Equipment makers optimistic over first SEMICON/Taiwan show

11/01/1996

Equipment makers optimisticover first Semicon/Taiwan show

Much of the attention of the global semiconductor industry was focused on Taipei in late September as SEMI brought to the World Trade Center Taiwan`s first SEMICON/Taiwan conference and

exposition. According to SEMI, the show was inaugurated in response to Taiwan`s rapid growth in semiconductor manufacturing, and in recognition of the region`s increasing global importance to the industry.

The sell-out show featured nearly 500 exhibits from 12 countries and 16 technical symposia. The show`s crowded show floor and well-attended technical conferences seemed to reflect a Taiwan industry virtually undaunted by current weakness in the global chip market.

Semiconductor equipment sales to Taiwan reached US$1.9 billion in 1995 and are expected to surpass $2.9 billion this year, according to SEMI market statistics. Sales in 1997 are projected to be around $3.0 billion. The semiconductor materials market, which grew significantly in 1995, is expected to make moderate gains in 1996. Growth in the Taiwanese equipment and materials market is forecast to meet the region`s rising demand for semiconductor devices. IC demand is expected to reach $11.6 billion by year-end, and $29 billion by 2000. Meanwhile, Taiwan`s IC production value is expected to increase to $16.9 billion from $4.6 billion during the same period.

Many of SEMI`s member companies are optimistic about the Taiwan market over the coming years when other regions are expected to experience slower growth. More than half of SEMI`s 1800 members worldwide are now conducting business in Taiwan.

Figure 1. Ceremonial ribbon cutting marks the opening of the SEMICON/Taiwan `96 exhibition. Pictured from left to right are: Alan Jung, SEMI Southeast Asia regional director; Sung Ki Suh, president of Varian Korea and SEMI board member; David Wang, senior vice president of worldwide business operations of Applied Materials and SEMI board member; Don Mitchell, president of Schumacher and SEMI board member; Paul Davis, SEMI vice president of International operations.

At SEMICON/Taiwan, Promis Systems Corp. of Toronto, Canada, announced receipt of an order from TSMC for its manufacturing execution system software and its next-generation software system. The system will be installed at TSMC`s Fab 5 facility in Hsinchu. Semifab of Hollister, CA, announced that multiple INERTRA point-of-use gas delivery systems will be installed at Mosel Vitelic to protect wafer surfaces from ambient cleanroom conditions. The systems will be installed in stockers, manufactured by PRI Automation Inc.

Figure 2. Drummers add to show opening festivities at SEMICON/Taiwan `96.

ASM International of Bilthoven, the Netherlands, reported the installation of an A-400/3 modular vertical furnace at Taiwan`s National Nanodevice Laboratory in Taipei, where it will be used for deep submicron process development and customer demonstrations. Meanwhile, static control equipment manufacturer Ion Systems of Berkeley, CA, reported more than $700,000 in recent orders from Taiwanese companies.

Moreover, TEFEN USA, a Foster City, CA-based industrial engineering and systems analysis consulting firm, announced plans to co-host a facility layout and cycle time reduction seminar at National Taiwan University. The October seminar would provide Taiwan`s IC makers and engineers with important productivity enhancement tools.

SEMI, which had to turn away more than 200 booth requests for this year`s Taiwan show due to limited available space, said it is presently negotiating to increase space by 50% at the September 1997 show.

- Mathews and Clark