SAN JOSE – North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted a 90-day average of $1.23 billion in orders in February, up 8% from the revised January figure and down 12% year-over-year.


The book-to-bill ratio climbed for the fifth straight month, reaching 0.93, meaning that $93 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month. A ratio above 1.0 is considered an indicator of an expanding market.

The data were announced by SEMI today.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in February was $1.32 billion, up 3% from January and 8% from 2007.

In a statement, Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI, said, “Though current inventory and utilization rates are at healthy levels, device manufacturers are being conservative in their capex spending."