300mm to drive wafer shipment growth

A new report from SEMI predicts double-digit growth in wafer shipments through 2004 thanks to 300mm adoption, but followed by a considerable slowdown.

According to SEMI’s Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) Consensus Forecast, 2003 wafer shipments will be 4.7 billion square inches, a 10% increase from 2002, and will grow another 15% in 2004 to 5.9 billion square inches. But by 2005, SMG predicts wafer shipment growth will be cut in half, rising only to 6.3 billion square inches, and to 6.6 billion square inches in 2006.

Leading the growth will be 300mm wafer shipments, pegged at 412 million square inches in 2003, 759 million square inches in 2004, and 1.1 billion square inches in 2005. By 2006, SEMI SMG expects 300mm wafers to comprise nearly 20% of total wafer shipments.

The figures incorporate polished silicon wafers, including virgin test wafers, epitaxial silicon wafers, and nonpolished silicon wafers shipped by wafer manufacturers to end users.

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