Nowadays, with the rapid development of MEMS technology and industry, it is increasingly widely used in communications, biomedicine, industrial science, consumer electronics, automotive electronics, navigation and positioning and other fields. In particular, the rapid growth in the consumer, industrial and automotive electronics sectors had made China one of the fastest-growing regions in the global MEMS market. As the world's largest electronics manufacturing base, China has a huge demand for MEMS sensors, and various suppliers such as light sensors and motion sensors have entered the Chinese market. In this article, we will introduce some of the leading companies in the MEMS space.
Sai MicroElectronics is the world's leading MEMS pure foundry, and its predecessor, Neiwei Technology, was established in 2008 and listed on the GEM in 2015. Through the acquisition of Silex in Sweden, the company gradually transformed into a MEMS technology development and pure foundry service provider. In 2016, Sai MicroElectronics wholly acquired Global Access Electronics Limited, becoming one of the world's leading MEMS pure foundry enterprises, and started the construction of FAB 38-inch MEMS foundry in Beijing. In 2019, the company introduced the National Integrated Circuit Industry Fund as a strategic shareholder, and in 2021, it raised 2.3 billion yuan through a non-public offering, increasing its investment in China's local MEMS manufacturing field.
Figure: The main development history of Sai Microelectronics
Sai Microelectronics focuses on the midstream foundry link and has strong process development capabilities. Due to the wide variety of MEMS products and the diversity of processes, it is not possible to cover all product needs with a single process. Therefore, Sai Microelectronics adopts a customized process strategy for each product and continuously develops the process to meet customer needs. Silex, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, has 164 international and domestic MEMS core patents, and has the ability to develop multiple projects in parallel, which can flexibly respond to the diverse needs of customers.
Figure: Sai Microelectronics ranks first in the world in the field of MEMS pure foundry
In addition, Sai Microelectronics' products cover a wide range of fields such as consumer electronics (such as silicon-based microphones), industrial production (such as inertial sensors), automotive electronics (such as micromirrors), optical communication (such as light sensors) and biomedical (such as microfluidics/lab-on-a-chip). The company's customers span the globe and include manufacturers of DNA/RNA sequencers, lithography machines, ultrasound equipment, and leaders in the network communications and industrial consumer goods industries.
With global sales channels, a solid customer base and strong market reserves, Sai Microelectronics continues to promote the innovation and application of MEMS technology on a global scale.
