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SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group Reports First Quarter 2004 Silicon Wafer Area Shipments

Posted on: Tuesday, 11 May 2004, 06:00 CDT

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased 9 percent sequentially in the first quarter 2004 and 29 percent from the first quarter 2003 according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Total silicon wafer area shipments were 1,514 million square inches during the most recent quarter, up from the 1,392 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter.

"The silicon industry is anticipating strong growth for 2004, as shipments have surpassed the record level in year 2000 and factory utilization is tightening," said John Kaufmann, vice president of Marketing for MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. and chairman, SEMI SMG. "Revenue growth still lags area growth despite 300mm sales becoming a more significant part of the silicon mix, although prices are starting to firm for smaller diameter wafers. Returning to sustainable profitability remains a key factor in our industry."

Quarterly Silicon Area Shipment Trends

Silicon Shipments -- Millions of Square Inches

Million of Square Inches

Q1 2003 Q4 2003 Q1 2004

Polished 882 1,023 1,115

Epitaxial 243 313 336

Nonpolished 50 56 63

TOTAL 1,175 1,392 1,514

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 all SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers (e.g., as cut, polished, epi, etc.) not including reclaimed wafers. 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 and materials to the global semiconductor, flat panel display, MEMS and related microelectronics industries. 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/.

SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group

CONTACT: Jonathan Davis, +1-408-943-6937, or jdavis@semi.org, or DanTracy, +1-408-943-7987, or dtracy@semi.org, both of SEMI

Web site: http://www.semi.org/

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