Silicon Wafer shipments increase
World wide silicon wafer area shipments increased 9% during the third quarter 2005 when compared to the second quarter 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 1,748 million square inches during the most recent quarter, up from the 1,606 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter. The new quarterly total area shipments are 7% above third quarter 2004 shipments.
The strength in silicon shipments exhibited in the second quarter of this year was followed by an even stronger third quarter, said Makoto Tsukada, chairman SEMI SMG and general manager of Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd. This upward momentum was driven not only by the increasing proportion of 300 mm wafers shipped but also by strong demand for 200 mm wafers.
Silicon Shipments- Millions of Square Inches
Million of Square Inches
Q3 2004 Q2 2005 Q3 2005
Polished 1,215 1,207 1,304
Epitaxial 353 345 385
Nonpolished 61 54 59
TOTAL 1,629 1,606 1,748
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.
