Silicon wafer shipments grow in Q2-09

SAN JOSE, USA: Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased significantly during the second quarter 2009 when compared to the first quarter 2009 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 1,686 million square inches during the most recent quarter, a 79 percent increase from the 940 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter. The new quarterly total area shipments are 27 percent below second quarter 2008 shipments.

"Silicon wafer shipments recovered sharply from the low levels reported in the first quarter, though remain well below last year’s shipments,” said Nobuo Katsuoka, chairman of SEMI SMG and director, SOI process Engineering Department for Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd. ”The recovery in wafer shipments is inline with general trends reported elsewhere in the semiconductor industry.”

Quarterly Silicon Area Shipment Trends
Semiconductor Silicon Shipments* - Millions of Square InchesSource: SEMI
*Shipments are for semiconductor applications only and do not include solar applications.

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.

Source: SEMI