number of MEMS sensors in advanced cars, smart homes, smart phones and medical diagnostics, to mention a few.In 2010 HP outlined a vision for CeNSE, a Central Nervous System for the Earth, which expected to deploy a trillion nano sensors and actuators. Processing the sensor information will require increasing the size of Internet 1,000 times; creating huge demand for computing and generating by 2013 a $70B global market for sensing systems, and $290B market for value added sensing services. As device volumes start approaching a trillion units a year, packaging challenges will be created by:Complexity of emerging MEMS devices. The required “twists” to IC packaging will be in the areas such as low package stress, chemical and fluidic media compatibility, optical performance, etc.Cost pressure. Due to a sheer size of expected market, packaging industry may expect very large changes. Addressing these challenges will likely have a big impact on the packaging industry.