Silicon Wafer Shipment Increases by 5% in Second Quarter 2007
Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments continued to grow, increasing nearly five percent during the second quarter of 2007 when compared to the first quarter of 2007 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 2,201 million square inches during the most recent quarter, up from the 2,100 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter. The new quarterly total area shipments are about 12 percent greater than second quarter 2006 shipments.
“Despite recent concerns regarding the health of the industry, wafer shipments continue to increase,” said Dr. Volker Braetsch, Chairman SEMI SMG and Corporate Vice President of Siltronic AG. “Growth is primarily coming from 300 mm shipments, which in the second quarter accounted for roughly 35 percent of the total silicon area shipped.”
Quarterly Silicon Area Shipments (Millions of Square Inches)
- Q2 2006: 1,966
- Q1 2007: 2,100
- Q2 2007: 2,201
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.
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