In march of this year Japan the earthquake are impact Japanese Toshiba and SONY CMOS image sensor production, Toshibas rock hand county image sensor factories have closed, it used in the production of cellphone camera with CMOS image sensor logic chips. Similarly, SONY for the mobile OEM production CMOS image sensor also delayed delivery.

IHS iSuppli companys consumer electronics analyst Pamela Tufegdzic said: "Toshiba 2010 is the worlds fifth largest mobile phone image sensor supplier, accounting for global overall sales. SONY ranked sixth, 13.1% market share is 3.9%. Last year the two companies a total share in global mobile phone digital camera image sensor." the 17% sales

Although CMOS image sensor in the production and distribution of affected, but another main image sensor technology CCD supply seems unaffected, at least in the short term it is. SONY, panasonic, Fuji film, sharp and Toshiba etc Japan controls global CCD market supplier.

Due to higher image quality, CCD commonly used to digital camera. Instead, lower cost is mainly used in the CMOS sensor of cell phones and other products. For these products, filming was secondary function.

HuaJing and Canon enterprise is Taiwans digital camera manufacturers, as the main Japanese brands foundry. The two companies from Japan, said recently of the CCD image sensor supply doesnt appear shortage. Canon enterprise 90% of the CCD HuaJing from SONY, but the CCD 70 to 80 percent from sharp. Sharp Japanese CCD factory, and SONYs far from lake pontchartrain CDD factory is located in Thailand.

Therefore, CCD supply short term should not appear problem. But in the long term conditions may change, because CCD producers of upstream material supply could happen conditions, and may face transport and electricity problems.

Due to the effects of earthquakes, panasonic, Canon and nikon digital camera brands such as Japan has forced the closure of Japanese digital camera some high-end production line. The company points out, because of its low consumption model mainly by China and Thailand factory production, or outsourced Taiwan enterprises, therefore expected the quake would not have serious implications of these products.

The Japanese earthquake also led to the march and April global DRAM shipments decreased 1.1%, plus other factors, to help stabilize the march DRAM contract prices. 3 months for DRAM is usually relatively weak, the price will drop 3%. Now 3 months prices stable, is of great significance for year-round DRAM sales will have great role of ascension.

The 2011 quarterly sales will be the semiconductor than previously projected as shown in the diagram below.

April is expected to contract price from the average of DRAM to rise 2%, and flat is down had predicted 3-4%.

Japan two DRAM factory in this earthquake is no damage. But, in darfur will reach a chip akita areas of potential manufacturing/remanufacturing production interruptions, causing shipments decline.

If Japan is expected to recover quickly, mounting pressure on DRAM prices in the second half of this year would decline. But if wafer shortages worse, DRAM prices later this year may rise further.

Japan is the world silicon main producer, accounting for 60% of the global supply. Silicon wafer is the key to the production of semiconductor materials. The main wafer supplier of letter of 300 mm wafer production is still not normal. The companys god of baihe factories closed, habitat and the two factories of the total production is about 20% of conposing round.

Therefore, 300 mm naked wafer supply it might be for memory makers. If supply problems solved in the short term, in the naked cannot wafer inventory is exhausted after, production efficiency will be affected. Especially, when manufacturing supply chain of wafer population decline to less than 50% of normal level, DRAM output will be affected.

IHS chief DRAM iSuppli analyst Mike Howard said: "begin in October will face the possibility, leading to a further rise in DRAM prices."