November 18, 2005 – North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.10 billion in orders in October 2005 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.95 according to the October 2005 Book-to-Bill Report published yesterday by SEMI.

A book-to-bill of 0.95 means that $95 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in October 2005 was $1.10 billion. The bookings figure is 12% above the revised September 2005 level of $984 million and 20% below the $1.37 billion in orders posted in October 2004.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in October 2005 was $1.16 billion. The billings figure is six% above the revised September 2005 level of $1.09 billion and 19% below the October 2004 billings level of $1.43 billion.

The report includes a revision to the August bookings figure, which corrects previously supplied participant input.

“Bookings and billings for North American based semiconductor equipment providers have been stable for the past six months,” said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “It is encouraging to see the recent improvement in bookings as the industry continues to ramp 300mm production and is beginning to invest in 65 nanometer technology.”