Glass materials key for semiconductor manufacturing

Yole Group released its new technology & market report, Glass Materials for Semiconductor Manufacturing 2025, a comprehensive study analyzing the rapid rise of glass as a strategic material in semiconductor processes and permanent device architectures.

Through a consolidated analysis of multiple end markets, including CIS, MEMS, RF, power devices, memory/HBM, AR/VR, and microfluidics, Yole Group’s report details the technological evolution, market expansion, and supply-chain transformation expected through 2030. Yole Group’s objective is to guide material suppliers, equipment vendors, foundries, OSATs, and system integrators as they navigate the emerging opportunities and constraints associated with the adoption of glass.

Bilal Hachemi, Senior Technology & Market Analyst, Semiconductor Packaging at Yole Group, said: "Glass is transitioning from a specialty material to a foundational process platform. Its adoption is accelerating across carriers, wafer-level optics, interposers, power devices, and memory packaging. It is driven by higher integration, 3D architectures, and advanced manufacturing requirements."

Glass transitions from niche to strategic material
According to Yole Group’s report, glass is at a pivotal moment in semiconductor manufacturing. Historically used in limited, process-specific roles, it is now becoming central to both temporary and permanent functions:

* Carrier wafers remain the largest revenue driver.
* Functional roles, including wafer-level optics, panel substrates, glass core substrates, and TGV interposers, are rapidly increasing in importance.
* Wafer demand from 2025 to 2030 is set to grow at a 10.2% CAGR, outpacing revenue growth as bonding steps multiply and packaging transitions from 2D to 3D.

This expansion is supported by broader ecosystem changes:

* Demand for glass will nearly triple by 2030, driven by CIS, microfluidics, power, memory/HBM, AR, and RF.
* Glass formats shift toward 300 mm and panel-level processing.
* Equipment dependency grows, with temporary bonding/debonding, via forming, CMP, metrology, and carrier cleaning becoming critical bottlenecks.

In this Glass Materials for Semiconductor Manufacturing 2025 report, the supply chain analysis shows that this market is entering a new era in which reuse, locality, and cost-per-cycle determine competitiveness.

Glass becomes mainstream
Yole Group’s analysts forecast that glass material revenue will grow with a 9.8% CAGR through 2030. This confirms that glass has firmly established itself as a mainstream semiconductor process platform.

The CIS segment is the most dynamic, accounting for 2/3rds of the 2025 overall glass revenue, driven by high volumes in smartphones and automotive imaging. Glass reclaim and multi-cycle reuse become essential to manage costs. Microfluidics is also a major application with close to one-fourth of the market in 2025. Microfluidic applications are growing rapidly, especially for biomedical and industrial diagnostics. Without doubt, glass materials provide dimensional stability and chemical resistance.

The most aggressive market segment is memory, with a 33% CAGR between 2025 and 2030, with HBM the primary application. Multiple bonded-wafer cycles, super-flat carriers, TGV interposers, and glass core substrates enhance signal integrity and warpage control.

Power electronic and RF electronic devices, as well as MEMS — with a strong demand from automotive pressure sensors and optical MEMS — are also of strategic interest. Yole Group details all figures and trends in the report.

Supply chain: Toward a broader ecosystem
By 2030, the glass supply chain is expected to resemble the IC substrate industry (See Yole Group’s report: Status of the Advanced IC Substrate Industry 2025).

* Regionally redundant, driven by local incentives and risk mitigation.
* Specification-heavy, with customers defining tolerances and flatness requirements.
* Contractualized, with long-term agreements tied to cost per cycle rather than price per plate.

The market remains highly concentrated. In 2025, AGC, PlanOptik, Corning, and Schott account for about 90% of global revenues.

“The glass supply chain is undergoing a structural redesign. By 2030, it will operate much like the IC substrate ecosystem, anchored in regional redundancy, tight equipment–materials coupling, and cycle-based economics”, explains Bilal Hachemi from Yole Group. “This shift competitive advantage toward players that master capacity and reuse.”

Glass is rapidly becoming one of the semiconductor industry’s most strategic materials. With demand set to triple, applications diversifying, and supply chains transforming, stakeholders must prepare for a decade defined by capacity scaling, finishing capabilities, equipment interdependence, and cost-per-cycle management. 

Key takeaways
* Use of Glass materials in semiconductors will nearly triple by 2030, driven by CIS, microfluidics, power, memory/HBM, RF, and AR applications.
* Glass wafer revenues are expected to grow with a 9.8% CAGR (2024-2030), confirming glass’s transition from niche to mainstream.
* CIS remains the dominant segment, accounting for about 2/3 of 2025 revenue.
* The structural shift to 300 mm wafers and the emergence of panel formats are transforming upstream melting capacity and midstream finishing.