Fab equipment spending is expected to decline:
Semiconductor fab equipment spending is expected to decline by about 11 percent to US$35 billion this year, but that would still mark the third-highest level in the past 10 years, a report released by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International said yesterday.
The worldwide semiconductor equipment market grew 143% in 2010 to nearly $41 bn as the market recovered from the industry slowdown of the previous two years, according to final results from Gartner Inc. All major market segments grew significantly in 2010 with automatic test equipment sales up by 149%, wafer fab equipment sales up by 145% and sales of packaging assembly equipment up by 127%..