August 3, 2011 — While silicon semiconductor wafer growth was nearly flat year-over-year — up 1% in Q2 2011 over Q2 2010 — the unbroken supply chain is impressive in the "immediate aftermath of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan," notes Dr. Volker Braetsch, chairman of SEMI SMG and corporate vice president of Siltronic AG. Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased 5% quarter-to-quarter, according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG).
Total silicon wafer area shipments were 2,392 million square inches in Q2 2011; Q1 boasted 2,287 million square inches shipped. Q1 2011 total area shipments were 3% greater than Q1 2010 shipments. Shipments are for semiconductor applications only and do not include solar applications.
| Table. Quarterly silicon area shipment trends | |||||||
| Semiconductor silicon shipments | Q1 2010 | Q2 2010 | Q3 2010 | Q4 2010 | Q1 2011 | ||
| Millions of square inches | 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.).
SEMI is a global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. For more information, visit www.semi.org.
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