The worldwide semiconductor market saw a growth of 25% in 2010 compared to 2009 with revenues of $43.55bn, surpassing the previous high of $42.67bn registered in 2007, according to a Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) report.
Year 2010 also saw record device shipments, which are primarily responsible for the record revenues experienced by the materials industry, said the Material Market Data Subscription (MMDS) report.
The 2010 revenues comprise of $22.93bn sales from wafer fabrication materials and $20.63bn from packaging material, while in 2009, revenues from wafer fabrication materials and packaging materials were $17.75bn and $17.09bn, respectively.
According to the report, the year-over-year growth of the total semiconductor materials market was mainly due to significant increases in silicon and advanced packaging substrates revenues.
With $9.20bn in total sales of semiconductor materials Japan remains the largest consumer followed by Taiwan where revenues reached $9.11bn due to its large foundry and advanced packaging base.
The percentage growth of 2010 revenues in Taiwan compare to 2009 is nearly double than that of Japan.
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The report said that a double-digit growth was registered in all regional markets.
The semiconductor materials market revenues in North America saw a 19% growth in 2010, with revenues rising from $3.74bn in 2009 to $4.47bn in 2010, while China experienced a growth of 27% from $3.27bn to 4.15bn.
Continuing this trend, Europe also recorded a growth of 24% in 2010, rising from $2.51bn in 2009 to $3.11bn in 2010.
Revenues in regions with strong packaging bases were augmented by rising gold metal prices, according to the report.
