Top 10 MEMS and sensors

Over the past year, sensor manufacturers have focused on developing new features that can deliver lower power consumption while shrinking package size and easing implementation into new designs. This is in combination with performance improvements and high integration, depending on the sensor type, to enable advanced features in smart devices, automotive, industrial and medical applications.

The global sensor market is expected to grow from $204.8 billion in 2022 to $508.6 billion in 2032, according to Precedence Research. Big market drivers include automotive, consumer, industrial and IoT applications.

Here is a roundup of top sensors, introduced in the past year, for a range of applications from smart consumer devices to medical equipment, offering enhanced performance for next-generation designs, along with lower power consumption and smaller sizes.

Sensors for smart consumer devices

Introduced in October 2023, and the EP Product of the Year Award winner for sensors, Prophesee SA’s latest event-based Metavision sensor, the GenX320, delivers ultra-low power, low latency and high flexibility for applications like AR/VR, wearables, security and monitoring systems, touch-free interfaces and always-on IoT. Claiming the smallest, most power-efficient and the first event-based vision sensor for consumer edge AI vision devices, the fifth-generation Metavision sensor, available in a tiny, 3 × 4-mm die size, has been designed for event sensing in energy-, compute- and size-constrained embedded-at-the-edge vision systems.

The 320 × 320 6.3-μm-pixel BSI stacked event-based vision sensor offers a small, 1/5-inch optical format. Key features include low-latency microsecond-resolution timestamping of events with flexible data formatting and on-chip intelligent power management modes to reduce power consumption to as low as 36 µW and enable smart wake-on-events. It also offers deep-sleep and standby modes.

The GenX320 is AI-ready with an on-chip histogram output compatible with multiple AI accelerators. MIPI or CPI data output interfaces offer low-latency connectivity to embedded processing platforms, including low-power microcontrollers (MCUs) and neuromorphic processor architectures.

Other features include easy interfacing with standard SoCs with multiple integrated event data pre-processing, filtering and formatting functions to minimize external processing overhead and native compatibility with Prophesee Metavision Intelligence, a free event-based vision software suite. An evaluation kit with a chip-on-board GenX320 module or a compact optical flex module is available, along with a range of adapter kits that provide connectivity to a variety of embedded platforms, such as the STM32 MCU.

Aimed at smart-home applications, Onsemi’s Hyperlux LP’s 1.4-µm-pixel image sensors can extend battery life by up to 40%, based on the company’s internal tests, with low power consumption and wake-on-motion features. They can deliver high image quality even in challenging lighting conditions, onsemi said.

The product family, consisting of three new devices, features a stacked architecture design that minimizes size, with the smallest device nearly the size of a grain of rice. The new devices include the 20-megapixel (MP) AR2020, the 8-MP AR0830 and the 5-MP AR0544. Target applications include industrial and commercial cameras, such as smart doorbells, security cameras, AR/VR/XR headsets, machine vision and video conferencing.

Delivering better image quality, higher reliability and longer battery life, particularly for security cameras, the Hyperlux LP family offers several features and proprietary technologies that improve performance and resolution. These include wake-on-motion that enables sensors to operate in low-power mode until they detect movement, a smart region of interest that provides a context view of the scene at reduced bandwidth and a separate region of interest in the original detail, and near-infrared performance for higher image quality.

Onsemi also said the Hyperlux LP family’s low power consumption reduces thermal noise that can negatively impact image quality and eliminates the need for heat sinks.

Bosch Sensortec’s BMA530 and BMA580 MEMS accelerometers target wearable and hearable devices. Announced at CES 2024, Bosch claims these MEMS accelerometers are the smallest in the industry, measuring 1.2 × 0.9 × 0.55 mm, and include built-in features that make them easy to design into portable products. The BMA530 tracks activities with its step counter, targeting wearables, while the BMA580 is suited for hearables with voice-activity detection.

The built-in features make them easy to implement without deep application knowledge, the company said, and the small size addresses the space constraints in the portable consumer market. Compared with Bosch’s current-generation accelerometer (BMA253), the BMA530 and BMA580 have a 76% smaller footprint and have been reduced in height from 0.95 mm to 0.55 mm thanks to their wafer-level chip-scale package.

The acceleration sensors also offer multiple power modes and automatically switch from low-power to high-power modes to extend battery life. Current consumption ratings are 125 µA (high perf, continuous measurement), 18 µA (low power @ 100 Hz) and 4.75 µA (suspend mode, data retention). A set of connectivity options are offered, including an I³C interface.

The BMA530 acceleration sensor includes integrated functions like step counter and generic interrupts. Key specs include measurement ranges of ±2, ±4, ±8 and ±16 g, 1% sensitivity error and 16-bit digital resolution. In addition to wearables, the BMA530 also can be used for gesture recognition in toys, fall detection in laptops and other devices, and power management functions.

The BMA580 features voice-activity detection, an advanced feature set for hearable devices and low power consumption. It enables user interaction with a hearable in response to the user tapping the device, for example, to answer or end a call. The software includes an algorithm that can distinguish between single, double and triple taps. Key specs include 16-bit digital resolution, 0.5% sensitivity error and measurement ranges of ±2, ±4, ±8 and ±16 g.

The acceleration sensor also uses bone conduction to detect the vibration of the user’s voice and then wakes the microphone from sleep. This delivers a power savings compared with typical microphones in hearables that consume a lot of power because they need to be always on to listen for voice activity, Bosch Sensortec said, and it is the only sensor that combines bone conduction in this size.

Sensors for automotive

Omnivision announced its OX08D10 automotive 8-MP CMOS image sensor (CIS), featuring its new TheiaCel high-dynamic-range (HDR) technology, at the 2023 AutoSens Brussels conference. The 8-MP CIS with the TheiaCel technology significantly improves LED flicker in challenging light conditions, especially in low-light environments.

The new technology addresses the challenges of flicker in LED traffic lights on imaging solutions, which can prevent advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving (AD) from accurately detecting lighted traffic signs. Making it easier to see in challenging light conditions, TheiaCel provides a wider dynamic range than earlier, single-exposure HDR architectures and enhances the resolution and image quality in exterior cameras for ADAS and AD, thus improving safety.

The OX08D10 is the company’s first image sensor that features the 2.1-µm TheiaCel technology, delivering high LED flicker mitigation (LFM) without sacrificing image quality. It also features low power consumption and is 50% smaller than other exterior cabin sensors in its class, Omnivision said.

TheiaCel leverages next-generation lateral overflow integration capacitor (LOFIC) technology and Omnivision’s dual-conversion-gain (DCG) HDR technology to eliminate LED flicker regardless of lighting conditions, the company said.

The OX08D10 provides an LFM dynamic range that is 3.3× higher and a total dynamic range nearly 3× higher compared with its non-LOFIC-based predecessor. Also, thanks to TheiaCel, the OX08D10 can achieve HDR image capture at up to 200 meters. Omnivision said that “this range is the sweet spot for delivering the best balance between SNR1 and dynamic range” for automotive exterior camera applications.

Another key feature of the OX08D10 is upgraded cybersecurity to comply with the newest MIPI CSE Version 2.0 standards, which adds functional safety to automotive image sensor data streams. The image sensor features the company’s a-CSP package technology for a small footprint. Mass production is expected in the second half of 2024.

Providing engineers with more options for remote temperature sensing, Microchip Technology Inc.’s MCP998x family, featuring 10 automotive-qualified remote temperature sensors, is claimed as one of the largest portfolios of automotive-grade multi-channel temperature sensors in the industry. These new sensors deliver 1°C accuracy over a wide operational temperature range and can monitor up to five channels.

The portfolio also provides several alert and shutdown options for security and support for systems supervising more than one thermal element. They also integrate resistance error correction and beta compensation, which eliminates the need for additional configuration for improved accuracy, the company said.

Monitoring temperatures at multiple locations with a single, integrated temperature sensor reduces board complexity, size, design complexity and bill of materials, Microchip said. Five of the family’s sensors have shutdown temperature setpoints that cannot be maliciously disabled or overwritten by software.

Given the importance of thermal management in automotive design, Microchip said there has been a lack of AEC-Q100 automotive-qualified multi-channel remote temperature sensors, especially those that can be used at the high end of the traditional temperature range, where competitors are often challenged.

These sensors support vehicle functions like HID lamps, ADAS, automotive servers, video processing, infotainment systems, engine control, telematics and body electronics including seat control, lighting systems, mirror control and power windows. The MCP998x family is supported by the EV23P16A evaluation board.

Sensors for medical

For medical applications, Superior Sensor Technology’s CP Series CPAP pressure sensors enable positive airway pressure (PAP) devices to more efficiently synchronize to a patient’s varying breathing patterns. These pressure sensors for PAP devices used in sleep apnea, COPD, asthma and home ventilator applications are built on the company’s highly integrated CP Series dual-pressure-sensor architecture.

The new CP202 and CP302 provide closed-loop control and an overpressure indicator that enable manufacturers to upgrade their PAP devices for a better patient experience. The integrated closed-loop control can typically reduce the pressure response time by 50%, enabling the PAP device to more efficiently synchronize to the patient’s varying breathing patterns to reduce sleeping disturbances, according to the company. The overpressure indicator simplifies manufacturing by eliminating the need for an external indicator.

The company claims the CP Series is the industry’s first integrated dual-pressure-sensor module that incorporates a gauge pressure sensor and a differential pressure sensor in a very small package with dedicated ports for each sensor. As a result, the integrated pressure sensors are easier and more cost-effective for manufacturers to design continuous PAP (CPAP), bi-level PAP (BiPAP) and automatic PAP (APAP) devices.

The CP Series sensor modules are based on the company’s proprietary system-in-a-sensor NimbleSense architecture that delivers high performance and application-specific system features. The CS series supports four programmable pressure ranges for each embedded sensor. The differential pressure sensor can be programmed from ±250 Pa to ±2.5k Pa, and the gauge pressure sensor is programmable from ±2k Pa to ±6k Pa.

The CP202 and CP302 are pin-compatible with the existing CP201 and CP301 sensors. The CP202 is a shared three-port solution and the CP303 is a dedicated four-port solution. Both sensors offer a 2-ms response time and high accuracy within 0.05% of the selected range.

Sensors for industrial

STMicroelectronics’ latest-generation 8 × 8 multi-zone time-of-flight (ToF) ranging sensor delivers several improvements. The new VL53L8CX ToF sensor offers greater ambient-light immunity, lower power consumption and enhanced optics.

These direct-ToF sensors combine a 940-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), a multi-zone single-photon avalanche diode detector array and an optical system, comprised of filters and diffractive optical elements, in an all-in-one module. The sensor projects a wide, square field of view of 45° × 45° (65° diagonal) and receives reflected light to calculate the distance of objects up to 400 cm away, across 64 independent zones and up to 30 captures per second.

The VL53L8CX improves ranging performance with a new-generation VCSEL and advanced silicon-based meta-optics. Compared with the current VL53L5CX, the enhancements increase immunity to interference from ambient light, extending the sensor’s maximum range in daylight from 170 cm to 285 cm and reducing power consumption from 4.5 mW to 1.6 mW in low-power mode.

The VL53L8CX also offers uniform sensitivity and accurate ranging throughout the field of view, with superior range in ambient light, thanks to its true 8 × 8 multi-zone sensing, ST said.

Target applications include human-presence sensing, gesture recognition and robotics. It can also be used in other industrial applications, such as monitoring the contents of bins, containers, silos and tanks in industrial bulk storage and warehousing.

As part of ST’s STGesture platform that includes the STSW-IMG035 turnkey gesture-recognition software and Gesture EVK development tool, the new sensor delivers the precision needed for repeatable gesture-based interaction. ST said hand-posture recognition is also possible, leveraging the latest AI models available in the STM32ai-model zoo on GitHub.

Design support includes the X-NUCLEO-53L8A1 expansion board and SATEL-VL53L8 breakout boards. The P-NUCLEO-53L8A1 pack is also available, which contains an STM32F401 Nucleo MCU board and X-NUCLEO-53L8A1 expansion board.

Samsung Electronics recently expanded its ISOCELL Vizion sensor line with the addition of the ISOCELL Vizion 63D indirect ToF (iTOF) sensor for high-resolution 3D images. Measuring distance and depth by calculating the time it takes the emitted light to travel to and from an object, the ISOCELL Vizion 63D measures the phase shift between emitted and reflected light to sense its surroundings in three dimensions.

Samsung said the ISOCELL Vizion 63D is the industry’s first iToF sensor with an integrated depth-sensing hardware image signal processor. It precisely captures 3D depth information without the help of another chip, enabling up to a 40% reduction in system power consumption compared with the previous ISOCELL Vizion 33D product, the company said.

The iToF sensor targets service and industrial robots, XR devices and facial authentication that require high-resolution and precise depth measuring.

The iToF sensor, based on the industry’s smallest 3.5-µm-pixel size, offers VGA resolution (640 × 480) in a 1/6.4-inch optical format, which makes it suited for compact devices. It can also process images at up to 60 frames per second in QVGA resolution (320 × 240), a display resolution used in commercial and industrial markets.

The Vizion 63D sensor claims the highest level of quantum efficiency in the industry, reaching 38% at an infrared light wavelength of 940 nm, thanks to backside scattering technology. The result is sharper image quality due to the enhanced light sensitivity and reduced noise for minimal motion blur.

The iToF sensor supports both flood (high resolution at short range) and spot (long range) lighting modes, extending the measurable distance range from its predecessor’s 5 meters to 10 meters.

TDK Corp.’s InvenSense SmartSonic ICU-20201 ultrasonic ToF sensor provides accurate range measurement at distances up to 5 meters over a wide and configurable field of view up to 180°. The SmartSonic sensors integrate a MEMS piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer with an ultra-low-power SoC in a miniature reflowable package.

Based on ultrasonic pulse-echo measurements, the ICU-20201 MEMS sensor provides millimeter-accurate range measurements. The full operating range is 20 cm to 5 meters, with a sample rate of 150 samples per second at 1 meter and 32 samples per second at 5 meters.

The ICU20201 can operate in any lighting condition, including full sunlight, and can detect objects of any color and optical transparency.

The MEMS sensor, housed in a 3.5 × 3.5 × 1.26-mm, eight-pin LGA package, embeds a more powerful on-chip processor with higher computational power. The enhanced processing capabilities allow a wide range of application algorithms to run on-chip, offloading the system MCU, said TDK. It claims a 10× faster DSP with a hardware multiplier for higher calculation power, 3× larger code memory and 2× larger data memory compared with the previous generation.

This second-generation sensor offers the sensitivity required for accurate obstacle avoidance or proximity/presence sensing, used in robotics and drones or in mobile and computing devices, as examples. It can also be used in applications like shelf inventory monitoring or level sensing, such as in smart homes or smart buildings.

Littelfuse Inc. has launched the 54100 and 54140 miniature omnipolar tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect sensors, delivering a combination of high sensitivity and 100× improvement in power efficiency when compared with Hall-effect sensors, according to the company.

Instead of activation in the traditional z-axis, these sensors offer activation in the x-y plane, resulting in greater functionality. They offer a wide operating temperature range of –40°C to 100°C. Applications include position and limit sensing, RPM measurement, flow metering, commutation of brushless DC motors, magnetic encoders and angle sensing.

The 54100 flange-mount sensor, measuring 25.5 × 11.0 × 3.0 mm, allows for screw and adhesive mounting for easy installation. It has a three-wire configuration and digital output and can switch up to 4.4 VDC and 3.0-mA output current. Standard sensor lead lengths are 300 mm and 1,000 mm, and customization for high-volume production is available.

The 54140 flat-pack sensor is housed in a compact package, measuring 23.00 × 14.00 × 5.90 mm. It also features a digital output, three-wire configuration and the same performance as the 54100.