Metrology/Inspection Semiconductor Equipment Driven by Sub-5nm Says The Information Network

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Aug. 29, 2021 - PRLog -- Advanced state-of-the-art IC production at 5 nanometer dimensions will be a catalyst for strong growth in the semiconductor metrology/inspection equipment market in 2020 and 2021, according to the report "Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control in VLSI Manufacturing," recently published by The Information Network, a New Tripoli, PA-based market research company

"As semiconductor manufacturers continue to introduce chips with 5nm dimensions, the metrology/inspection market will benefit," noted Dr. Robert Castellano, president of The Information Network. "The smaller dimensions dictate advanced metrology and inspection equipment to find defects that could negatively affect IC performance and yield."

Strong demand for sub-5nm chips manufactured by Taiwan's TSMC and Korea's Samsung Electronics are requiring advanced metrology/inspection equipment, and KLC, with a 55% share of the market, is expected to gain share, particularly in the EUV mask inspection sector.

The ability to inspect and measure these yield challenges have direct benefits to the semiconductor manufacturer, as the convergence of these multiple technologies creates increased pressure on fabs to maintain control of costs. Increasing yield translates to increased revenues and profits.

This ability to monitor yield and control costs is a critical factor. Samsung is spending $90 billion to generate chips that wouldt give them the most competitive edge against competitors, including Micron, SK Hynix, Western Digital, and Kioxia.

"Nearly all the reticles today at 5-nanometer are inspected by KLA's inspection systems, and KLA's next-generation e-beam based mask inspection platform has begun customer qualification for applications at 3-nanometer and below," added Dr. Castellano.

This report offers a complete analysis of the Process Control market, segmented as: Lithography Metrology; Wafer Inspection/Defect Review; Thin Film Metrology; and Other Process Control Systems. Each of these sectors is further segmented into 22 segments and subsegments used in semiconductor manufacturing. Included with the report is an Excel spreadsheet of historic market revenues of each competitor in 22 segments from 2012 to 2020. The TOC is available for viewing on The Information Network website (http://www.theinformationnet.com)