Global Indium Phosphide Wafer Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Global Indium Phosphide Wafer Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The Indium Phosphide Wafer Market was valued at USD 124.93 million and is expected to reach USD 268.29 million by 2027, registering a CAGR of 13.97% during the forecast period (2022 - 2027). Indium Phosphide (InP) has properties that produce highly efficient lasers, modulators, and sensitive photodetectors. It can also generate laser signals and convert and identify those signals back to the electronic form. These are used for company networks and data centers, long-haul optical fiber connections over far distances, wireless connections for 3G, 5G, and LTE base stations, and satellite communication.​ The growth in such requirements is driving the market.

• Moreover, indium phosphide wafers are increasingly adopted in the manufacture of LiDAR for automotive, 3D sensing, consumer wearables, and the growth in datacom in the telecommunication sector. This is expected to drive the market during the forecast period. In addition, some of the major applications of InPinclude 5G communications, data center connectivity that uses lights and lasers, fiber optic lasers and detectors, silicon photonics, RF amplifiers, and switches used in military and 5G communications, infrared thermal imaging in health, and others.
• Such vast applications indicate the requirement of indium phosphide wafers across end users in the market studied. In addition, semiconductors are becoming the building blocks of modern technology; the advancements and innovations in this field directly impact all downstream technologies.​ For instance, according to the Semiconductor Industry Associations, 39 new semiconductor fabrication projects were announced in 2021, with ten projects coming out of China and ten from Taiwan. Each of the United States and the European Union announced four fab projects. Such initiatives by the government are expected to enhance the manufacturing of indium phosphide wafers.
• Further, the semiconductor material market revenue witnessed increased demand due to the need for semiconductors across end-user industries. According to Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International, Taiwan accounted for a revenue of USD 14.71 for the sales of semiconductor materials. This indicates the growth prospects of the Asian market in the supply of raw materials and provides vendors opportunities to expand their manufacturing facilities for compound semiconductors that includes indium phosphide wafers.
• The use of indium phosphide wafers is experiencing substantial growth in the telecommunications industry as it expands to develop wireless technology. Advanced optoelectronics devices and fiber optic communications are used more frequently, significantly increasing market growth. For example, according to the International Telecommunication Union, the total number of mobile subscribers surpassed 8 billion for the first time in 2019 and reached 8.3 billion subscriptions in 2021. The longer link distance, less bulky physical cabling, and active high digital speed electric interface confronting the host ASIC demonstrate the global emergence of active optical cables. Lasers and photodetectors use optical fiber transmission windows, which can be produced on InPwafers. This constructively supports the market's expansion.
• However, the COVID-19 pandemic has halted the manufacturing of several items in the semiconductor production equipment industry, owing to the continued lockdown in most regions across the world. Lockdown measures reduced the demand for consumer electronic gadgets, which had a global impact on the semiconductor sector. The continued decline in worldwide demand and export shipments for automobiles caused a negative impact on the semiconductor market, which is currently slowing down the demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment.​

• Consumer 3D sensing products improve camera functionality for object and facial identification. Many products, including smartphones and gaming consoles, incorporate 3D sensors. Consumer-grade 3D sensing goods, including sensors, also provide high speed up to 1 kHz, insightful data visualization through mini USB, and high resolution to diverse components. By utilizing gesture recognition, 3D sensing technology improves smartphone efficiency and enables touchscreen functionality by utilizing user gestures on the device. Manufacturers of smartphones are anticipated to incorporate 3D sensing technology into their upcoming models to improve the camera's accuracy, object recognition, and depth information. Such usage of consumer 3d sensing products in different products will create an opportunity for the InP wafer market to grow.​
• In May 2022, the first 200 mm (8′′) epiwafer for vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) diodes was created by IQE in Wales. The cost of the laser for 3D sensors will be drastically reduced by switching to a 200mm compound semiconductor epi wafer. New foundry relationships will result from this, particularly those with high volume silicon-based foundries that use 200mm machinery. It will make it possible for compound semiconductors to be integrated into silicon, opening up a wider choice of devices and applications.​
• IQE created and increased the size of VCSEL epi wafers from 100mm to 150mm, enabling 3D sensing in high-end smartphones. Beyond the smartphone, moving to 200mm opens up possibilities for a wide range of intelligent linked devices, enabling applications in augmented and virtual reality.​
• The market is witnessed various wearable innovations. For instance, in June 2022, Realme added a new smartwatch to its lineup with the launch of the Realme TechLife Watch R100 with Bluetooth calling capabilities. A microphone and a speaker are included in the wearable. As a result, users can use the device to answer and respond to calls. Amazon Alexa is supported by the smartwatch. The Realme TeachLife Watch R100 is available for INR 3,999. Customers have the option of selecting the smartwatch in black or grey.​
• In June 2022, Fire-Boltt expanded its product lineup with the launch of the Fire Boltt Ninja Bell smartwatch. The wearable has a lightweight design and Bluetooth calling capabilities. The smartwatch has a waterproof and dust-resistant construction. The increase in new product launches of wearable devices will create an opportunity for the InP Wafer vendors to develop products according to the requirements of the clients.​
• Wearable vendors are focusing on developing advanced sensor solutions to track health parameters in consumer smartwatch wearable applications. For instance, in 2021, Apple partnered with Rockley Photonics to develop silicon photonic modules to measure the healthcare biological parameters for consumer wearables, which is expected to drive opportunities for the indium phosphide wafer vendors during the forecast period. ​

• The Asia Pacific region commands a prominent share of semiconductor foundries globally, with major companies such as TSMC, Samsung Electronics, etc. Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and China have a significant market share in the region. According to the US Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), the US share of worldwide installed wafer fab capacity has constantly declined from 1990 to 2020. During the same period, Asia saw a meteoric rise in developing new fabs to the point where it now accounts for a significant share of the world's capacity.
• China has a very ambitious semiconductor agenda. Backed by USD 150 billion in funding, the country is developing its domestic IC industry and plans to make more of its chips. Greater China, which encompasses Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan, is a geopolitical hotspot. The US-China trade war is compounding tensions in an area where all the leading process technology is located, forcing many Chinese companies to invest in their semiconductor foundries.
• China's new five-year plan for 2021-25, announced in March 2021, establishes boosting basic research as a critical priority. Central government spending on basic research will increase 11% in 2021, well above the 7% planned for the overall R&D investment and the 6% target for GDP growth. Semiconductors have been designated as one of the seven areas that will be given priority in terms of funding and resources. Firms involved in design develop nanometer-scale integrated circuits that perform the critical tasks that make electronic devices work, such as computing, storage, network connectivity, and power management. The profit more than doubled in 2021 because of robust chip demand. China's leading semiconductor foundry has set aside a record sum for capacity development in 2022. This year, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) has set aside USD 5 billion for capital spending, up from USD 4.5 billion in 2021.
• China is moving significantly closer to self-reliance in 7nm chip production. China has made breakthroughs in its 7nm chip-making process, reportedly developing tools and know-how for several segments of the manufacturing process amid efforts to reduce reliance on foreign equipment and material vendors.
• The significant research and partnership growth further bolsters the market growth rate. For instance, LioniXInternational (LXI) and the Institute of Microelectronics Chinese Academy of Science (IMECAS) have agreed to expand their Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) platform partnership by actively supporting the functionality and offering both platforms. The critical platforms in the PIC landscape include Silicon On Insulator (SOI), Indium Phosphide (InP), and the silicon nitride-based TriPleXplatform. These platforms are available through Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) access.

The growing presence of big manufacturers in the InP wafer manufacturing sector is expected to intensify competitive rivalry during the forecast period. Market incumbents, such as JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation, Powerway Advanced Material Co. Ltd, etc., considerably influence the overall market.​

• February 2022 - POET Technologies Inc., the designer and developer of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for the data center and telecommunication markets, entered into a collaboration with Liobate Technologies to incorporate advanced thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) modulators onto POET’s Optical Engines supporting power-efficient ultra-high-bandwidth electro-optic conversion for data center and telecom applications.
• September 2021 - The National Science Foundation announced that it would support a new project that aims to give atomic-level accuracy to the gadgets and technologies that underlie much of modern life and will revolutionize industries like information technology in the next decades. The Center for Integration of Modern Optoelectronic Materials on Demand, or IMOD, will be established due to a five-year, USD 25 million Science and Technology Center grant. IMOD is a partnership of scientists and engineers from 11 universities, headed by the University of Washington.
• June 2021 - A European collaboration between silicon photonics researchers from Belgian electronics institute IMEC and a semiconductor equipment firm, Sivers Photonics (formerly CST Global), and equipment firm ASM AMICRA Microtechnologies, successfully integrated indium phosphide (InP) lasers with silicon photonics on an industrial-scale wafer platform. •IMEC plans to offer a new technology platform as a prototyping service to accelerate the adoption of silicon photonics in cost-sensitive applications like optical interconnects, lidar, and biomedical sensing. This capability would enable advanced external cavity laser source types required for emerging optical interconnecting and sensing applications.

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