applications), or covered with a cladding, typically made of silica. Disadvantages The major disadvantage of SOI technology when compared to conventional semiconductor industry is increased cost of manufacturing. As of 2012 only IBM and AMD used SOI as basis for high-performance processors and the other manufacturers (Intel, TSMC, Global Foundries etc.) used conventional silicon wafers to build their CMOS chips. SOI market As of 2020 the market utilizing the SOI process was projected to grow up by ~15% for the next 5 years according to Market Research Future group. See also Intel TeraHertz - similar technology from Intel Strain engineering Wafer (electronics) Wafer bonding References External links SOI Industry Consortium - a site with extensive information and education for SOI technology SOI IP portal - A search engine for SOI IP AMDboard - a site with extensive information regarding SOI technology Advanced Substrate News - a newsletter about the SOI industry, produced by Soitec MIGAS '04 - The 7th session of MIGAS International Summer School on Advanced Microelectronics, devoted to SOI technology and devices MIGAS '09 - 12th session of the International Summer School on Advanced Microelectronics: "Silicon on Insulator (SOI) Nanodevices" Semiconductor structures Semiconductor technology Microtechnology MOSFETs Nanoelectronics Semiconductor device fabrication Silicon