Korea- and Taiwan-based foundry houses and memory-IC manufacturers have obtained support from their local producers of blank silicon wafers as failure of supplies from Japan still persist, according to industry sources.

Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor have both secured supplies of wafers made by LG Siltron. The Korea-based wafer maker has turned its attention to supporting domestic demand, the sources indicated.

Meanwhile, Formosa Sumco Technology (FST) has moved to give priority support to its Taiwan-based clients including foundries Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) and Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS), and memory chipmakers Macronix International, Nanya Technology and Inotera Memories, the sources said.

Headquartered in Taiwan, FST is a silicon wafer joint venture of Sumco Techxiv and Formosa Plastics Group.

Operations at Shin-Etsu Chemical's Shirakawa plant located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan remain closed, according to a company statement issued on April 11. Shin-Etsu said it has started shipping the inventories produced before the earthquake on March 11.

According to market researcher IHS iSuppli, Shin-Etsu's Shirakawa plant is responsible for 20% of global silicon semiconductor wafer supply.

Sumco, another major silicon semiconductor wafer producer, issued a statement on April 12 saying that the company has partially resumed operations at its Yonezawa plant in Yamagata Prefecture, which was struck by the March 11 disaster. In addition, Sumco has also started backup production of products that can be manufactured at its other plants, the company added.