Category Archives: Wafer and Foundries

Introduction to Extrinsic Semiconductors

In this article we will discuss extrinsic semiconductors. In short extrinsic semiconductors are devices that have been doped with specific chemicals. This process helps modifying the electrical properties of a relatively pure semiconductor crystal.
 
Intrinsic (pure semiconductor) or un-doped semiconductors have free electrons and holes. Both of them are

GlobalFoundries joins Google’s open source silicon initiative

Over the last year we have been busy planning the expansion of our free open source silicon design and manufacturing program to further grow the community of developers and companies building custom silicon, and build a thriving ecosystem around open source hardware.

 
Today, we’re excited to announce

China-Based IC Production to Represent 21.2% of China IC Market in 2026

IC Insights’ 112-page May 2Q Update to The McClean Report 2022 is now available for subscribers to download.  It includes a current outlook for the 2022 global economy, detailed market, unit shipment, and ASP forecasts for IC and O-S-D products through 2026, 2021 semiconductor supplier rankings by product type, the 1Q22 top-25 semiconductor

2016-2022 Semiconductor Wafer Capacity Trends

IC Insights’ February 1Q Update to The McClean Report 2022 includes an overview of IC industry capacity and wafer start trends from 2002 through 2026.  This bulletin provides a brief summary.
 
The volatile nature of the IC industry is reflected by large swings in annual wafer starts.  Over the past five years, for

Semicondcutor Foundry Sales Forecast 2016-2022

IC Insights’ forecast for the foundry market through 2026 was part of its recently released 1Q Update to the 2022 McClean Report.  The Update also included analyses of the top-25 2021 semiconductor suppliers, semiconductor industry capital spending, IC industry capacity, the automotive IC market, and detailed forecasts for the DRAM, flash, MCU, MPU, and analog

Silicon Wafer Cost

Wafer cost is a critical component of IC cost calculation. Wafer cost is based on 4 main factors: wafer technology node, e.g. 5nm, 65nm, 130nm, etc. Wafer options/features, e.g. all the options required on top of the plain vanilla, e.g. mim cap, flash, high voltage, etc. Wafer volume, e.g. how