Market Trends of Global Small Signal Transistor Industry
The significant growth in the consumer electronics sector is analyzed to boost the demand for small signal transistors
- Transistors represent one of the significant innovations in the electronics industry. This can be accredited to their high electron mobility, wide temperature limits, and low energy consumption. According to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), Global semiconductor sales reached USD 137.7 billion during the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 15.2% compared to the first quarter of 2023.
- Consumer electronics (CE) forms a multibillion-dollar industry, steadily progressing and developing with the technology and adding new product lines toward changing lifestyles. With the advent of IoT, various end-user industries are increasingly adopting the advanced solution to enhance their operations.
- Small-signal transistors are mostly used to enhance small signals, such as a few volts, and only when mill amperes of current are used. Modern electronic devices make use of these transistors. During the forecast period, a surge in demand for the manufacturing of consumer electronics and smartphones is analyzed to boost demand for these transistors globally.
- The smartphone is the major consumer of semiconductors in this segment. The smartphone market has been very competitive in recent years. The increasing usage of mobile phones is further anticipated to drive the global market. For instance, according to Ericsson, the monthly smartphone data traffic per smartphone in North America is forecasted to amount to 18.52 exabytes (GB) per active device by 2028. In 2023, the average data traffic per smartphone amounted to 9.78 EB per month.
Asia Pacific is Expected to Register the Fastest Growth Rate
- The Chinese government's Made in China 2025 national strategic plan has also been a significant factor in the publications' rise. The central aim of the plan is the growth of the semiconductor industry. Also, China's National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIP) 2021 budget anticipates 2 million filings per year till 2023.
- In May 2024, Infineon Technologies AG has unveiled two advanced generations of CoolGaN devices designed for high-voltage (HV) and medium-voltage (MV) applications. These advancements empower customers to harness Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology across a wider voltage spectrum, spanning from 40 V to 700 V. This expanded range of applications bolsters digitalization efforts and plays a pivotal role in advancing decarbonization initiatives. Notably, both product lines are meticulously crafted using 8-inch in-house foundry processes, with manufacturing hubs in Kulim (Malaysia) and Villach (Austria).
- The semiconductor market in Taiwan is also growing due to support from the government. In October 2023, Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH (“Toshiba”) has introduced the TLP3475W, a photorelay designed to minimize insertion loss and power attenuation in high-frequency signals. This device is aimed at semiconductor testing applications, including high-speed memory testers, logic testers, and probe cards. The TLP3475W features an optimized package design that reduces parasitic capacitance and inductance, thereby decreasing signal insertion loss in the 20GHz frequency range (typical). This improvement represents a 1.5x enhancement in performance over the previous TLP3475S model.
- Moreover, China is witnessing multiple investments from companies such as TSMC, as well as local companies such as Huawei are entering into producing their chips as the US embargo has made it significantly difficult for Huawei to buy chips, so it has no other alternative but to develop the capability to manufacture for itself.