May 6 2005
Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments decreased less than 2 percent during the first quarter 2005 when compared to the fourth quarter 2004 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 1,465 million square inches during the most recent quarter, down from the 1,486 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter. The new quarterly total area shipments are 4 percent below first quarter 2004 shipments.
"Coming off of a record year, we expected and experienced a slight drop in unit shipments during the first quarter of 2005" said Makoto Tsukada, chairman SEMI SMG and general manager of Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd. "However, we continue to see strong sequential growth in 300 mm wafer shipments."
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.
http://www.semi.org/
6th May 20005