Whats in store for sapphire substrate manufacturers in 2014

Sapphire substrate application has come a long way from the original usage in military applications in the 1960's. This year alone has seen some major shifts in application with Apple's new integration of sapphire substrate into smartphone design. While LEDs and general lighting continue to make up a major chunk of sapphire substrate market share, non-LED application usage has had a.... more [Related Entries] Rubicon Technology Launches First Commercial Line of Large Diameter Patterned Sapphire Substrates for the LED Industry Mobile Devices Drive Up Demand for LED and Sapphire Substrate GT Advanced Technology Optmistic about Drive in ASF Demands by Non-LED Applications Production Shifts to 6-inch Sapphire Wafers Guizhou Haotian Opto: Sapphire Substrate Market Shortage to Continue

The LED and sapphire substrate industry has a very close relationship. Through the use of industrial equipment, crystals are grown from raw materials which are then grinded into crystal bars. These bars are then sliced into sapphire substrate wafers. The majority of which are supplied to LED production. Due to the hardness and suitable structure of sapphire substrate for LED applications....more [Related Entries] The Lesser-Known Non-LED Sapphire Substrate Applications GTAT Signs Multi-Year Sapphire Materials Agreement with Apple TechCrunch: Why Apple is Investing Heavily in Sapphire Substrates Glass Substrate Manufacturer Corning Believes Still Early for Sapphire Substrate to be Adopted The new iPhone Effect Taiwanese Sapphire Substrate Manufacturers Expand Production

Before 2012, the largest market for sapphire substrate applications was LED and the entry of many players led to an oversupply situation, with most manufacturers still suffering from losses, according to LEDinside analysts. Sapphire substrate prices remained low over the last two years due to this oversupply situation, according to a LEDinside report published in May 2013... more [Related Entries] Taiwanese Sapphire Substrate Price Raise Blocked by Growing Use of Chinese Substrate.. Sapphire Substrate Prices Slightly Decrease Emerging Handset Device Applications Contribute to New Sapphire Substrate Growth Wave First-Tier Sapphire Ingot Manufacturers Continue Expansion, Manufacturers Target Non-LED Applicaions Rise in LED Demand to Spur Sapphire Substrate Sales