The results are mixed, according to a report from Wright Williams & Kelly Inc. (WWK). The Pleasanton, Calif.-based company is a cost management software and consulting firm.

In April 2007, WWK conducted a survey of semiconductor industry professionals asking, among other things, about the expected arrival date of 450-mm wafers.

The most common answer was 2013 or later, but nearly 40 percent answered that 450-mm wafers would never happen.

"Given the historical framework of the aborted introduction of 300-mm wafers and the dire impact that had on the supply base, it is easy to see why equipment companies are taking a hard line on who will pay for the next wafer size jump," said Daren Dance, vice president of technology at WWK, in a statement.