Based on 200mm CMOS manufacturing facilities, Tower Semiconductor has customized and developed scalable mass production technology for GMEMS)MEMS microphones.
According to MEMS Consulting, recently, Tower Semiconductor, the leader of high-value analog semiconductor OEM solutions, and General Micro (GMEMS), a MEMS sensor supplier, jointly announced that they would realize mass production of MEMS microphone products based on the 0.18μm process of Tower Semiconductor, which is a mass production process customized by Tower Semiconductor for GMEMS products. In order to meet the demanding requirements of true wireless stereo (TWS) headphones and smart phones for MEMS microphones, the "tailor-made" GMEMS advanced MEMS microphone is much smaller than competitors’ products, and the advanced manufacturing facilities and platforms of Tower Semiconductor can provide large-scale MEMS manufacturing and capacity guarantee, thus meeting the supply demand of these fast-growing markets.
According to MEMS Consulting, since the first appearance of MEMS microphones, the market has maintained a rapid growth momentum. The market size of MEMS microphone increased from RMB 1.59 billion in 2010 to RMB 8.68 billion in 2019, with a compound annual growth rate of 20.75%. Looking forward to the future, the global MEMS microphone market will continue to grow, and it is expected to reach about 12 billion yuan in 2024.
Global MEMS Microphone Market Scale from 2010 to 2019 (Source: Mems Consulting)
"We are very happy to cooperate with Gaota Semiconductor to enhance our much-needed MEMS microphone manufacturing capability. GMEMS chose high-tower semiconductor because of its good reputation, excellent technical ability, advanced technical platform and large-scale MEMS manufacturing capability compatible with CMOS process. " Dr. Mark Wang, CEO of GMEMS, said, "With the joint efforts of GMEMS experts and the R&D team of Gaota Semiconductor, we have successfully achieved stable mass production and made a development roadmap for the development of the next generation MEMS microphone of GMEMS."
In addition to the extremely small bare chip size, the process platform of high-tower semiconductor also provides many advantages for manufacturing MEMS microphones, including high dynamic range and high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which are key characteristics to meet the market demand of MEMS microphones, especially for mobile devices.
"We are very happy to cooperate with GMEMS, a leading company in the field of MEMS microphones, to develop excellent MEMS technology solutions and products. Our close and coordinated cooperation enables GMEMS’s excellent products to effectively use first-class manufacturing technology to achieve mass production. " Dr. Avi Strum, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Gaota Semiconductor Sensor and Display Business Department, said, "We look forward to more achievements together, thus realizing greater MEMS market potential."
About General Micro (GMEMS)
GMEMS is a leading manufacturer of MEMS microphones, voice interface software and other MEMS products. With its core technical team having accumulated more than 20 years of working experience in MEMS sensors and noise suppression algorithms, GMEMS provides one-stop sensor solutions for end customers. Over the years, GMEMS has established its leading position, providing high-performance MEMS microphones and voice processing algorithms for voice interface applications in the communication industry.
About the Tower Semiconductor
Tower Semiconductor is a leader in high-value analog semiconductor OEM solutions, providing integrated circuit (IC) and micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) manufacturing platforms for growing markets such as consumer, industry, automobile, mobile, infrastructure, medical care, aerospace and national defense. Gaota Semiconductor is committed to making a positive and sustainable impact on the world through long-term partnership and its advanced and innovative analog technology platform, including various customizable processing platforms, such as SiGe, BiCMOS, mixed-signal /CMOS, RF CMOS, CMOS image sensors, MEMS and sensors, and integrated power management. Gaota Semiconductor also provides world-class design support to achieve fast and accurate design cycle, and provides transfer optimization and development process services (TOPS) for IDM and Fabless companies.
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