SAN JOSE – North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers reported a sharp drop in orders in September, continuing a summer-long decline.

The 90-day moving average orders in September fell to $984.8 million, said SEMI. The three-month average worldwide bookings fell 15.3% from the final August level of $1.16 billion, and was down 40.4% from September 2010.

The three-month average worldwide billings was down 9.8% sequentially and 18.4% year-over-year to $1.31 billion.

The book-to-bill ratio dropped five basis points from the revised August figure to 0.75. A book-to-bill of 0.75 means that $75 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month. A ratio below 1.0 is considered an indicator of a near-term market decline.

Semiconductor equipment is considered a leading indicator for future IC and printed circuit board orders.

“Both billings and booking continue to decline with three-month average bookings almost  reaching a value last reported in late 2009,” said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “While device makers are investing in advanced technology, broader investments await stability in the overall economic outlook.”

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of US dollars.

Source: SEMI October 2011