Although the drastic nature of the production cuts in the first half of 2009 impacted demand for semiconductor materials, the second half recovery saw the materials market only contract 19%, according to a new report from SEMI. In the last major downturn in 2001, the materials market decline 26%.
Semiconductor materials market revenues totalled US$34.6 billion globally in 2009, while total wafer fabrication materials and packaging materials were US$17.9 billion and US$16.8 billion, respectively. Silicon revenues contributed to the year-over-year decline in the wafer fabrication materials market.
On a regional basis, Japan remains the largest consumer of semiconductor materials with a 22% share due to its large wafer fab and advanced packaging base.
All regional markets experienced double-digit declines with the exception of China, which contracted about 9%, SEMI noted. Increases in gold metal pricing helped to offset declines in regions with strong packaging bases.