STMicroelectronics and USound Agree to Make World's First Spectacular-Sounding MEMS Speakers
February 21 2017 - 9:00AM
Miniaturized thin-film piezo-electric-MEMS
actuators offer better sound, efficiency
Geneva, Switzerland, and Graz, Austria, February 21, 2017
-- STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader
serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications,
and USound GmbH, an innovative and fast-growing audio company,
today announced their collaboration on the industrialization and
production of the world's first miniature piezoelectric MEMS
(Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) actuators for smart audio
systems in portable devices.
The patented micro-speaker technology from USound aims to
replace commonly used balanced-armature and electrodynamic
receivers for handsets with a small piezo-MEMS actuator.
Manufactured using ST's industry-leading thin-film piezo-electric
(TFP) technology, these actuators will improve scalability and cost
while assuring lower power consumption and heat dissipation in
hearables and smartphones devices, without compromising audio
quality.
"USound's technology and the transition to piezo-MEMS actuators
will bring semiconductor reliability, manufacturing efficiencies
and - most importantly to the consumer - sound improvements to
portable devices," said Anton Hofmeister, Vice President and GM of
MEMS Microactuators Division, STMicroelectronics. "The announcement
is a further step by ST, the worldwide leader in consumer and
mobile sensors, to expand our MEMS portfolio by leveraging our
valuable actuation technology to address large market opportunities
with high barriers to entry."
"With its outstanding semiconductor and MEMS expertise, ST is
the ideal partner to bring this never-seen-before technology to the
market," said Ferruccio Bottoni, CEO of USound. "Compared to
standard speakers, our piezo-MEMS devices offer unprecedented
mechanical precision, improving audio reproduction fidelity and
device reliability in very thin form factors. As the
first-of-its-kind device, our MEMS "Moon" speaker targets earphone
applications, bringing superior performance to the audio world at a
competitive price."
The USound/ST technology will be on show in the ST stand at
Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (Feb 27-Mar 2). The companies
anticipate the piezo-electric MEMS actuator will move into
production in Q3 of this year and will be shipping in consumer
products by the end of the year.
Notes to Editors:
Based on information attributed to Piper Jaffray & Co,
FutureSource Consulting, and Grand View Research, Statistic
Brain[1] projected more than 340 million headphones to have been
shipped in 2016 with unit growth of about 4% compounded through
2023.
About STMicroelectronics
ST is a global semiconductor leader delivering intelligent and
energy-efficient products and solutions that power the electronics
at the heart of everyday life. ST's products are found everywhere
today, and together with our customers, we are enabling smarter
driving and smarter factories, cities and homes, along with the
next generation of mobile and Internet of Things devices. By
getting more from technology to get more from life, ST stands for
life.augmented. In 2016, the Company's net revenues were $6.97
billion, serving more than 100,000 customers worldwide. Further
information can be found at www.st.com
About USound
USound GmbH is a fast growing audio start-up, founded with the
mission of developing and producing the most advanced audio systems
for mobile applications based on MEMS technology. The technological
platform developed by USound is enabling the production of a
revolutionary generation of MEMS micro speakers that will be
deployed in the world's top mobile applications. Further
information can be found at www.usound.com
For More Information Please Contact:
STMicroelectronics
Michael Markowitz Director, Technical Media
Relations+1-781-591-0354Michael.Markowitz@st.com
USound
Thomas GmeinerVP Global Program
Management+43-676-72-37-499thomas.gmeiner@usound.com
[1]
www.statisticbrain.com/headphone-industry-market-share-statistics
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