Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments in 2019 declined 7 percent from the 2018 record high while revenue remained above the $11 billion mark despite a global silicon revenue slip of 2 percent over the same period, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry.
Silicon wafer area shipments in 2019 totaled 11,810 million square inches (MSI), while the industry logged shipments of 12,732 million square inches in 2018. Revenues in 2019 totaled $11.15 billion, edging down from the $11.38 billion posted in 2018.
“The 2019 decline in worldwide semiconductor silicon volume shipments resulted from memory market softness and inventory normalization,” said Neil Weaver, Vice President of SEMI SMG, and Director, Product Development and Applications Engineering, at Shin-Etsu Handotai America. “Despite the volume dip, silicon revenue remained resilient.”
Annual Silicon* Industry Trends
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Area Shipments (MSI) | 8,137 | 6,707 | 9,370 | 9,043 | 9,031 | 9,067 | 10,098 | 10,434 | 10,738 | 11,810 | 12,732 | 11,810 |
| Revenues ($Billion) | 11.4 | 6.7 | 9.7 | 9.9 | 8.7 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 8.7 | 11.4 | 11.2 |
Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), January 2020
*Total Electronic Grade Silicon Slices Excluding Non-Polished Wafers. Shipments are for semiconductor applications only and do not include solar applications.
*Shipments are for semiconductor applications only and do not include solar applications
All data cited in this release includes polished silicon wafers, such as virgin test wafers and epitaxial silicon wafers, as well as non-polished silicon wafers shipped to end users.
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.
The Silicon Manufacturing Group (SMG) is a sub-committee of the SEMI Electronic Materials Group (EMG) and is open to SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers such as cut, polished and epi. The group facilitates 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.