Date: 15/03/2011

MEMC's Japan staff safe but the production is on hold

Semiconductor wafer supplier MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. has announced its employees at the Utsunomiya facility, which is approximately 130 miles from Sendai, Japan were safely evacuated following the earthquake, and no injuries were reported. Operations at the facility remain suspended pending the conclusion of building and equipment safety inspections and an analysis of potential damage. As a result, MEMC expects that shipments from this facility will be delayed over the near term.

MEMC has a network of 12 manufacturing facilities around the world. The Utsunomiya facility is one of eight that manufacture semiconductor wafers, and one of three that engages in the slicing and polishing ("wafering") of 300 millimeter (mm) wafers for the semiconductor industry. The facility also engages in wafering a small volume of 200mm wafers. The facility does not grow the semiconductor crystals for which it provides wafering.

The company is currently conducting inspections and assessing the impact to production and shipments from the Utsunomiya facility.