11 August 2011

China GaN epi production to grow 300% in 2 years

Amid explosive growth in equipment spending from LED fabs globally (jumping last year from $606m in 2009 to $1.78bn in 2010), gallium nitride (GaN) epitaxial wafer production capacity in China in particular will grow by more than 300% in just 2 years (2010–2012), reaching 1,282,000 wafers per month (2" equivalents), according to the ‘China LED Fab Industry Report’ from global industry association Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI).

Noting that the global LED industry could grow from $10bn in 2010 to more than $100bn by 2020, the China LED Fab Industry Report summarizes China’s rapidly growing LED industry, including capital and equipment spending, fab capacity, and sales rankings of Chinese LED makers. Also included are subsidies for China fab projects, along with new LED fab projects, names of China’s sapphire wafer suppliers, and company profiles of China’s top LED makers. 

China has developed government support infrastructure for LED manufacturing and consumption, aided by subsidy programs from local governments. The country is the world's leading consumer of solid-state lighting and the leading producer of LCD TVs (the main driver for HB-LED consumption), notes the report. LED production investments have hence escalated rapidly, with new LED fab projects blossoming in the past two years. China now accounts for almost 50% of overall equipment spending.

The China LED Fab Industry Report therefore covers LED wafer and sapphire substrate manufacturing projects, government incentive programs, metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) tool forecasts, and emerging China-based manufacturing.

In particular, MOCVD tool installations are growing from a cumulative total of 323 reactors in 2010 to more than 1000 reactors by the end 2012. In addition, to catch up with the production expansion as well as the non-Chinese supplier bases, 10 new sapphire substrate projects are beginning in China.

The ‘China LED Fab Industry Report’ report is prepared by SEMI China-based market analysts and is based on the SEMI Opto/LED Fab Watch and Forecast service (which monitors LED capital spending at more than 160 fabs worldwide) as well as other sources.

See related items:

LED fab equipment spending triples in 2010, driven by China

GaN LED market to grow 38% in 2011

Tags: LEDs MOCVD

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