Peter Clarke
EE Times Europe
(04/23/2008 11:28 EDT)

LONDON The global annual market for microsensors is expected to be worth $3.2 billion in 2008, up 18.5 percent from $2.7 billion in 2007, and increase to more than $8.4 billion in 2013, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.3 percent, according to BCC Research (Wellesley, Mass.)

BCC Research has broken the market down into applications of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), biochips and nanosensensors. Of these, MEMS have the largest share of the market. Valued at $2.2 billion in 2007, this segment is expected to increase to $2.6 billion in 2008 and to $6.4 billion in 2013, for a CAGR of 19.6 percent. MEMS had an 82.8 percent share of the market in 2007, but this is expected to decline to 76.5 percent in 2013. The second largest segment, biochips, was worth $465 million in 2007 and will reach $581.5 million in 2008

It is expected to increase to $1.8 billion in 2013, for a CAGR of 25.6 percent. Biochips market share is expected to increase from 17.2 percent in 2007 to 21.6 percent in 2013. Nanosensors are expected to see their first significant commercial sales in the years after 2008, reaching almost 2 percent of the microsensor market by 2013 with a value of $159.9 million. MEMS pressure sensors enjoyed the largest market of any microsensor type in 2007, followed by MEMS accelerometers, biochips, MEMS gyroscopes, chemical and gas, and thermal sensors respectively.

The automotive sector was the largest user of microsensors in 2007, with over 38 percent of the market, followed by life sciences (32.3 percent) and the process industries (11.7 percent). By 2013, life sciences should be the largest end-user segment, with 32.4 percent of the market, while the automotive sector will drop into second place at 24.8 percent, followed by consumer products with 23.9 percent.