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17 Jun 2002
(Reuter) In a sign that the slowdown in computer chips has not yet spread to semiconductor equipment makers, a trade group says orders for semiconductor manufacturing and testing equipment rose to a record $1.6 billion last month.
The Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International said its book-to-bill ratio, which measures orders against shipments, rose to 1.22 in January from a revised 1.15 in December. The ratio means that for every $100 in shipments, semiconductor equipment companies received $122 in new orders.
"Order rates in the semiconductor equipment industry continue to be strong, and a large order backlog has been built up over the last 12 months," said Dick Greene, manager of SEMI Market Statistics. "Recent softness in some DRAM prices has not affected equipment industry trends. Whether DRAM price softness is a transient issue or a trend in the semiconductor market will become clearer after March 1996 semiconductor data is announced."
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