AUSTIN, TX -- Laminate substrates and leadframe production will outpace silicon wafer growth in 2012, a new report asserts.

The production value of double-sided or multilayer substrates for chip packages reached $13.3 billion in 2011 and is forecasted to rise 5.3% to $14 billion in 2012. By contrast, silicon wafer (including silicon-on-insulator wafers) revenues were $10.3 billion in 2011 and are expected to rise to $10.7 billion in 2012.

Laminate substrates are used in plastic ball grid arrays (PBGAs), plastic pin grid arrays (PPGAs), plastic land grid arrays (LGAs), and CSPs.

IC package substrate production has transitioned from Japan to Taiwan and will slowly expand into China, especially for wire bond laminate CSP and PBGAs. In total revenues, the laminate substrate market is forecasted to reach $10.3 billion in revenues for 2012.

The report was, Global Semiconductor Packaging Materials Outlook—2011-2012 Edition, was authored by SEMI and TechSearch International.