RF MEMS switches deliver on early promise

22^nd November 2007.

Munich, Germany. WTC has just updated its technical and market analysis for RF MEMS switches. Although the market was less than $5 million last year, the Munich-based market analysis and consulting company says RF MEMS devices will quickly grow to $210 million in 2011. More than $100 million of this market is destined for test and instrumentation, e.g. automated test equipment used in the semiconductor industry, followed by devices used in mobile phones and telecom infrastructure. At the module level, reconfigurable power amplifiers and antenna modules for cell phones should exceed $150 M in 2011.

"We have been following developments in RF MEMS switches since 2000, when the mobile phone market began was booming and a number of companies envisioned using RF MEMS switches in each handset", said Jérémie Bouchaud, head of market research at WTC.

"What happened after perfectly fits the well-known ‘hype curve of new technologies'," explained Mr. Bouchaud. After experiencing the so-called ‘Peak of Inflated Expectations' in 2003 and a subsequent ‘Trough of Disillusionment' phase during 2004-2005, RF MEMS switches have now emerged shining into the ‘Slope of Enlightenment', an indicator that both the industry and technology are maturing."

Recent announcements from NXP and RFMD underscore this point; both companies are preparing to mass produce antenna matching and reconfigurable power amplifiers for cell phones, respectively.

Can we buy them yet?

As of November 2007, WTC estimates that around 50,000 switches are shipped monthly and that 500,000 to 600,000 switches have already left the fabs (not including automated distribution frames DC switches produced for the qualification phase).

A handful of companies have started selling RF MEMS switches, among them Teravicta, Radant (due to export restrictions in the US only for the moment), Advantest and Matsushita. Companies sampling switches for selected customers include WiSpry for mobile handsets and MEMTronics and XCOM for high-end applications such as defence. Omron recently joined the pack and is expected to start serial production by mid-2008.

Meanwhile NXP is currently in the "industrialisation phase" of switched capacitors for cell phones and is focussing its efforts on process and manufacturability. Meanwhile foundries like IMT and APM have launched serial production of DC switches for automated distribution frames for telecommunications.

Potential applications

RF MEMS switches are currently being shipped or are in development for a very wide spectrum of applications, from high-value niche markets for satellites through to mobile phones. WTC distinguished three application fields:

Test and Instrumentation including automated test equipment (ATE) and RF instrumentation
Telecom including mobile phones and telecom infrastructure
Aerospace and defence

Today, RF MEMS switches begin to be found in used in the semiconductor industry. Such switches will impact telecom infrastructure markets from 2008 in Automated Distribution Frames. First defence deployments should emerge around 2009.

Regarding cell phones, WTC believes that impedance matching networks for the power amplifier or antenna module offer the best (and only) prospects for RF MEMS switches -
or more precisely, switched capacitors - in the next 5 years. NXP, RFMD and WiSpry are currently developing switches for this function. RFMD just announced an 8" fab for RF MEMS PA module switches, while NXP plans to commercialise antenna-matching circuits based on switched capacitors as early as 2009 or 2010.

WTC has also investigated automotive applications, e.g. for radar or roof antennas. The company does not see an opportunity for RF MEMS switches in the automotive sector by 2012, contrary to the statements made in other market reports.

More information

The complete results of the analysis are available in WTC's Custom Market Technology Briefing #3 covering RF MEMS switches along with other RF MEMS components such as BAW filters, MEMS oscillators and tuneable capacitors.

Contact:

Jérémie Bouchaud
+49 89 207 026 020
jeremie.bouchaud(at)wtc-consult.de