SAN JOSE, Calif., May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Worldwide silicon wafer area
shipments increased 3 percent during the first quarter 2006 when compared
to the fourth quarter 2005 areas shipments according to the SEMI Silicon
Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer
industry.
Total silicon wafer area shipments were 1,884 million square inches
during the most recent quarter, an increase from the 1,826 million square
inches shipped during the previous quarter. The new quarterly total area
shipments are about 29 percent above first quarter 2005 shipments.
"Silicon wafer shipments remained strong for all wafer sizes during the
first quarter," said Tatsuhiko Shigematsu, chairman SEMI SMG and director
of technology of SUMCO Corporation. "Availability of polycrystalline
silicon, the starting materials for silicon wafers, may become a major
constraint in meeting the future wafer demands."
Quarterly Silicon Area Shipment Trends
Silicon Shipments - Millions of Square Inches
Million of Square Inches
Q1 2005 Q4 2005 Q1 2006
Polished 1,107 1,358 1,390
Epitaxial 307 407 431
Nonpolished 51 61 63
TOTAL 1,465 1,826 1,884
Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for
semiconductors, which in turn, are vital components of virtually all
electronics goods, including computers, telecommunications products, and
consumer electronics. The highly engineered thin round disks are produced
in various diameters (from one inch to 12 inches) and serve as the
substrate material on which most semiconductor devices or "chips" are
fabricated.
All data cited in this release is inclusive of polished silicon wafers,
including virgin test wafers, epitaxial silicon wafers, and non-polished
silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to the end-users.
The Silicon Manufacturers Group acts as an independent special interest
group within the SEMI structure and is open to SEMI members involved in
manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon
wafers (e.g., as cut, polished, epi, etc.). The purpose of the group is to
facilitate collective efforts on issues related to the silicon industry
including the acquisition of market information and statistics about the
silicon industry and the semiconductor market.
SEMI is a global industry association serving companies that develop
and provide manufacturing technology, materials and services to make
semiconductors, flat panel displays (FPDs), micro-electromechanical systems
(MEMS) and related microelectronics. SEMI maintains offices in Austin,
Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose (Calif.), Seoul, Singapore,
Tokyo, Shanghai and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit SEMI at
http://www.semi.org.
SOURCE SEMI
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Related links:
http://www.semi.org/
CONTACT:
Scott Smith, +1-408-943-7957, or
ssmith@semi.org, or Dan Tracy, +1-408-943-7987, or
dtracy@semi.org, both of SEMI
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