MEMS Technology: Where Does Its Evolution End? - RFID/USN Center

Do you remember the magic that Steve Jobs showed when Apple announced the iPhone 4? A cartoon character called Zynga was displayed on the screen, and when the iPhone 4 was rotated, the cartoon character rotated together along that axis. It was an example of a mobile game that could be enjoyed by applying MEMS technology called a Gyroscope. As MEMS technology, which was previously used mainly in automobiles such as tire pressure measurement devices, was introduced into smartphones through Nintendo's Wii game console, a second MEMS revolution is occurring. With geomagnetic sensors for position measurement, accelerometer sensors that switch the screen between landscape and portrait modes, and the gyroscope sensor just explained, typically 3-4 MEMS sensors, and sometimes as many as 5-6, are being used in smartphones, causing explosive demand for MEMS semiconductor chips. According to iSuppli, a U.S. market research firm, the global MEMS market is estimated at 7.7 trillion won as of 2009 and is expected to grow at an annual average rate of 13%-16% through 2012. In fact, MEMS technology has already been applied to various home appliances and information and communication devices before being used in game consoles or smartphones, and has already become deeply embedded in our daily lives. For example, the acceleration sensors used in the image stabilization function of digital cameras and the pressure sensors used in the heads of inkjet printers are MEMS sensor chips that we can easily find in our everyday lives. The automatic shutdown of a washing machine when a hand is inserted during operation is also a function performed by embedded MEMS sensor chips. According to the MEMS Technology Research Association, the domestic MEMS market size in 2009 was approximately 673.7 billion won, which is slightly less than one-tenth of the global market. However, since Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, which rank in the top 4 of the global mobile phone market, are expanding smartphone production in 2010, it is predicted that the domestic MEMS market will also grow at a rapid pace. With the massive MEMS application markets in automobiles, home appliances, and mobile phones, and having the world's 1st and 2nd ranked memory semiconductor companies, our country is building a superior MEMS ecosystem compared to any other country.