Proven.

Rubicon is the proven, trusted supplier of choice to a growing roster of discerning manufacturers.

With increasing adoption of LEDs in the general lighting market, and growing demand for a wide range of other products in which LEDs are used, the market for high-quality industrial sapphire continues to grow. Sapphire remains the principal substrate material used in the manufacture of blue, white, green and UV LEDs, and Rubicon is the global market leader in sapphire for LEDs.

With its unparalleled ability to produce and deliver high-volume, superior quality sapphire products in a variety of crystal planar orientations and sizes, Rubicon is the proven, trusted supplier of choice to a growing roster of discerning manufacturers across multiple industries. This trust is earned, over time, and made possible by Rubicon’s vertical integration—controlling the sapphire production process from raw material through finished product. Vertical integration translates to the highest degree of self-reliance and enables Rubicon to effectively control costs and consistently meet customer requirements.

LED chip manufacturers have begun the transition to large-diameter sapphire wafers, with a small number of manufacturers already having moved into volume production on six-inch substrates. This trend is projected to accelerate, with 70 percent of LEDs expected to be produced on six-inch wafers by 2020. The advantages of large-diameter sapphire in this market are clear—manufacturers achieve greater throughput with more useable surface area on larger substrates, and realize operational efficiencies by using fewer wafers.

As demand for larger-diameter sapphire escalates, we believe more manufacturers will rely on Rubicon’s track record and unique ability to deliver high volumes of high-quality substrates. To date, Rubicon has shipped over 230,000 six-inch wafers to the LED manufacturing and RFIC industries—most of them during 2011—and is now ready to begin high volume production of eight-inch epi-polished wafers.

Demand from the LED market softened towards the end of 2011, resulting in an accumulation of inventory within the LED supply chain and lesser overall demand for sapphire substrates in the fourth quarter of 2011. However, going forward, Rubicon anticipates increased demand for its sapphire substrates as this inventory is consumed, and the company is well positioned to meet increased demand for wafers worldwide.

The anticipated widespread adoption of LEDs in general lighting is expected to further drive the move toward large-diameter sapphire substrates, causing this segment to grow faster than the overall sapphire market. With its long-standing customer relationships, history of innovation, and proven ability to deliver high volumes of superior quality sapphire products, Rubicon sees a very bright future.