Over the last half-century or so, the electronics industry has relied on silicon as the foundation for all electronics-based products. Now considered a commodity, thanks in part to its global pervasiveness, silicon has been the key ingredient for semiconductors that power contemporary advanced electronics devices. Major innovative breakthroughs in the semiconductor industry, however, no longer are expected to solely come from silicon material.

But a more radical change is needed in the material structure, processing method, or device design to enhance integrated circuit (IC) performance. With the push for increasingly smaller devices, semiconductor manufacturers have faced three major challenges: reducing power consumption and heat dissipation and boosting device performance, all while accommodating scaling demands.

With these growing needs, the industry is looking at innovative technologies, such as silicon-on-insulator (SOI), as a possible panacea. By offering an opportunity to deliver higher speed, while also lowering power consumption, SOI was created to combat these bottlenecks. A 1945 patent on MOS transistor structure noted the advantages of having an oxide layer beneath the structure, but it was not until the 1990s that the manufacturing capabilities to create high-quality SOI wafers were in place. Now, SOI is seen as critical to extending the life of silicon technology.

This timely BCC report covers the SOI market, examining its fundamental basis, key technology drivers, primary uses, critical applications and component segments, and provides market forecasts through 2008.