Sales of Optoelectronics, Sensors, and Discretes Set Record in 2011

The new annual report forecasts a 7% increase in total O-S-D sales in 2012 to $61.6 billion, with nearly all of the product categories in the three market segments expected to achieve modest growth this year.

The new 348-page O-S-D Report shows the strongest 2012 growth rates occurring in acceleration/yaw sensors (+21%), laser transmitters (+18%), pressure sensors (+15%), magnetic-field sensors (+14%), and actuators (+11%). Solid-state lamp sales, which grew 16% in 2011 on the strength of high-brightness LEDs, are expected to rise just 10% in 2012 primarily due to price erosion from a buildup of inventories in some device categories as growth rates in LED-backlit display applications slow and suppliers wait for new room-lighting products to gain wider acceptance worldwide. The 2012 O-S-D Report expects relatively slow sales growth in high-brightness white LEDs until 2014, when expensive solid-state lights finally become cheap enough to compete with conventional lighting products in mainstream end-user markets.

Motion-activated user interfaces, embedded automatic controls, and location-aware features in cellphones and portable electronics will continue to drive up sales of sensors built with microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. The detailed five-year forecast in the 2012 O-S-D Report also shows power transistors and related discrete semiconductors steadily climbing to record sales levels due to the spread of battery-operated electronics, renewable energy systems, hybrid and electric vehicles, and the global emphasis on reductions in electricity consumption. CMOS image sensors are also expected to see another wave of strong growth from new imaging applications and machine-vision designs, which will include automotive safety systems and intelligent surveillance networks.

Report Details
The 2012 edition of the O-S-D Report continues to expand IC Insights' coverage of the semiconductor industry with detailed analysis of trends and growth rates in the optoelectronics, sensors/actuators, and discretes market segments. The seventh annual edition of the report contains a detailed forecast of sales, unit shipments, and selling prices for more than 30 individual product types and categories through 2016. The 2012 O-S-D Report (with 232 charts and figures) is available for $2,990, which includes Internet-accessible PDF files under an individual-user license. Additional users can be added for $695 each. A multi-user corporate license is $6,090.