Worldwide highlights
03/01/1999
Worldwide highlights
Equipment orders up for December. Orders for semiconductor equipment at North American suppliers ticked up 12% month-to-month in December, to $871.6 million from November`s $780.9 million, according to preliminary figures from SEMI (see table). December shipments of $924.3 million produced a book-to-bill ratio of 0.94, the highest since January 1998. Despite SEMI `s downward revision of November orders from their preliminary $805 million level, order levels have now moved upward each month since September, when they troughed at $481.3 million.
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At SEMATECH`s Next-Generation Lithography Workshop, attendees expressed the most confidence in extreme UV (EUV) and Scalpel e-beam projection lithography as next-generation options. Thus, it will be recommended that International SEMATECH fund only these technologies in 1999, cutting funds for x-ray and ion projection lithography. The consortium also hopes to be able to build a global consensus around one NGL technology in 2000. Officials noted that the funding recommendations do not imply that work on x-ray and IPL should stop.
Chip sales rise. Worldwide semiconductor sales rose 4.9% in November, increasing to $11.38 billion, according to the latest figures from the SIA and the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics organization (see table). November`s chip sales are the highest since December 1997, when worldwide sales totaled $11.48 billion, and represent the third consecutive month-to-month of improving numbers. On a year-to-year basis, however, sales are still down 6.0% from November 1997.