Industry insiders: 6-inch wafer quotations may continue to decline

According to Taiwanese media "Electronic Times", the demand in the IT and 3C fields has been relatively weak recently, and major system manufacturers are actively destocking, and the price of 6-inch wafers may continue to decline.

At present, the capacity utilization rate of MOSFET and diode foundry manufacturers is generally low, about 70%. Although the demand for automotive and industrial control is stable, the proportion of revenue is relatively low. International IDM foundries focus on automotive, server and industrial equipment applications, and their supply remains partially tight as lead times for certain high-end power devices remain long.

The source said that in the previous boom, the quotation of 6-inch wafers once rose to US$120-130, but it has fallen sharply. Although it has not yet fallen to the level of US$60-70 in 2019, there is no sign of stopping the decline. continued to decline. Prices for 6-inch wafers made by mainland Chinese foundries that work on power ICs and components have nearly halved amid weak demand for diodes and other power devices.

On the other hand, Taiwan's 6-inch foundries also experienced a reduction in orders for power diodes and MOSFETs, but capacity utilization remained above 70%. Taiwan-based diode and MOSFET suppliers are more focused on consumer device applications, asking their foundry partners to offer price discounts for next year's orders. The overall cost of these diode and MOSFET companies has risen as foundries have adjusted their quotations several times over the past few years.