Jan 29 2013
Rubicon Technology, Inc. a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, semiconductor, and optical industries, today announced that it has shipped a total of 400,000 six-inch sapphire wafers to LED manufacturing and SoS/RFIC markets.
Sapphire is a key building block for LEDs – the most energy-efficient technology for general lighting and the dominant backlighting technology in consumer products such as HDTVs, laptops, smart phones and tablets. A second significant market for sapphire is Silicon-on-Sapphire (SoS) Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFICs). SoS RFIC chips deliver high RF performance with low power consumption, a small form factor, and significantly reduced crosstalk in antenna applications that are pervasive in smart phones and other consumer devices.
As the global technology leader for sapphire, Rubicon was first to develop large diameter sapphire wafers for use in the RFIC market and further developed large diameter sapphire wafers to meet the specific needs of the LED industry.
“This latest milestone demonstrates Rubicon’s continuing leadership in the volume delivery of high quality large-diameter sapphire wafers,” said Raja M. Parvez, President and CEO of Rubicon Technology. “Our emphasis on vertical integration – achieving cost efficiencies and control of sapphire production – enables us to scale production and ensures our customers an unparalleled, reliable supply of high quality, large diameter sapphire wafers that meet their unique and exacting specifications. Rubicon’s capabilities are increasingly important as LED manufacturers seek to reduce costs throughout the manufacturing process to make LED-based lighting more affordable for consumers and encourage adoption worldwide.”
LED chips are necessary for the backlighting in consumer devices and the new wave of energy efficient LED lighting. IMS Research estimates that the overall LED market will reach nearly $10.9 billion in 2012 with $2.9 billion in lighting. By 2015, IMS projects that the LED market will reach $13.9 billion with the lighting market nearly doubling to $5.8 billion in three years.