Sapphire substrate trend Future development in 4 inch direction

The brightness required for LED components is increasing, and the LED factory is increasing the amount of patterned sapphire substrates. In 2014, many patterned sapphire substrate factories plan to significantly expand production capacity, and because of the large demand for 4 inches, manufacturers have also shifted the new production line to 4 inches. development of.

In the cross-strait patterned sapphire substrate factory, Taiwan's expansion of production is the most active. According to DIGITIMES Research, the monthly average production capacity of Taiwan's patterned sapphire substrate in the first quarter of 2014 was 2.19 million pieces (calculated in 2 inches). The average monthly production capacity in the fourth quarter will increase to 4.27 million pieces, and the increase rate will reach more than 20% per season.

If we observe the industrial concentration of Taiwan's patterned sapphire substrate factory, the top two factories in 2014 will have a 50% share of Ruijie and Zhaoyuan, while the concentration of the top five plants will increase from 75.3% in the first quarter of 2014 to the first. 81.3% of the fourth quarter, if further calculating the industrial concentration of the top 10 companies, it will increase from 95.6% in the first quarter of 2014 to 97.6% in the fourth quarter.

In 2014, as the cross-strait LED epitaxial wafer plant increased the proportion of 4-inch production capacity, the demand for 4-inch patterned sapphire substrates increased greatly. DIGITIMES Research considered various factors such as capacity utilization rate, new capacity, and patterned sapphire substrate purchase. under. In the first quarter of 2014, the average monthly demand for 4-inch patterned sapphire substrates was 462,000, and the peak in the third quarter will reach 579,000. In the fourth quarter, due to the low season, the demand will decrease.

In terms of the supply of 4-inch patterned sapphire substrates on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan's patterned Sapphire substrate factory is also supplied to mainland manufacturers. In contrast, the supply of mainland patterned sapphire substrate plants is not high compared with Taiwanese manufacturers. In addition, considering the problem that the manufacturer has to overcome the yield in the process of converting 4 inches, the average monthly amount of 4-inch patterned sapphire substrates available in the first quarter of 2014 is 332,000, to the second half of 2014. The average will be 544,000 and 643,000. Compared with the above-mentioned demand for the four-inch LED epitaxial wafer factory, it can be found that the supply of 4-inch patterned sapphire substrates in the third quarter of 2014 is still in a tight situation.

In terms of the price trend of patterned sapphire substrates, the 2014 4-inch increase is more obvious, from 51 US dollars in the first quarter, will rise to 55 US dollars in the fourth quarter, an increase of 7.8%, mainly due to the price increase of sapphire crystal rods. It is also due to the increase in demand for 4-inch patterned sapphire substrates by LED Epitaxial Plant; as for the 2-inch substrate, it is slightly increased. It is estimated that the annual growth rate for 2014 will be 4%, and the fourth quarter will see 13 dollars.