MEMS Opportunities in the Automotive Industry
Ed Sickafus · Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) · 1998
Abstract For nearly two decades the automobile industry has watched the MEMS area in anticipation of exciting new products with greater functionality and higher reliability. Considering the long development time that has ensued, it is a bit of a disappointment to see the limited adaptation of MEMS devices in automobiles to date. Examination of this situation points up some of the difficulties of meeting the needs of the industry for automotive sensors and actuators. A distinction that needs to be made to understand the problem is the distinction between MEMS potential for automotive applications and actual adaptation of MEMS. The potential for MEMS automotive applications will be examined first, then the actual successes will be discussed. Lastly, reasons for the limited successes of automotive-type MEMS will be examined. This will bring out some needs for new direction as well as needs to understand business decisions and MEMS comptetition.