In response to increased demand for 4- and 6-inch sapphire substrates, Monocrystal Inc of Stavropol, Russia (which manufactures large-diameter sapphire substrates and cores for LEDs, optical products and RFIC applications) plans to significantly ramp up its polishing capacity to 14 million 2-inch equivalent wafers (TIE) by the end of 2016.
Last year the firm's shipments of large-diameter polished wafers grew by 30%, and crystal growing capacities reached 53 million TIE. Monocrystal says that this allowed it to maintain its status as the world's largest sapphire growing company.
"2015 was a challenging year for the whole sapphire industry, some key players were forced to leave the market," notes CEO Oleg Kachalov. "However, Monocrystal managed to increase its market share due to constant improvements in its cost structure and several technological breakthroughs," he adds. "This year we will maintain the momentum and strive to double wafer production capacities to support our customers by providing reliable supply of large-size high-quality wafers."