Electronic Wet Chemical Market Size, Share, Opportunities, COVID-19 Impact, And Trends By Type (Phosphoric Acid, Hydrogen Peroxide, Ammonium Hydroxide, Sulfuric Acid, Others), By Application (Cleaning, Etching, Chemical Mechanical Planarization), And By Geography - Forecasts From 2022 To 2027

The global electronic wet chemical market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.73% to reach a market size of US$3,308.455 million in 2027 from US$2,393.468 million in 2020. 

Wafer cleaning is a critical process in large-scale wafer manufacturing. The primary objective of wafer cleaning is to remove chemicals and particular impurities without damaging the wafer surface. It is vital to ensure that the surface of the wafer is not negatively impacted in the cleaning and etching process since the yield of a wafer is inversely related to the defect density from processing done on the wafer. Moreover, global wafer production is influenced by worldwide electronic production. In fact, global electronic and IT production has increased from US$2,340 billion in 2010 to US$2,920 billion in 2019 (source: Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association), with semiconductor manufacturing accounting for approx. 14% of it.

Increasing adoption of consumer electronics and the availability of a variety of products is inducing the demand for consumer electronics which, simultaneously, is expected further to push the demand for semiconductors during the forecast period. In addition, the rising household consumption expenditure also plays an important role in increasing the demand for consumer electronics, which further increases the demand for wafers. For instance, as per the World Bank, the household’s final consumption expenditure has grown remarkably from US$ 2.732 trillion in 2011 to US$ 4.698 trillion by 2017. Furthermore, rapid urbanization and increasing disposable income in developing economies like India, China, and Brazil are anticipated to increase the demand for consumer electronics which will further widen the growth opportunities for vendors and manufacturers during the forecast period. The growing disposable income is expected to boost the demand for cameras, tablets, and notebooks significantly during the forecast period.  As a result, many end-user manufacturers are expanding their production capacity and product offering to cater to the growing demand. For instance, ASUSTeK Computer Inc. launched the ASUS Chromebook C223, C423, and C523 in October 2018. Similarly, in July 2018, Fujifilm Corporation announced that it would boost its production capacity for interchangeable lenses to address the growing demand for mirrorless cameras globally.

Simultaneously, the anticipated commercialization of 5G during the forecast period and the focus on providing high-speed internet services are expected to increase the investment in the development of internet infrastructure globally, which in turn, is anticipated to boost the production of different communication components and devices. In fact, in July 2017, Netgear®Inc. launched Gigabit Docsis 3.1 cable modem router that can deliver high-speed internet. Moreover, in September 2017, Vodafone Group announced its plans to invest $2.4 billion in Germany to provide around 13.7 million new ultrafast broadband connections by 2021.

In fact, consumer electronics and communication industries are estimated to cumulatively constitute approx. 65% of the global silicon wafer market – the most widely used wafer, to grow at a CAGR of roughly 4% between 2018-2024 (source: Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence Analysis).

Moreover, the growing trend of miniaturization and the corresponding increase in chip complexity is further aiding the demand for electronic wet chemicals, more specifically, pure hydrogen peroxide.

REGIONAL SNAPSHOT

There is a growing trend of shifting manufacturing facilities from the developed region to the Asia Pacific, more specifically, in countries like India, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines, among others, on account of the ability to offer skilled and relatively inexpensive labour and cheap electricity, thus, attracting, significant foreign investment. Moreover, the production of electric vehicles is rapidly increasing in China. There were more than 3 million electric vehicles on the road globally, 40% of which were in China (source: International Energy Agency). Moreover, the production of renewable energy equipment has also been increasing in the region on account of growing investment in the installation of renewable energy. For instance, Risen Energy has recently announced its plans to invest US1.58 billion in expanding its solar PV cell and module production operations in China.

Within the semiconductor, the major wafer supplier has been focusing on increasing the supply of 300mm wafers. 200 mm-300 mm is the demanded silicon wafer size currently, with a growing shift from 200mm to 300mm observed in recent years, with the number of 300mm wafer plants projected to expand rapidly during the forecast period. Moreover, according to Sumco, worldwide capacity utilization of 300mm silicon wafers is expected to be around 95% in 2019. Simultaneously, SK Siltron Co. Ltd has recently announced its plans to expand its wafer production capacity at its Gumi plant. On the other hand, in September 2017, GlobalFoundries announced its first RF SOI solution manufactured in 300mm wafers for its applications in 4G LTE and 5G applications. The company also announced in February 2019 that this technology platform had delivered more than a billion dollars of client design win revenue since the launch of this technology, which also shows the potential for the market to grow during the coming years. GLOBALFOUNDRIES and GlobalWafers Co., Ltd. announced in February 2020 that they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop a long-term supply agreement for 300mm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers. Similarly, Soitec, a world-leading designer and manufacturer of innovative semiconductor materials, and Shanghai Simgui Technology Co., Ltd. (Simgui), a leading Chinese silicon-based semiconductor materials company, announced an enhanced partnership and an increase in annual production capacity of 200mm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers from 180,000 to 360,000 at Simgui’s manufacturing facility in Shanghai, China, to better serve the growing global market for RF-SOI in mobile and Power-SOI products. The semiconductor industry in Japan has been growing because of the increasing production of end-user of the application. In fact, the market for semiconductor-manufactured equipment in Japan increased from US$ 1.25 billion in the first quarter of 2017 to US$2.13 billion in the first quarter of 2018 (source: Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan). This, in turn, is pushing the investment in order to increase wafer production in the country. In fact, in October 2017, ON Semiconductor Corp. acquired 40% of Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited's 8-inch wafer fab, allowing the company to add capacity to its global footprint. Similarly, in July 2018, Showa Denko announced its plan to expand its capacity to produce silicon carbide epitaxial wafers for power semiconductor devices. 

Germany has been focusing aggressively on reducing its primary energy consumption, with the target of reducing energy consumption by 20% by 2020 compared to the 2008 level. However, even though energy consumption has reduced over the year, the actual level of reduction is significantly below the expected level. Thus, it is projected that the efforts to push down energy consumption will increase, which is expected to drive the production of energy-efficient devices. As such, the production of energy-efficient wafers such as GaN and SiC, as compared to silicon, will increase in order to be incorporated into different electronic products. In fact, in 2017, Panasonic Automotive & Industrial Systems Europe showcased its latest technology portfolio based on gallium nitride at PCIM 2017 held in Germany, indicating a growing shift towards energy-efficient devices.

The memory industry in the North American region is anticipated to witness cyclical growth during the forecast period on account of the low growth of domestic manufacturing within the consumer electronics and communication industry. However, the recent efforts taken by the government of the United States to revive domestic manufacturing are projected to drive the memory in the country. Simultaneously, the improvement in the business environment and the increasing trend of digitalization in Mexico are further augmented to push the demand for memory products. 

Key Developments

The electronic wet chemical market has grown tremendously as a result of the growing demand for electronic and semiconductor production in various parts of the world.

According to a press release dated May 2022, Solvay is introducing a new Renewable Materials and Biotechnology platform, which will focus on producing innovative and sustainable solutions for a variety of sectors via the use of renewable feedstocks and biotechnology. By expanding the percentage of renewable carbon in Solvay's product portfolio and establishing new business prospects allowed by biotechnology, the new platform will bring together numerous Solvay companies to assist fulfill the growing demand for sustainable solutions. Battery Materials, Green Hydrogen, and Thermoplastic Composites are Solvay's three established growth platforms.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Electronic Wet Chemical Market

Many organizations were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the shutdown of most important industries, the global economy has been on a downward trend. The electronic wet chemical industries were also affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. The market encountered severe shortages as a result of the interruption of most major supply and manufacturing lines. Furthermore, due to a lack of semiconductor production, the wet chemical market's output was limited. Several industries in many electronic sectors were impacted by a lack of semiconductors and wet chemicals. However, the market has been rising in demand as governments throughout the world have relaxed COVID-19 protocols. Moreover, the electronic industry has seen a booming demand since the resumption of manufacturing units and is anticipated to drive the market.

Electronic Wet Chemical Market Scope:

SEGMENTATION

• By Type
  • Phosphoric Acid
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Ammonium Hydroxide
  • Sulfuric Acid
  • Others
• By Application
  • Cleaning
  • Etching
  • Chemical Mechanical Planarization
• By Geography
  • North America
    • US
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Others
  • Europe
    • Germany
    • UK
    • France
    • Italy
    • Others
  • Middle East and Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • UAE
    • Others
  • Asia Pacific
    • Japan
    • China
    • India
    • South Korea
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Indonesia
    • Others

Solvay

BASF SE

Kanto Chemical Co., Inc.

Honeywell International, Inc.

Linde Plc

Fujifilm Holding Inc.

Eastman Chemical Company

Technic, Inc.

Mitsubishi Chemicals Holdings Corporation