Siltronic AG · Munich Germany

Siltronic knows a thing or two about producing silicon for microelectronics. The company makes ultrapure silicon wafers used as substrates in semiconductor manufacturing. Siltronic provides a variety of products, from non-polished wafers to wafers with an epitaxial layer and silicon-on-insulator wafers. It supplies wafers to most of the top chip makers in the world, including Infineon and Texas Instruments. Siltronic, a subsidiary of Wacker Chemie, twice scrapped plans for an IPO in Germany, in 2003 and 2004. Siltronic has a joint venture in Singapore with chip giant Samsung Electronics to make 300mm silicon wafers; the new plant, which opened in mid-2008, cost an estimated $1 billion. To read the full description, subscribe now.