Semiconductors and ICs update: Long lead times drive the market

USA: According to Converge Market Insights, it has been more of the same in the semiconductor and integrated circuit market. Lead times in the 16- to 24-week range are the norm and there is little change in sight. Demand continues to be strong and suppliers continue to be conservative in bringing on or increasing their capacity.

The same manufacturers continue to be short, with Texas Instruments, Freescale, Cypress, On-Semi, IR, Maxim and Xilinx at the forefront. Again, certain parts within these manufacturers might start improving their lead times, but then another series of parts within the same manufacturer start to get worse. We anticipate these conditions should continue at least through the second quarter and into the third quarter of 2010.

We are also seeing a significant amount of shortages and long lead times in the capacitor market. AVX, Sprague and Kemet in the SMT tantalums, especially the low ESR series, and Murata in the ceramics are the most common shortages we are tracking.

Tantalum capacitor lead times are anywhere from 16 to 26 weeks and the ceramics are as long as 22 to 30 weeks. Shortage activity seems to be increasing in the market, and we anticipate it will continue to get worse before it gets better.