To many of us who cover the world of optoelectronics there seems to be an almost interminable stream of "doom and gloom" from the telecom markets that overshadows much of what else is happening out there. So it was a pleasant surprise when I came across some relatively upbeat news recently. At the Conference on Laser and Electro-Optics (CLEO) in Long Beach, CA, in May there was much anecdotal evidence that in the nontelecom markets the photonics business is actually not too bad (assuming, of course, that your yardstick was calibrated before the telecom bubble came along). Although exhibitor perspectives on CLEO itself were decidedly mixed, there did seem to be a consensus that business could certainly be worse, with several firms telling me that some markets show definite signs of an uptick.
One of the largest of these markets is semiconductor and microelectronics processing. That industry's book-to-bill ratio in March 2002 was 1.02, ending a 16-month streak in which the value of new equipment being shipped exceeded that of new orders being received. The preliminary number for April showed a further increase to 1.2.
Within the microelectronics processing market, sales of excimer lasers for photolithography—the application featured on this month's cover—currently represent the largest segment (see p. 107). Other applications of excimer lasers include material structuring and flat-panel display processing and—outside the microelectronics arena—biomedicine and marking (see Optoelectronics World, following p. 70).
Of course excimer lasers are not the only ones involved in this market and any improvement in the semiconductor industry's health will help us all. Stanley Myers, president and CEO of SEMI (www.semi.org) was fairly optimistic when—commenting on the April book to bill number—he said, "While the jump in April's numbers likely reflects an end-of-quarter uptick in bookings, the fact that we have seen bookings improve for five consecutive months is a promising sign that the market for semiconductor equipment is beginning to recover from the downturn of 2001."
"Recent announcements by leading foundries of increased capital spending plans for 2002 are another sign of a brightening market outlook," he noted. Good news indeed on the eve of Semicon West, the industry's leading trade show.
Stephen G. Anderson | Director, Industry Development - SPIE
Stephen Anderson is a photonics industry expert with an international background and has been actively involved with lasers and photonics for more than 30 years. As Director, Industry Development at SPIE – The international society for optics and photonics – he is responsible for tracking the photonics industry markets and technology to help define long-term strategy, while also facilitating development of SPIE’s industry activities. Before joining SPIE, Anderson was Associate Publisher and Editor in Chief of Laser Focus World and chaired the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar. Anderson also co-founded the BioOptics World brand. Anderson holds a chemistry degree from the University of York and an Executive MBA from Golden Gate University.