Semiconductor Materials Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Semiconductor Materials Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The Semiconductor Materials Market in the mining industry (henceforth referred to as the market studied) is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.25% over the forecast period (2022–2027). The increasing advancements in the semiconductor industry and the growing requirements for advanced semiconductor products are some of the major factors driving the investments in the semiconductor material market. Although the semiconductor industry is witnessing a fluctuating growth in revenues, the growing need for an advanced product is still motivating the market vendors and end-user organizations to invest in the development of semiconductor materials.

• Semiconductor materials represent one of the major innovations in the electronics industry. This can be accredited to their high electron mobility, wide temperature limits, and low energy consumption.
• By employing materials such as silicon (Si), gallium arsenide (GaAs), and germanium (Ge), electronics manufacturers were able to replace traditional thermionic devices that made electronic items heavy and non-portable. Since the invention of semiconductor elements, there has been a high degree of miniaturization, resulting in more compact and transportable electronic equipment. Silicon is often regarded as the best semiconductor element available in the present market.
• New acquisitions related to the end-user industries and new investments in setting up the factories are expected to drive the market. For instance, in July 2021, South Korean semiconductor company Simmtech Co. Ltd, via its Malaysian subsidiary, Sustio Sdn Bhd (Sustio), will be investing RM 507.78 million to set up the first factory in Southeast Asia at Penang’s Batu Kawan Industrial Park.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has halted the manufacturing of several items in the semiconductor production equipment industry, owing to continued lockdown in important global regions. Lockdown measures reduced demand for consumer electronic gadgets, which had a global impact on the semiconductor sector. The continued decline in worldwide demand and automobile export shipments negatively impacted the semiconductor market, slowing the need for semiconductor manufacturing equipment in the long run.
• Further, the market is expected to grow with new research and innovation in semiconductor materials. In December 2021, Researchers at Missouri S&T demonstrated a new two-dimensional material heterostructure – a basic building block for advanced semiconductor devices – that has great potential for future applications in compact sensors and detectors, optical communication, and optical integrated circuits, and quantum computers. With the help of various optical spectroscopic techniques, the researchers found robust anisotropic optical properties in flakes.

• The increased popularity and affordability of consumer electronics have influenced the growth of semiconductor materials. Consumer electronics, such as laptops, tablets, mobile phones, and smartwatches, require complex implementation of semiconductor materials, thus, driving the market's growth in the customer electronics segment.
• The smartphone market is the major consumer of semiconductors in this segment. The smartphone market has been very competitive in recent years. The increasing usage of mobile phones is anticipated to drive the global market. The 5G rollout and growing implementation of IoT technology are further anticipated to drive the smartphone industry's growth. Telecom operators are investing, and innovations in 5G technology are expected to fuel the demand for 5G capable devices. Consumers and enterprises are expected to opt for 5G devices.
• Gallium nitride (GaN) and Silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor materials offer superior properties, allowing for the potential operation of power devices at high voltages and high temperatures and switching frequency compared to conventional silicon technology.
• The major factor driving the demand for SiC material semiconductors includes the need for electronic manufacturers to improve the device's battery life. The trend has been similar for the PC and wearable device markets. To provide reduced charging time, the manufacturers like OPPO, One Plus, Motorola, Samsung, and Apple, offer these fast-charging adapters, which is the key to their marketing strategy.
• Similarly, gallium nitride (GaN) is a next-generation semiconductor material with characteristics that create it a suitable candidate for use in the devices used to charge mobile devices and other consumer electronics. The material offers more efficient AC/DC power conversion than traditional silicon devices, lowering wasted energy during charging while significantly reducing the charger's size and weight and decreasing life cycle environmental impacts.

• Asian Countries, such as China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, have played a leading role in developing the semiconductor industry. The Asia-Pacific region is projected to account for a major market share in the semiconductor materials market, owing to increasing demand for wireless technologies and consumer electronic products from emerging economies, such as India, Taiwan, and China.
• Taiwan is one of the largest manufacturers of semiconductors in the world. The country is home to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Limited (TSMC), United Microelectronics Corporation, and other major players driving the country's semiconductor industry. Moreover, according to the SEMI's March 2021 report, Taiwan remained the world's largest consumer of semiconductor materials for more than a decade. A similar trend is expected in the coming years based on the strength of the country's large foundry capacity and advanced packaging base.
• While China's semiconductor industry is aggressively building partnerships with international players to strengthen its prowess amid the US-China trade war, Taiwan semiconductor supply chains, specifically backend service providers OSAT providers, are expected to benefit from robust partnership activities significantly.
• Furthermore, in South Korea, the country has been boosting the manufacturing of semiconductor materials through government initiatives. For instance, in May 2021, the government announced to offer around KRW 1 trillion in long-term loans for increasing the capacity of 8-inch wafer chip contract manufacturing and the investment in materials and packaging.
• Southeast Asian countries, like Singapore and Malaysia, are witnessing significant traction resulting in expanding the semiconductor foundry landscape in the region. In June 2021, GlobalFoundries (GF) will build a new USD 4 billion fabrication plant in Singapore to meet the global shortage of chips. When fully completed, GF will add 450,000 wafers per year, bringing GF's Singapore campus up to almost 1.5 million (300mm) wafers per year.

The Semiconductor Materials Market is quite competitive and consists of significant players. However, in terms of market share, few major players, such as LG Chem Ltd, Kyocera Corporation, and Intel Corporation, dominate the market. However, with the help of technological advancements, product innovations, and partnerships, mid-size to smaller companies increase their market presence by securing new contracts and tapping new markets.

• July 2021 - Showa Denko Materials Co. announced that it would increase production capacity for semiconductor materials at its subsidiary in Taiwan to meet strong demand for the products. The subsidiary, Showa Denko Semiconductor Materials (Taiwan) Co., would boost its production capacity for chemical mechanical planarization, or CMP, slurry, a polishing material for semiconductor devices, and prepreg of the main materials used in multilayer printed circuit boards.
• March 2021 - Intel announced an investment of USD 20 billion in two plants in Arizona. The announcement came amid a global chip shortage in the automobiles and electronics industries and concerns that the United States is falling behind in semiconductor production.

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