Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased by 8 percent in 2007 when compared to 2006 area shipments according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry. Revenues also grew by 21 percent in 2007 compared to 2006, as a result of 300 mm contributing to an overall better product mix.
Silicon wafer area shipments in 2007 totaled 8,661 million square inches (MSI), up from the 7,996 million square inches shipped during 2006. Revenues grew to $12.1 billion from $10.0 billion posted in 2006. "Robust demand and the 300 mm ramp led to an overall strong year for the silicon industry,” said Kazuyo Heinink, chairwoman of SEMI SMG and Vice President, New Product Marketing for MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. "We expect that these drivers will fundamentally remain in place for 2008, with silicon shipments likely continuing to grow at a healthy rate.”
Annual Silicon Industry Trends
Worldwide Silicon Data |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
Area Shipments (MSI) |
4,681 |
5,149 |
6,262 |
6,645 |
7,996 |
8,661 |
Revenues ($B) |
5.5 |
5.8 |
7.3 |
7.9 |
10.0 |
12.1 |
Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for semiconductors, which in turn, are vital components of virtually all electronics goods, including computers, telecommunications products, and consumer electronics. The highly engineered thin round disks are produced in various diameters (from one inch to 12 inches) and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductor devices or "chips" are fabricated.
All data cited in this release is inclusive of polished silicon wafers, including virgin test wafers, epitaxial silicon wafers, and non-polished silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to the end-users.
The Silicon Manufacturers Group acts as an independent special interest group within the SEMI structure and is open to SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers (e.g., as cut, polished, epi, etc.). The purpose of the group is to facilitate collective efforts on issues related to the silicon industry including the development of market information and statistics about the silicon industry and the semiconductor market.
