300mm wafer production to double by 2015
Semiconductor manufacturing using 300mm wafers will see production nearly double from 2010 to 2015 as chip producers increasingly employ them for older, more mature products, according to IHS iSuppli.
By 2015, foundries and integrated device manufacturers are expected to produce 8,753million square inches of silicon on 300mm wafers, up from 4,799.4m in 2010. This is equivalent to a compound annual growth rate of 12.8%.
"Initially, 300mm wafers were employed only for the most advanced products," said Len Jelinek, research director and analyst for semiconductor manufacturing at IHS. "However, that's been changing over the course of the past two years, with both foundries and IDMs having determined that 300mm wafers represent the most cost effective manufacturing method for mature products."
IHS noted that semiconductor manufacturers are in the early stages of transitioning to the next generation wafer size, 450mm, but said that it is unknown whether semiconductor manufacturers, tool suppliers and silicon suppliers will be able to turn a profit from them.
