Siltronic
German manufacturer of hyperpure silicon wafers and other wafer products used in semiconductor manufacturing.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Siltronic AG is a German semiconductor-materials company headquartered in Munich and focused on the manufacture of hyperpure silicon wafers. Its products form a foundational material for integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices used in computing, communications, automotive electronics, industrial systems, and consumer electronics. The company supplies wafers in established and advanced diameters, particularly 200-millimeter and 300-millimeter formats, with product configurations differentiated by crystal-growth method, doping, surface treatment, and epitaxial structure. Siltronic developed out of Wacker Chemie’s work on high-purity silicon in Burghausen, Bavaria. That research led to the production of semiconductor-grade silicon in 1958 and was followed by the development of monocrystals and internationally distributed wafer products. The business expanded through subsidiaries, production investments, acquisitions, and joint ventures. Important stages included the creation of Wacker-Chemitronic in 1968, the establishment of a production presence in Portland, Oregon, the development of Japanese wafer operations, the acquisition and modernization of the Freiberg site in Germany, and the creation of a major 200-millimeter production operation in Singapore. The company adopted the Siltronic name in 2004. Its manufacturing footprint has included Burghausen and Freiberg in Germany, Portland in the United States, and Singapore. A joint venture with Samsung supported the development of 300-millimeter wafer manufacturing in Singapore, where wafer and ingot production began in 2008. These facilities allow Siltronic to manufacture wafers based on both Czochralski and Float Zone crystal-growth processes and to offer polished, epitaxial, as-cut, lapped, and etched products. Doping options include boron, phosphorus, antimony, and arsenic. Siltronic became a separately listed company in 2015 through an initial public offering on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Its shares have traded in the exchange’s Prime Standard and have been included at different times in the TecDAX, MDAX, and SDAX indices. Wacker Chemie has remained a significant shareholder. In 2020 and 2021, Taiwanese wafer producer GlobalWafers proposed acquiring Siltronic in a transaction valued at several billion euros. Although the offer was increased, the transaction did not receive the required regulatory approval within the applicable deadline and was not completed. Siltronic operates in a capital-intensive, technically demanding segment of the semiconductor supply chain. Its competitive position depends on purity, crystal quality, wafer geometry, defect control, manufacturing yields, customer qualification, and the ability to support both mature-node and advanced semiconductor production. The company does not primarily sell finished electronic devices; rather, it supplies the engineered silicon substrates on which semiconductor manufacturers build their devices. Siltronic remains an active international wafer manufacturer and a member of the Silicon Saxony industry association.
History
Siltronic’s origins are closely connected with Wacker Chemie’s early research into hyperpure silicon. Work began in Burghausen, Germany, in 1953, and semiconductor-grade silicon was produced by 1958. During the early 1960s, the business expanded its workforce and product range, adding monocrystals and beginning to distribute products internationally. Wacker’s international development continued with the 1965 acquisition of Monosilicon, a silicon producer based in Los Angeles. In 1968, Wacker established Wacker-Chemitronic Gesellschaft für Elektronik-Grundstoffe mbH in Burghausen as a wholly owned subsidiary focused on electronic raw materials. The company expanded into the United States during the following decade. A Portland, Oregon, plant was built in 1978, and Wacker Siltronic Corporation was established there. Employees were trained in Germany before the facility opened for production in 1980. The company also developed its Asian presence. In 1985, it entered a Japanese joint venture with NSC Electron Corporation to produce 125-millimeter and 150-millimeter wafers. The German operating company adopted the name Wacker Siltronic GmbH in 1994. In 1995, Wacker acquired the hyperpure-silicon plant in Freiberg, Germany. The former VEB Spurenmetalle Freiberg operation was integrated after modernization, initially producing 150-millimeter wafers and later adding 200-millimeter production. Wacker Siltronic became a stock corporation in 1996. Singapore became another important manufacturing base in the late 1990s. Wacker Siltronic Singapore Pte Ltd opened a 200-millimeter wafer plant in 1999. The group changed its name to Siltronic AG in 2004, reflecting the company’s development as a distinct wafer business. Its production network subsequently covered Germany, the United States, Singapore, and other international operations, with products extending to diameters of up to 300 millimeters. In 2006, Siltronic and Samsung Electronics formed a joint venture in Singapore. The venture, initially called Siltronic Samsung Wafer Pte Ltd and later renamed Siltronic Silicon Wafer Pte Ltd, constructed a 300-millimeter wafer facility. The first wafers and ingots from the facility were produced in 2008. This development strengthened Siltronic’s participation in the large-diameter wafer segment, which is important because larger wafers can enable semiconductor manufacturers to process more dies per production cycle. Siltronic prepared for an initial public offering in 2015 and completed the listing later that year on the regulated market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Its shares began trading in the Prime Standard on June 11, 2015, and were admitted to the TecDAX in December of the same year. The company was included in the MDAX from 2018 until 2021 and subsequently became part of the SDAX. Wacker Chemie remained a substantial shareholder after the flotation. The company’s later corporate history included a proposed change of ownership. In 2020, GlobalWafers, a Taiwanese semiconductor-wafer manufacturer and subsidiary of Sino-American Silicon Products, announced an offer to acquire Siltronic. The offer was increased in 2021. The proposed combination was presented as a way to create a larger wafer supplier with a broad portfolio and greater ability to serve semiconductor customers. However, the transaction did not obtain regulatory approval within the required period and was not completed. Siltronic’s continuing business is the production and sale of high-purity silicon wafers. Its portfolio includes products made using Czochralski and Float Zone crystal-growth processes, as well as polished, epitaxial, as-cut, lapped, and etched wafers. Customers select products according to diameter, electrical characteristics, surface specification, crystal quality, and doping requirements. The company’s manufacturing sites in Burghausen, Freiberg, Portland, and Singapore support its international customer base. Siltronic is also associated with Silicon Saxony, a semiconductor and microelectronics industry network in Germany.
- 2021
Takeover offer is increased
[1]GlobalWafers increased its proposed offer during the takeover process.
- 2020
GlobalWafers announces takeover proposal
[1]GlobalWafers announced a proposed acquisition of Siltronic.
- 2015
Siltronic becomes publicly listed
[1]Siltronic completed its initial public offering and began trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
- 2015
Siltronic joins the TecDAX
[1]Siltronic shares were admitted to the TecDAX in December.
- 2008
300-millimeter wafer and ingot production begins in Singapore
[1]The Singapore joint venture produced its first 300-millimeter wafers and ingots.
- 2006
Siltronic and Samsung form Singapore joint venture
[1]The partners established a joint venture to develop 300-millimeter wafer production in Singapore.
- 2004
Company adopts the Siltronic name
[1]The business changed its corporate name to Siltronic AG.
- 1999
Singapore 200-millimeter plant opens
[1]Wacker Siltronic Singapore opened a production plant for 200-millimeter wafers.
- 1995
Freiberg site is acquired and modernized
[1]Wacker acquired the Freiberg hyperpure-silicon plant and integrated it after modernization.
- 1985
Japanese wafer joint venture begins
[1]A joint venture with NSC Electron Corporation began producing 125-millimeter and 150-millimeter wafers in Japan.
Products and positioning
A global high-purity semiconductor-wafer supplier serving chip manufacturers with engineered silicon substrates for mature and advanced semiconductor production.
Silicon wafers
200-millimeter silicon wafers
Siltronic manufactures eight-inch silicon wafers for semiconductor applications. These products can be supplied in multiple surface and electrical configurations, including polished, etched, lapped, and epitaxial forms. They support a wide range of integrated-circuit manufacturing processes and remain important for mature and specialized semiconductor production.
Silicon wafers · 2008
300-millimeter silicon wafers
Siltronic’s twelve-inch wafers are designed for high-volume semiconductor manufacturing. The larger diameter allows chipmakers to process more semiconductor dies from each wafer than from smaller formats, subject to device design and manufacturing yield. Siltronic produces 300-millimeter wafers through its international manufacturing network, including Singapore.
Specialty silicon wafers
Epitaxial silicon wafers
Epitaxial wafers consist of a controlled silicon layer grown on a silicon substrate. The epitaxial layer can provide carefully specified electrical and structural properties for semiconductor devices. Siltronic offers epitaxial products alongside other surface-engineered wafer formats.
Crystal-grown silicon
Czochralski silicon wafers
Czochralski-grown wafers are produced from monocrystalline silicon formed by pulling a crystal from molten silicon. This is a principal industrial route for manufacturing silicon substrates used in integrated circuits. Siltronic provides wafers based on this crystal-growth method with different diameters, doping options, and surface finishes.
Crystal-grown silicon
Float Zone silicon wafers
Float Zone wafers are made through a crystal-growth process that can achieve particularly high purity and distinctive electrical characteristics. They are used where substrate performance requirements call for properties not supplied by standard Czochralski material. Siltronic lists Float Zone production among its silicon-wafer capabilities.
Brand decisions
2020
Enter takeover discussions with GlobalWafersM&ABackground
GlobalWafers sought to expand its semiconductor-wafer business through a combination with Siltronic.
Action taken
Siltronic entered advanced discussions concerning GlobalWafers’ proposed acquisition offer.
Aftermath
The offer was increased in 2021, but the transaction ultimately failed to obtain regulatory approval within the required period.
Proposed transaction value. More than €3.7 billion → Approximately €4.4 billion (2020-2021)
2015
Separate listing through an initial public offeringStrategyBackground
Siltronic had previously been a wholly owned subsidiary of Wacker Chemie and was being positioned as a separately listed wafer company.
Action taken
The company completed an initial public offering and listed its shares on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Aftermath
Siltronic became an independently traded public company while Wacker Chemie remained a significant shareholder.
2006
Form a joint venture with Samsung for 300-millimeter wafersM&ABackground
The semiconductor industry was moving toward larger wafer formats, increasing the importance of 300-millimeter manufacturing capacity.
Action taken
Siltronic and Samsung established a Singapore joint venture to construct and operate a 300-millimeter wafer facility.
Aftermath
The facility produced its first wafers and ingots in 2008 and became part of Siltronic’s large-diameter wafer manufacturing footprint.
Recent events
- 2022
Siltronic takeover does not receive regulatory approval in time[1]
M&A · Regulation
The proposed GlobalWafers acquisition was not completed because the required regulatory approval was not obtained within the applicable deadline.
- 2021
GlobalWafers increases offer for Siltronic[1]
M&A · Regulation
GlobalWafers increased its proposed consideration during the takeover process, but the transaction remained subject to regulatory approval.
- 2020
GlobalWafers announces proposed acquisition of Siltronic[1]
M&A
Taiwanese semiconductor-wafer manufacturer GlobalWafers announced plans to acquire Siltronic in a transaction intended to combine two major wafer suppliers.
- 2015
Siltronic prepares for Frankfurt Stock Exchange IPO[1]
Other
Siltronic prepared to become a separately listed company after previously operating as a wholly owned Wacker Chemie subsidiary.
- 2015
Siltronic completes initial public offering[1]
Other
Siltronic’s shares began trading on the regulated market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 2015.
Sources14 sources
- 1Siltronicen.wikipedia.org
- 2Siltronic official websitesiltronic.com
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- 10環球晶收購世創 再上調收購價至每股145歐元 - 財經chinatimes.com
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- 13環球晶圓併購德國世創電子！每股125歐元收購 溢價幅度48% | 科技 | Newtalk新聞newtalk.tw
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