Silicon Wafer Shipments Escalate In Q2 2012
Global silicon wafer area shipments increased during the second quarter 2012 when compared to first quarter 2012 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 2,447 million square inches during the most recent quarter, a 20 percent increase from the 2,033 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter. New quarterly total area shipments are 2 percent greater than second quarter 2011 shipments.
"As expected, second quarter silicon shipment volumes increased compared to both the first quarter and the second quarter last year," said Dr. Bruce Kellerman, chairman of SEMI SMG and senior director of Semiconductor Product Marketing at MEMC. "Given the ongoing market uncertainties and challenges, the overall wafer demand for 2012 is expected to be relatively flat compared to 2011."
All data mentioned includes polished silicon wafers, including virgin test wafers, epitaxial silicon wafers, and non-polished silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to the end-users.
