Worldwide silicon wafer revenues declined by 12 percent in 2012 compared to 2011, according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry. Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments declined 0.1 percent in 2012 when compared to 2011 area shipments.

In 2012, silicon wafer area shipments totaled 9,031 million square inches (MSI), down from the 9,043 million square inches shipped during 2011. Revenues totaled $8.7 billion down from $9.9 billion posted in 2011.

"Much like semiconductor unit shipments, semiconductor silicon shipments started out the year strong; however, shipments weakened during the second half of the year,” said Byungseop Hong, chairman of SEMI SMG and director of Global Marketing at LG Siltron. “Despite challenges in the market, 300 mm volume shipments reached record levels.”

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Annual Silicon* Industry Trends

*Shipments are for semiconductor applications only and do not include solar applications

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.

This report was compiled and released by the the Silicon Manufacturers Group, which acts as an independent special interest group within the SEMI association. The group’s purpose 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.

SEMI is the global industry association with over 2,000 members, serving the nano- and microelectronics manufacturing supply chains.