TOKYO -- Orders for semiconductor-manufacturing equipment are picking up at seven major Japanese producers, underpinned by brisk demand for 3-D memory and ravenous investment in chip miniaturization.
Their orders are expected to total about 730 billion yen ($7.17 billion) in the April-September first half of fiscal 2016, up about 4% from the preceding six-month period and hitting the highest level since the October-March half of fiscal 2006.
