Infineon leads the MEMS microphone market with new technology improving acoustic performance and power consumption

According to a report by market research firm Omdia*1, Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX/OTCQX: IFNNY) has successfully taken the lead in the MEMS microphone market. According to the MEMS chip sales in the report, Infineon's market share has jumped to 43.5%, making it the market leader, leading the second place by nearly 4% and even far exceeding the third place by more than 37%. Such a positive development speed is attributed to Infineon's long-term experience in MEMS microphone design and mass production, which brings unparalleled consumer experience to the market.

Now, Infineon Technologies is offering a new generation of analog MEMS microphones, the XENSIV™ MEMS microphone IM73A135, which delivers even better results. Microphone designers must often choose between high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), small package, high acoustic overload point, low power consumption, and MEMS vs. ECM microphones. Therefore, applications that require the highest performance microphones may have previously still used ECMs rather than MEMS. But now, with the IM73A135, designers no longer have to compromise.

The IM73A135 microphone features a 73 dB SNR and a high acoustic overload point (135 dB SPL), giving it a high dynamic range, a compact size (only 4 x 3 x 1.2 mm3), tight frequency curve matching, the most efficient audio signal processing, and the industry's lowest power consumption of 170 μA. The IM73A135 enables designers to achieve the high level of audio performance unique to ECMs while also taking advantage of the inherent advantages of MEMS technology.

Infineon's new MEMS microphones have excellent properties for enhancing active noise cancellation in headphones. This market is expected to grow to around 250 million devices by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 16%*2. In addition, the low self-noise characteristics of the IM73A135 are particularly suitable for high-quality audio capture required for conference systems, cameras or recorders, which is another market expected to grow significantly.

New digital low-power technology for wearable devices

Infineon Technologies is not only continuing to expand its portfolio of branded MEMS microphones, but is also extending its leadership with the launch of its latest low-power digital ASIC technology. This technology, which exhibits the lowest power consumption, will be widely used in a wide range of new-generation digital microphones manufactured by the "Infineon-inside" microphone partner network and with its own brand. With an industry-leading low-power mode of only 110µA, this technology is ideally suited for the wearable device market, including smart watches and fitness bands. Due to the growing demand for product aesthetics, in order to better meet consumers' daily needs, the market is expected to grow to approximately 650 million devices by 2025, with a CAGR of nearly 20%*3 during the forecast period 2020-2025.

Availability

The XENSIV MEMS microphone IM73A135 will be available in distribution markets in March 2021. The new MEMS microphone technology for wearables will be launched in the coming months by the "Infineon-inside" partners.