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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (45965)	4/27/2001 4:17:20 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 70976

Fab materials to grow at anemic 6.4% rate in 2001, says SEMI By J. Robert Lineback Semiconductor Business News (04/27/01 03:17 a.m. EST) MUNICH -- The sharp semiconductor downturn this year will put the brakes on wafer fab materials in 2001, with silicon wafers, photoresist, and wet chemicals getting hit the hardest by the slowdown, according to a new forecast presented here at Semicon Europa. Industry spending on blank silicon substrates will grow by just 2.7% to $7.77 billion in 2001 from $7.52 billion in 2000, said the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) trade group. Photoresist sales will be up by just 2.5% to $830 million worldwide in 2001 from $810 million last year, while wet chemicals will grow 1.8% to $772 million compared to $758 million, said SEMI. The strongest growth in the materials sector will come from photomasks, which will be up 8% to $2.7 billion compared to $2.46 billion in 2000, said Dan Tracy, senior market analyst at SEMI. New design activities and the growth in more expensive reticles used to extend optical exposure tools (such as phase shifting) will play a factor in stronger photomask growth this year. SEMI's other substrate category, such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafers, will also show stronger growth in 2001 increasing by 6.9% to $802 million compared to $750 million in 2000. Overall, fab materials will grow by 6.4% to $17.01 billion in 2001 compared to $15.99 billion in 2000, according to the San Jose-based trade group, which bases its forecast on an assumption of 3-to-5% semiconductor unit growth this year. Fab material spending will bounce up in 2002 increasing 8.7% to $18.49 billion before easing a bit in 2003 with a growth of 7.1% to $19.81 billion (see table below). Outlook for fab materials markets Segments 2000 2001 % change 2002 2003 Silicon Wafers $7.519 billion $7.770 billion 2.7% $8.181 billion $8.680 billion Other substrates $750 million $802 million 6.9% $858 million $918 million Photomasks $2.464 billion $2.700 billion 8% $3.105 billion $3.350 billion Photoresist $810 million $830 million 2.5% $928 million $988 million Photoresist ancillaries $714 million $744 million 4.2 $796 million $850 million Wet chemicals $758 million $772 million 1.8% $800 million $821 million Gases $1.976 billion $2.094 billion 5% $2.324 billion $2.533 billion Sputter targets $415 million $428 million 3.1% $456 million $478 million New materials* $580 million $870 million 5% $1.040 billion $1.190 billion Total $15.986 billion $17,010 billion 6.4% $18.488 billion $19.808 billion *Includes low-k films, CMP slurries Source: SEMI