Taiwanese patterned sapphire substrates (PSS) manufacturers have expanded their capacities much more aggressively than their Chinese rivals in recent months amid rising demand from LED companies, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said last week.
PSS are typically used to manufacture LEDs. The components have been proved to be effective in increasing light extraction efficiency and the crystal quality of gallium nitride-based LEDs.
The Taipei-based researcher said Taiwanese companies’ capacities for 2-inch PSS last quarter reached 2.19 million units per month and are estimated to grow 20.1 percent to 2.63 million units per month this quarter.
The figure is likely to increase by another 35 percent to 3.55 million units per month next quarter, and 20.3 percent to 4.27 million units per month during the fourth quarter of the year, TrendForce said in a report released on Friday.
“Many PSS manufacturers have increased their capacities this year, and because demand for 4-inch PSS is exceptionally strong, a number of the firms have decided to apply their additional capacities to making 4-inch PPS,” Jessie Lin (林芬卉) said in the report.
Rigidtech Microelectronics Corp (銳捷) and Crystalwise Technology Inc (兆遠) are the nation’s top two PSS producers. Their Chinese rivals include Crystaland Co (雲南藍晶), Jiangsu Jeshine New Material Co (江蘇吉星), Nanjing J-Crystal Photoelectric Science & Technology Co (南京京晶) and Zhejiang Shangcheng Science & Technology Co (浙江上城).
Rigitech, based in Taoyuan County’s Gueishan Township (龜山), started mass production of 4-inch PSS this year. Sales of 2 inch and 4 inch PSS accounted for 98 percent of the company’s total sales of NT$552.14 million (US$18.39 million) last quarter.
The company counts Taiwan’s LED chipmakers Epistar Corp (晶電), Formosa Epitaxy Inc (璨圓) and their Chinese peer Elec-Tech International Co (德豪) as major clients.
Crsytalwise, headquartered in Hsinchu County’s Baoshan Township (寶山), also supplies PSS to Epistar. Thanks to growing demand for PSS, Crystalwise’s first-quarter sales expanded 46.6 percent to a record high of NT$611 million.
Lin said total capacities for 4-inch PSS by both Taiwanese and Chinese manufacturers were estimated at 332,000 units per month last quarter, which fell short of the market demand of 462,000 units per month. Capacities are forecast to reach 544,000 units per month next quarter, still less than the market demand of 579,000 units per month.
Due to the increased cost of the sapphire ingot used to make sapphire substrates, the price of 4-inch PSS is estimated to surge 7.8 percent to US$55 in the October-to-December quarter from US$51 last quarter, according to research house Digitimes Research.
The price of 2-inch PSS is projected to grow 4 percent to US$13 during the fourth quarter from last quarter’s US$12.5, Digitimes said.
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