MEMS – The Future of Automotive Industry

The electronic technologies in modern vehicles have been evolving both in quantity and complexity.These technologies contributed to major improvements in vehicles such as more safety and less fuel consumption which are issues of concern in developing countries. The electronic systems depend on the input from sensors and a growing share of them is manufactured using MEMS technology.

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is a combination of electronic and mechanical elements, sensors, and active elements on a silicone sub-layer adapting the micro-fabrication technology. The MEMS implemented a whole system on a single chip, and has wide range of applications. These sensors gather the information and allow the system to measure the parameters and control the ambiance. MEMS sensors, due to their considerable advantages, have a variety of uses, especially in the automotive industry. Out of 100 sensor nodes in a modern vehicle atleast 30 are MEMS.

Technologies

MEMS technologies can be classified into accelerometers, gyroscopes, and inclinometers. MEMS sensors for the passenger safety systems detection of the possibility of a car accident for controlling the air bag makes up the widest use of MEMS sensors in the automotive industry. The use of MEMS accelerometers for the air bag control chip eliminates the need of g switches and can be replaced by a single MEMS module in the air bag control terminal. As a result, the reliability increases, and the cost of the air bag system is reduced which results in increasing the use of such systems in all the vehicles. MEMS sensors for the passenger safety that detect the possibility of a car accident to control air bags make up the most in automotive industry.

In the US because of underinflated tires, 260,000 vehicle crashes occur each year. The Tire Pressure Sensors (TPS) can update the drivers about the inflations, leaks, and also the air pressure loss which happens naturally.As the technology improves, the TPS systems change into much lighter, smaller, and battery-free systems that can be connected to the tire rather than the rim. These systems are called intelligent tire systems.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) helps drivers to maintain control of vehicles in sudden maneuvers. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, ESC could save 10,000 lives each year in the US and save 4000 lives and prevent 100,000 injuries in Europe. Currently, ESC systems comprise over 66% of the gyroscopes revenues. The growth in the ESC systems also create a continuing need of accelerometers. In new systems, electronic parking brake systems are activated by just pressing a button. In these systemsby using low g range MEMS accelerometer, the acceleration and inclination of the vehicle can be measured to determine and implement the required amount of brake pressure.

MEMS Trends in the Safety systems of modern vehicles are becoming more advanced and more complex. Government mandates play a key role in safety systems market. MEMS market would witness a huge growth once government make these safety systems a mandatory. China became the world’s fastest growing country for automotive MEMS sales with average growth rate of 14.8%. MEMS technology share in the automotive industry was approximately $1.6 billion in 2006, and has created the second great market of MEMS after the IT technology. Nearly 100 million airbag, tire pressure monitoring, and electronic stability (ESP) safety systems that use MEMS shipped worldwide during 2010 and contained more than 300 million MEMS chips. In 2016, about 150 million systems are expected to be installed in vehicles, but the number of MEMS they contain will have flown to over 830 million. The chief markets involve

• ESC gyroscopes - $72 million
• Air bag - $260 million
• MAP and BAP pressure sensors- $192 million

The production of passenger cars for the market in china is expected to increase to 22.2 million units in 2015. China will remain the world's third biggest user of automotive MEMS sensors during the five-year period, ahead of Japan. North America will remain as the market leader followed by Europe. China's profile is growing for automotive MEMS because the country is playing catch-up in both safety applications for vehicles and in emissions-related purposes.The use of basic engine sensors to lower carbon emissions in cars is also a factor contributing to automotive MEMS growth in China, especially as the country adopts European regulations.China is adopting TPMS ahead of Japan i.e. the feature in vehicles not only saves lives but affects the environment, as correct tire pressure results in better mileage and less carbon emissions. Bosch is the most prominent player in the Chinese automotive MEMS sector. Bosch has signed a contract with Freescale Semiconductor to offer an airbag reference platform to help newly rising markets in the Asian region.

The companies Bosch, Dalsa, Delphi-Delco, Denso, Infineon, Motorola, VTI Technologies, and X Fab constitute about 90% 0f the entire MEMS market in the automotive industry. MEMS suppliers to the automotive market are currently few. Many of the previous sensors can be simply replaced by the more cost-effective, safer, and smaller MEMS sensors, and hundreds of millions MEMS sensors have been used in the cars. Forecasts suggest that their application in the vehicles will continue to grow to address vehicle safety requirements as well as government mandates. Car engineers continually discover new applications for them so that the safety and efficiency of the vehicles can be enhanced. Currently manufacturers usually use the MEMS sensors in the vehicle safety parameters.

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