Equipment Industry Update

Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Sales	Shipments Trends for U.S.-based Manufacturers
Shares of Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Sales by Product Type	Book-to-Bill Ratios by Equipment Type

Book-to-bill ratios for North American-based semiconductor equipment makers fell in April, for the first time in seven months, according to data compiled by SEMI. Orders to equipment manufacturers went up 7.7% from March to April, following a 10.2% rise the month before. April's shipment total was 11.2% above the month before. At more than $2.7B, April 2000 orders to North American equipment makers were 67% higher than during the peak of the industry's previous cyclical upturn in the fall of 1997.

Worldwide sales for January-March 2000 were 102.9% above January-March 1999. Assembly/packaging equipment sales rose 143.0%, wafer manufacturing equipment 139.6%, and test equipment more than 116.0%. Wafer processing equipment sales grew 106.0% in the most recent 12-month period.

The value of semiconductor equipment sold to North American manufacturers was up 46.0% during the first three months of 2000. Sales to Japan were 84.2% higher, and sales to Europe rose 149.1%. Equipment sales to the rest of the world were more than 21/2 times (+156.2%) the level for January-March 1999..