Silicon wafer shipments reached a new record in the second quarter of 2021.

SEMI, an industry association representing the global electronics industry supply chain, announced on the 28th that global silicon wafer shipments in the second quarter of this year once again reached an all-time high of 3.534 billion square inches.

This figure represents an increase of approximately 12% compared to 3.152 billion square inches in the same period last year.

“Silicon demand is growing strongly due to the emergence of various applications, and silicon supply for 300mm and 200mm semiconductor chips is not keeping up with demand,” said Neil Weaver, chairman of SEMI’s Silicon Manufacturing Group (SMG) and director of product development and applications at Shin Etsu Handotai America.

The data released by the SEMI Silicon Manufacturing Group (SMG) includes virgin test wafers, epitaxial silicon wafers, polished silicon wafers, and non-polished silicon wafers.

Silicon wafers are a key material for semiconductor manufacturing and are therefore essential to virtually all electronic products, including computers, telecommunications products, and consumer electronics. Precision-machined silicon disks are produced in diameters ranging from 1 inch to 12 inches and are used as the substrate material on which most semiconductor chips are manufactured.

The SEMI Silicon Manufacturing Group (SMG) operates as a Special Interest Group (SIG) within SEMI and is comprised of companies involved in the production of polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon, and silicon wafers (e.g., as-cut, polished, epi, etc.). The group's purpose is to develop market information and statistics for the silicon and semiconductor industries, and to promote collaborative efforts on key issues related to the silicon industry.