SAN FRANCISCO -- The July book-bill for makers of semiconductor gear was 0.93, up from 0.90 in June, despite a drop in orders.

A drop in front-end orders masked gains for backend tools. Orders for backend tools jumped 44% quarter over quarter.

July bookings ticked down 1.7% from June. The book-to-bill rose, however, as shipments -- down 5% -- fell faster than orders.

For the month, front-end bookings were off 5% sequentially, while backend bookings rose 13%.

Backend orders bottomed in January and have increased by 80% since, according to analysts SG Cowen.

July front-end billings fell 7%, although the book-to-bill rose 0.02 to 0.86. Front-end bookings totaled $782 million in July, down 6% quarter-over-quarter. However, second-half bookings are "likely to improve as foundries improve," SG Cowen said.

Backend bookings were $239 million, good for a book-to-bill of 1.29, up from 1.26 in June.