Silicon wafer shipment consensus forecast
Leading suppliers of silicon wafers participated in a consensus survey, obtained from SEMI surveying the SMG members. This survey provides an outlook for the demand in silicon units for the period 2006 – 2009. The results show silicon shipments reaching 7,811 million square inches in 2006, 8,199 million square inches in 2007, 9,370 million square inches in 2008, and 9,764 million square inches in 2009 (please refer to below table). Total wafer shipments are expected to experience robust growth through the entire forecast period, with an average CAGR of over 10% from 2005 – 2009.
"We are currently seeing unprecedented demand, driven by the end market electronic applications. The silicon segment that is experiencing the greatest growth is 300mm, which is anticipated to be over 30% of total silicon volumes in 2007." said Tatsuhiko Shigematsu, chairman SEMI SMG and technology officer of SUMCO Corporation.
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 more than 95 percent of today's semiconductor devices or "chips" are fabricated.
All data cited in here 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.
