There were 1,917 MOCVD sets in operation globally in May 2014 and Taiwan-based LED makers accounted for 28.6% of the number, followed by Japan-based makers with 23.8%, China-based makers with 22.9%, and South Korea-based makers with 14.1%, according to Digitimes Research.
Of the MOCVD sets, those used to produce sapphire wafers had a total monthly capacity of 888,290 4-inch wafers of which Taiwan-based makers accounted for 44.5%, China-based makers 34.2% and South Korea-based makers 19%, Digitimes Research indicated.
Sapphire ingot makers will have a total monthly production capacity of 7.39 million mm in 2104, with 770,600mm suitable for being sliced into 4-inch wafers.
International prices for 2-inch sapphire ingots stood at US$4.5/mm in the first quarter of 2014 and are expected to rise to US$4.5-5/mm in the second half of 2014, while those for 4-inch ingots will increase from over US$16/mm in the second quarter to over US$17/mm in the second half.
