MOCVD forecast – over 4,000 tools likely to ship from 2010 to 2013

AUSTIN, USA: IMS Research’s Quarterly GaN LED Supply Report released last week determined that over 300 MOCVD systems were installed in Q2’10 to serve the rapidly growing high brightness (HB) LED market.

This segment is benefitting from rapid gains in penetration into the notebook PC, LCD monitor, LCD TV and general lighting markets as well as a healthy subsidy in China. The report also shows that LED capacity will need to rise by 352 percent from 2009 to 2014 to keep up with demand, driving tool shipments throughout the HB LED supply chain.

According to IMS Research SVP Ross Young: “MOCVD is the single hottest category in the semiconductor manufacturing space with shipments expected to rise by nearly 500% in 2010 and to keep growing through 2013.

“With TVs, monitors and general lighting still early in the adoption cycle and the Chinese government encouraging a healthy LED infrastructure with a generous $1.5M subsidy per tool, this segment should remain hot. We now count over 80 manufacturers of epi wafers with additional companies entering soon.”

Other highlights of the report include:
* Aixtron continued to lead the multi-wafer MOCVD market with a 60 percent share. China was its fastest growing region which overtook Korea as its #2 region. Aixtron held a dominant share in Taiwan and China in Q2’10, but lost ground in Korea.

* Veeco’s multi-wafer share rose from 32 percent in Q1’10 to 37 percent in Q2’10 on the strength of rapid growth and share gains in South Korea where it held a dominant position.

* Korea’s unyielded die capacity reached a record high 36 percent followed by Taiwan at 32 percent with China also gaining ground.

* 4” wafer capacity surged in Q2’10 and is expected to account for over a third of total wafer capacity on an area basis in Q3’10.