MEMS麦克风，iPhone 4捧红的又一明星市场

苹果(Apple)最新手机iPhone 4全球热卖，也让该款手机所配备的微机电系统(MEMS)麦克风市场前景大好；根据市场研究机构iSuppli的估计，全球MEMS麦克风出货量将由2009年的4.41亿颗，到2014年成长至17亿颗以上。此外该机构指出，2010年度MEMS麦克风出货量预测将近6.96亿颗。

MEMS麦克风这种微型麦克风，是采用微机电系统技术将一片压敏式隔膜(pressure-sensitive diaphragm)蚀刻在半导体组件上，通常应用于手机、笔记本电脑(NB)与数字摄影机等等，取代传统的驻极体电容式麦克风(electret condenser microphones，ECM)。iSuppli的MEMS市场总监暨首席分析师Jeremie Bouchaud表示，苹果将MEMS麦克风应用在iPhone 4，对该零件来说是一个重大的里程碑。

“虽然苹果稍早前也将MEMS麦克风应用在2009年上市的第五代iPod Nano中，但该公司在iPhone系列产品一直都是采用ECM；”Bouchaud指出：“苹果将成为2010年全球第二大的MEMS麦克风买主，紧追于三星电子(Samsung Electronics)之后。”在2009年，苹果还只是全球第六大MEMS麦克风买主。

iSuppli预测，到2014年，大多数智能手机将会采用2颗以上的MEMS麦克风，届时手持设备与笔记本电脑仍将会是MEMS麦克风的最大应用产品，接下来则是例如苹果iPad那样的平板电脑。

虽然MEMS麦克风比ECM昂贵许多，但iSuppli表示，MEMS麦克风在尺寸、可扩展性(scalability)、耐热性(temperature stability)以及声音质量上都具有优势。iPhone 4采用了两颗独立的MEMS麦克风以抑制噪声；iSuppli解释，这种方式能够降低背景音，以提升语音通话的清晰度。

目前MEMS麦克风的龙头供应商是Knowles Electronics，其第一大厂商宝座自2003年维持至今；估计2010年Knowles的MEMS麦克风出货量市占率超过八成。但该市场的竞争有白热化趋势，目前全球前五大MEMS麦克风供应商中，有三家是原先生产传统ECM的亚洲业者，包括来自中国的瑞声(AAC Acoustic Technologies)、韩国的BSE，以及日本的Hosiden。

iSuppli指出，以上三家亚洲厂商都是近期才将MEMS麦克风纳入产品阵容，它们都是向英飞凌(Infineon)采购MEMS裸晶，自行封装之后通过现有的管道销售。至于美商亚德诺(ADI)则是全球前五大MEMS麦克风供应商中，另一家只有卖MEMS麦克风的厂商。

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IPhone 4 boosts MEMS microphone shipments

Dylan McGrath

Shipments of MEMS microphones are set to grow nearly 58 percent in 2010, thanks largely to their inclusion in Apple Inc.'s iPhone 4, according to market research firm iSuppli Corp.

MEMS microphone shipments are set to grow from 441 million units in 2009 to more than 1.7 billion in 2014, according to iSuppli, which is now owned by IHS Inc. The firm predicts nearly 696 million units of MEMS microphones will be shipped this year.

MEMS microphones are tiny microphones that employ a pressure-sensitive diaphragm etched on a semiconductor using microelectromechanical technology. They are commonly employed in cell phones, headsets, notebook PCs and video cameras, replacing conventional electret condenser microphones (ECM).

Jérémie Bouchaud, director and principal analyst for MEMS at iSuppli, said Apple's use of MEMS microphones in the iPhone 4 marked a major milestone for the devices.

"Although Apple previously used MEMS microphones in the fifth-generation iPod nano released in 2009, the company exclusively had been employing ECM technology in the iPhone line," Bouchaud said. Apple will become the world's second-largest buyer of MEMS microphones in 2010, trailing Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Bouchaud said. Apple was the sixth largest buyer in 2009, he added.

The majority of smartphones will use two or more MEMS microphones by 2014, according to iSuppli's forecast. By 2014, mobile handsets and notebook PCs will still be the largest application for MEMS microphones, followed by slate-type tablets, such as Apple’s iPad, iSuppli said.

Although they are significantly more expensive than ECM devices, iSuppli said MEMS microphones provide a host of advantages in terms of size, scalability, temperature stability and sound quality.

The iPhone 4 employs two separate MEMS microphones for noise suppression, a technique that reduces background sounds to improve the clarity of voice communications, according to iSuppli.

According to iSuppli, MEMS microphone pioneer Knowles Electronics has dominated the market since 2003. Knowles is set to account for more than 80 percent of MEMS microphone shipments this year, iSuppli said.

But competition is rising, with three of the world’s five largest MEMS microphone suppliers now being Asian suppliers of conventional ECM—AAC Acoustic Technologies Holdings Inc., BSE Co. Ltd. and Hosiden Corp.—all of which recently added the product to their portfolios, according to iSuppli. These companies buy MEMS die from Infineon Technologies, package them and sell them, using their existing channels, iSuppli said.

Analog Devices Inc. is the only other pure MEMS company in the Top 5, according to iSuppli.