March 19, 2003 – San Jose, CA – The North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $782 million in orders in February 2003 and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.99, according to Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI).

A book-to-bill of 0.99 means that $99 worth of new orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in February was $782 million. The bookings figure is 6% above the revised January level of $739 million and 6% above the $737 million in orders posted in February of last year.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in February was $793 million. The billings figure is 1% above the revised January level of $784 million and three percent below the February 2002 billings level of $818 million.

“Bookings of new semiconductor manufacturing equipment have remained essentially flat for the last six months and as a result, a number of equipment manufacturers have announced recently plans for further consolidating and restructuring of operations and product offerings,” said Stanley Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “While the bookings outlook appears sluggish, over 20 new fabs are expected to begin production in the next two years.”