Global silicon wafer shipments are set to increase 2.4% year-over-year in 2020 according to electronics manufacturing industry association SEMI, in what will be a boost for the specialty gas sector.

SEMI reported in its annual silicon shipment forecast for the semiconductor industry that growth will continue in 2021 and shipments will reach a record high in 2022.

High purity specialty gases are essential for semiconductor fabrication, to produce silicon wafers, while electronic gases like phosphine and diborane help create a silicon wafer free of impurities. Specialty gas equipment is needed to mitigate any escape of gas during the fabrication process.

Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for semiconductors, which in turn, are vital components of virtually all electronics goods, including computers.

“Silicon wafer shipments are recovering this year despite pressure from geopolitical tensions, the shifting global semiconductor supply chain and the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Clark Tseng, director of Industry Research and Statistics at SEMI.

“With the pandemic accelerating digitization to transform businesses and their delivery of services worldwide, we expect continued growth over the next two years.”