Silicon Shortage May Become Problem, SEMI Says

Staff Reporter -- Electronic News, 5/16/2006

Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased 3 percent during the Q1, compared to Q4 2005 areas shipments, according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Total silicon wafer area shipments were 1.88 billion square inches during Q1, an increase from the 1.83 billion square inches shipped during Q4 2005.

Q1 total area shipments are about 29 percent above Q1 2005 shipments, SMG also noted.

“Silicon wafer shipments remained strong for all wafer sizes during the first quarter” said Tatsuhiko Shigematsu, chairman SEMI SMG and director of technology of SUMCO Corp. in a statement.

“Availability of polycrystalline silicon, the starting materials for silicon wafers, may become a major constraint in meeting the future wafer demands,” he warned.

Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for semiconductors, which in turn, are vital components of virtually all electronics goods, including computers, telecommunications products, and consumer electronics.

The highly engineered thin round disks are produced in various diameters -- from one inch to 12 inches -- and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductor devices or "chips" are fabricated.

All data 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 SMG 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 such as cut, polished, epi, etc.