SAN JOSE, Calif., May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Worldwide silicon wafer area
shipments remained stable, with a one percent increase during the first
quarter 2007 when compared to the fourth quarter 2006 area shipments
according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly
analysis of the silicon wafer industry.
Total silicon wafer area shipments were 2,100 million square inches
during the most recent quarter, a minor increase from the 2,070 million
square inches shipped during the previous quarter. The new quarterly total
area shipments are about 11 percent above first quarter 2006 shipments.
"In a traditionally seasonal weaker quarter, demand for silicon was
effectively unchanged compared to Q4 of last year. In addition, an ongoing
inventory correction throughout the supply chain impacted the market.
Nevertheless the growth trend for 300 mm wafers remained intact," said Dr.
Volker Braetsch, Chairman SEMI SMG and Corporate Vice President of
Siltronic AG. "Not coming really as a surprise Asia maintained its strong
momentum making up for weaker silicon area growth in the other regions."
Quarterly Silicon Area Shipment Trends
Silicon Shipments- Millions of Square Inches
Million of Square Inches
Q1 2006 Q4 2006 Q1 2007
TOTAL 1,884 2,070 2,100
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 development of market information and statistics about the
silicon industry and the semiconductor market.
SEMI is a global industry association serving companies that provide
equipment, materials and services used to manufacture semiconductors,
displays, nano-scaled structures, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)
and related technologies. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Beijing,
Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose (Calif.), Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore,
Tokyo and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit http://www.semi.org.
SOURCE SEMI
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Related links:
http://www.semi.org/
CONTACT:
Scott Smith, +1-408-943-7957,
ssmith@semi.org, or Dan Tracy, +1-408-943-7987, dtracy@semi.org,
both of SEMI
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