Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments in 2020 increased while revenue remained unchanged from 2019 at $11,170 million, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry. Silicon shipments totaled 12,407 million square inches (MSI), compared to 11,810 MSI shipped in 2019, a rebound in volume of 5% year over year, recovering close to the historic high set in 2018.
“2020 silicon wafer shipment growth was driven by healthy 300mm demand and a strong second half of 2020 despite disruptions to the semiconductor industry caused by COVID-19,” said Neil Weaver, chairman SEMI SMG and vice president, Product Development and Applications Engineering at Shin Etsu Handotai America.
Annual Silicon* Industry Trends
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Area Shipments (MSI) | 9,370 | 9,043 | 9,031 | 9,067 | 10,098 | 10,434 | 10,738 | 11,810 | 12,732 | 11,810 | 12,407 |
| Revenues ($Billion) | 9.7 | 9.9 | 8.7 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 8.7 | 11.4 | 11.2 | 11.2 |
Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), January 2021
* 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 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 (e.g., as cut, polished, epi). The purpose of the SMG 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.