Zeev's Turnips Patch-No Politics (ZEEV)

[wstera2]

SEMI Reports First Quarter 2003 Silicon Wafer Area Shipments
Silicon Shipments Higher Than Previous Quarter

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 6, 2003 – Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased by four percent during the first quarter 2003 when compared to the fourth quarter 2002 area shipments according to Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Total silicon wafer area shipments were 1,175 million square inches during the most recent quarter, up from the 1,134 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter. The new quarterly total area shipments are 16 percent above first quarter 2002 area shipments.

"Despite troubling global uncertainties during the first quarter, we view current silicon wafer shipments as a good sign that semiconductor demand is recovering.” said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. "Fab utilization will likely improve going forward in 2003; however, since capital investment by silicon manufacturers has been constrained during the extended downturn, availability of some wafer products could tighten.”

 
 Million of Square Inches 
  
  Q1 2002 Q4 2002 Q1 2003  
 Polished 758 860 882  
 Epitaxial 204 223 243  
 Nonpolished 49 51 50  
 TOTAL 1,011 1,134 1,175  
 

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.

Based in San Jose, Calif., SEMI is an global trade association serving more than 2,500 companies participating in the semiconductor and flat panel display equipment, materials and services markets. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit SEMI on the Internet at www.semi.org.

http://dom.semi.org/web/wpress.nsf/174c224b2afaf5e7882565b60079d14a/3c8128e9a801cf8488256d1e00765bd5...