May 11, 2011 — Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments decreased slightly during the first quarter 2011 when compared to fourth quarter 2010 area shipments and were marginally higher than first quarter 2010, according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.
Total silicon wafer area shipments were 2,287 million square inches during the most recent quarter, a 1% decrease from the 2,302 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter. Q1 total area shipments are 3% greater than first quarter 2010 shipments. Silicon shipments are recorded for semiconductor industry usage.
"Silicon shipments experienced typical seasonal softening during the most recent quarter," said Dr. Volker Braetsch, chairman of SEMI SMG and corporate VP Siltronic AG. "Given that 2010 was a record year in terms of volume of silicon shipped, it is encouraging to see quarterly shipments were above levels reported the first quarter last year."
| Quarterly silicon area shipment trends (Shipments are for semiconductor applications only and do not include solar applications). | ||||||
| Q1 2010 | Q2 2010 | Q3 2010 | Q4 2010 | Q1 2011 | ||
| 2,214 | 2,365 | 2,489 | 2,302 | 2,287 | ||
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.
The Silicon Manufacturers Group acts as an independent special interest group within the SEMI structure and is open to SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers (e.g., as cut, polished, epi, etc.). The purpose of the group is to facilitate collective efforts on issues related to the silicon industry including the development of market information and statistics about the silicon industry and the semiconductor market.
SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. For more information, visit www.semi.org.
Also read: Leading-edge processes, MEMS, Japan turnaround driving 2011 wafer demand
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