According to IHS latest research information shows that in 2015, 96.3% of the global production of LED sapphire substrates are used, the data in 2020 will rise to 96.7%.

2015 thanks to falling prices, sapphire application market to get a boost. Especially 400-inch wafer occupied in 2015, 55% of the market (by region of production capacity), in which 9.9% is divided Samsung, Seoul Semiconductor, Epistar and other manufacturers; 6-inch wafers production capacity has continued to grow, mainly in Osram, Lumileds company, LG chemical and other manufacturers Cree preferred.

IHS said that almost all of the top LED suppliers – including Nichia, Osram Opto, Lumileds company, Seoul Semiconductor, Epistar and three safety photoelectric in sapphire wafers. LED substrate integrated global market analysis, Plessy, and Samsung optical crystal silicon substrate is mainly used, but the technology started late, the current small scale of the industry, market share is low; CREE company mainly uses silicon carbide substrate, but because its cost, plus the patent monopoly, almost no other companies involved. Shuji Nakamura led Soraa companies are known to use bulk gallium nitride (GaN) substrate, which is good LED substrate material, but more expensive than sapphire, and the production size is limited, can not be widely adopted. Thus, the sapphire substrate is developing rapidly, occupy the mainstream market.

LED sapphire substrate is expected in manufacturing will continue to maintain a clear lead. Due to the low yield, the lattice mismatch and the sapphire wafer prices and other reasons, there is a very high voice of the silicon substrate can not successfully replace the sapphire substrate. Other substrates, including silicon, silicon carbide and gallium nitride powder, the next few years there will not be big gains.

Currently, as the LED sapphire substrate has two main advantages: First, most of the existing industry expertise and production equipment and production more matching sapphire; the second, sapphire low cost availability of strong, can produce cheaper LED products. Of course, there are many drawbacks sapphire substrate. Such as lattice mismatch, thermal mismatch, as well as poor electrical and thermal conductivity, but these were not enough to affect the sapphire substrate market position. Only when the future performance appear better than sapphire, the substrate product at lower prices, the existing market structure may have changed.