The internal level of the Internet of Things industry is distinct, the perception layer, the network layer, the platform layer and the application layer, each forming an independent market, each with professional players, showing different ecology.
China's Internet of Things segments are in a high-speed development stage, but at the same time, China's IoT sensors need to be broken. 'At present, what we lack most is the ability to perceive.' Former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Professor of Peking University Yang Xueshan said at the 2018 China Internet of Things Industry Ecology Conference that China's Internet of Things has experienced more than seven years of development. Both in technology and in application, great progress has been made, but overall there are still shortcomings.
Perception is the bottleneck
In the basic technologies of the Internet of Things, perceptual technology is the root and core of the Internet of Things, and it is also the biggest bottleneck restricting the development of China's Internet of Things. The data shows that about 70% of the sensor market in China is occupied by foreign-funded enterprises. The market share is small, but mainly concentrated in areas with low skill levels.
'Because of the large number of sensor types, the technical threshold is different, China has a layout in the conventional sensor, but the high-precision sensor is a short board. 'Yuan Peiyan, a professor of Internet of Things research in Henan Normal University, told the "Communication Industry News" (net) The reporter said that the smaller the feature size of the integrated circuit, the higher the integration of the device and the better the performance. The smaller the size of the sensor in the IoT system, the more convenient the system is, and the better the performance.
As a representative of intelligent, miniaturized sensors, MEMS utilizes traditional semiconductor processes and materials, integrating micro-sensors, micro-actuators, micro-mechanical mechanisms, and signal processing and control circuits to integrate micro-devices or systems, which is the future of sensor development. Direction, also the core of the Internet of Things. Widely used in satellites, launch vehicles, aerospace equipment, aircraft, automotive, robotics and other fields.
If China can't master the manufacturing technology of MEMS sensors and lead its production, it will undoubtedly hinder the progress of the local Internet of Things industry.
Tracing back to the source: Internet of Things brain
The lack of perceptual ability is traced back to the chip problem. As the 'brain' of the Internet of Things, the chip is one of the key components that are essential in almost all aspects of the Internet of Things. According to the different functions of the chip, the chips needed in the Internet of Things industry are It includes chips integrated into sensors and wireless modules to achieve specific functions. It also includes a system chip embedded in the terminal device to provide 'brain' functions - an embedded microprocessor, usually in the form of MCU/SoC.
The reporter found out that among the IoT chip manufacturers, there are traditional international semiconductor giants such as ARM, Intel, Qualcomm, Freescale, Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, etc. There are also domestic manufacturers including: Huawei Hisilicon, Spreadtrum, Beijing Junzheng and so on.
Foreign manufacturers occupy a place in the fields of wireless communication chips, sensor chips, embedded micro-control design, etc., while domestic manufacturers start from specific segments, including wireless communication chips, security chips, etc., in design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, etc. are also involved. But in the field of sensor chips, almost no domestic companies can be seen.
Breaking through the bottleneck
'The Internet of Things chip is a relatively complex industry, involving R&D, design and production. ' Xiao Qing, general manager of China Mobile Beijing IC Innovation Center, told the "Communication Industry News" (net) reporter, 'China is in the material, There is a lack of accumulation in key technical areas such as processes and processes, so this is a long-term process.'
Taking MEMS as an example, it uses micromachining technology to integrate various products into silicon-based microelectronic chips. MEMS processes have many similarities with traditional IC processes, such as photolithography, thin film deposition, doping, etching, Chemical mechanical polishing processes, etc., but some complex microstructures are difficult to implement with IC technology and must be fabricated using micromachining technology. These include silicon micromachining technology, surface micromachining technology and special micromachining technology. In addition, MEMS manufacturing A variety of special processing methods are also widely used, including bonding, LIGA, electroplating, soft lithography, micro-die casting, micro-stereolithography and micro-EDM processing.
Like the general-purpose chip, the production process of the sensor chip is particularly complicated. Moreover, the material used in the production and processing of the chip is less than 15%, and the localization rate of the semiconductor material is lower in the high-end process and advanced packaging. And some products face serious patent technology blockade.
The weakness of the basic technology of the Internet of Things requires long-term investment and attention. The biggest driving force for the advancement of basic technology comes from the breakthrough of science and technology. Yuan Peiyan said. China's current scientific research system includes the funding system, and the scientific research assessment system needs reform.
Independent innovation is the road that must be taken. In addition, the introduction of absorption and international cooperation is indispensable. 'The chip industry is a highly divisional industry. There are dozens of chips in a mobile phone. It is not realistic to solve it by itself. ' Xiao Qing said.
In addition, the development of the Internet of Things industry requires ecological construction. Wang Yongbin, marketing director of Silicon Lijie, said that the scale application of the Internet of Things requires the construction of platforms, the joining of giant enterprises, and the maturity of 5G networks.
Reporter's hand
Dark growing power
After reading some reports on the development of the Internet of Things in China, I wanted to know more about the real situation of the Internet of Things industry in China. I interviewed university researchers, IC R&D personnel, and IoT application companies. 'The sensor chip is a short board. To a large extent, it is caused by the lack of platform and scale applications. With the platform and application, chip development should be able to come out in 1-2 years. ', 'We are catching up, like NB-IoT, China has mastered a lot. The right to speak, in the NB-IoT chip design and development, industrialization has done a good job, especially with the 5G China lead, will bring more changes. ' 'In some conventional sensor fields, China has many applications. In the interview, these respondents from different fields expressed their optimism about the development of China's Internet of Things. I think these optimism is not blind, China's huge application market, and more and more local giants join, let China The Internet of Things has a stronger power to grow from the dark.