VisEra Technologies, which offers wafer-level backend services for CMOS image sensors (CIS), expects a gradual recovery in CIS demand starting the second half of 2023.
There is a chance for handset-, car- and security-use CIS to see demand gradually stabilize in the second half of 2023, with the automotive segment expected to see growth, VisEra said.
A correction of demand in the semiconductor market and the regionalization of the supply chain are prompting CIS suppliers to seek multiple fab support, including that from China's wafer fabs. VisEra chairman Robert Kuan pointed out that VisEra's optical thin film services rely on wafers consigned by clients, and it does not matter where the wafers are processed -- even at Chinese wafer fabs.
Kuan said some clients have increased the sources of their wafer supplies, which is probably because more fab capacity is available in China.
Industry sources said VisEra does not have direct partnerships with Samsung or Sony as far as handset-use CIS is concerned.
But Kuan said VisEra is expanding its business deployments and hopes to work with major IDMs.
Automotive applications will be the chief growth momentum for CIS in 2023, and VisEra has recorded growth for the automotive segment for two years in a row, Kuan said, adding it has seen some progress in securing new clients.
Article translated by Rodney Chan
