Electronic Materials Information
The Critical Materials Reports, many of which are written for International Sematech, contain critical information on the technical trends, value chain, and market forecasts for Electronic Materials. These reports are focused on material areas deemed critical to semiconductor processes, as determined by many of the largest semiconductor fabricators in the world. Reports can be ordered from Techcet Group, LLC. Click Here to Order Now!
Techcet Group specializes in market analysis and technical trend analysis for the semiconductor and related electronics industries. The company has been responsible for producing the International Sematech Critical Material Reports since 2001.
Press Releases Related to Newly Released Critical Material Reports are Listed Below: (click on titles for Press Release)
Photoresists and Photoresist Ancillaries 2010 NEW!
This report delves into the market segments that supply photoresist and associated chemistries used for developing and stripping photoresist. This report provide business and technical details on a multitude of material segments including advanced photoresist (sub 65nm), BARCs/TARCs, developers, etc. Click here for Report Table of Contents Order Now
Gases 2010 NEW!
The Gases Report provides market and business trend details on process gases used for semiconductor device manufacturing. The entire market is analyzed and forecasted in terms of revenues for the bulk and specialty gas categories. Selected bulk and specialty gases are highlighted every year. Supply chain issues are also provided. Gas forecasts are included. Click here for Report Table of Contents Order NowHF silane SiH4
CMP Consumables 2010 NEW!
The 2008-09 Downturn has changed the future of CMP, esp. the use amounts and revenues. This report reviews in detail the markets and technology as it applies to materials related to Chemical Mechanical Polishing, including Pads, Slurries, Abrasives, Conditioners, PCMP Clean Chemistry, Equipment. Material forecasts and market shares are included. Click here for Report Table of Contents Order Now
Quartz 2010 NEW!
The Quartz Report provides a comprehensive look at quartz used for semiconductor equipment and wafer production. Included are business and technical trends associated with Crucibles, Raw Material, Quartz Sand, and Fabricated Quartz Parts. Forecasts and market share are provided for each. Click here for Report Table of Contents Order Now
Wet Chemicals 2010 NEW!
The Wet Chemicals Report provides a detailed look at the wet chemicals market as it applies to semiconductor processing. A view of the larger world chemical market dynamics and associated suppliers is disclosed. Market size, forecast, and market share statistics are provided. Click here for Report Table of Contents Order Now
Solar Cell Process Materials for Front End Production
This report provides detailed market information on PV cell fabrication materials for c-Si, ms-Si, and thin film solar cell technologies. Market statistics on each material, in addition to the overal PV market growth and trends are provided. Information on the supply chain for each material segment is also included. Click here for Report Table of Contents Order Now
High K / ALD Precursors NEW!
The report provides detailed information on the applications and markets associated with front end and back end of line precursors used to produce high dielectric constant (K) materials and atomic layer deposition (ALD) dielectrics and metals. Market size, growth, and market share statistics are provided. Click here for Report Table of Contents Order Now
Sputter Targets 2010 NEW! <press release coming soon>
This report provides business and technical information on sputter targets as used for semiconductor devices. Also included is information on supply chain / availability issues. Market forecasts and market share statistics are provided. Click here for Report Table of Contents Click to Order
CMP Consumables Market Shaken By Downturn Activities
Techcet Forecasts Revenue Recovery Delayed to 2012
Del Mar, CA, June 01: The global CMP consumables market has emerged from the 2008-2009 recession with 2010 semiconductor wafer pass demand 20% higher than in pre-recession 2007. At the same time, revenues may not recover to 2007 levels until 2012, according to a new report from Techcet Group, “CMP Consumables 2010 Critical Materials Report,” due to recession-induced permanent changes to the market. The CMP combined pad and slurry market this year is forecast to be between $1.36B and $1.57B, rising by 2015 to between $1.85B and $2.4B.
Following the pattern of previous semiconductor downturns, fab engineers took advantage of the slack time to optimize processes with ever-increasing slurry dilution, and to evaluate new polishing pads entering the market. The slurry dilution efforts have focused on selective STI and copper. Copper slurry had been expected to be the primary revenue growth engine before the downturn, so 1:1 and 1:2 dilution takes a significant bite out of the revenue stream. New pad evaluations have resulted in ASP pressure consistent with a robust competitive environment, signaling a break in the long-standing dominance of a single supplier. The introduction of new device structures has called for the commercialization of a variety of new single-layer slurries, each of which carries a fixed product development cost without the multi-layer ROI lure of tungsten and copper slurries.
There are a record 15 slurry suppliers who have established sustainable revenue streams in at least one CMP process segment, although Cabot Microelectronics remains the dominant player with approximately 38% market share overall. Six other slurry suppliers have established shares ranging from 5% to 11%. The supremacy of Dow (Rodel) in CMP pads has been breached by 4 suppliers, each with 3-5% share, although Dow still holds a commanding 78% lead.
In addition to slurries and pads, the report includes a complete market breakdown for all CMP-related consumables and over 100 suppliers. It also has an analysis of the latest ITRS Roadmap updates and the implications thereof for CMP processes and supply chains at 32nm, 22nm and beyond.
Electronic Gases Rebounding After 14% Drop
Techcet Forecasts $2.9B Gas Business by 2012
Del Mar, CA, June 21: The 2009 market for electronic gases totaled $2.37B, down 14% from the prior year, according to a new report from Techcet Group, “Gases for Semiconductor Device Processing 2010, A Techcet Group Critical Materials Report.” The 2010 outlook is for 11% growth overall, with the electronic specialty gases segment leading the way with 15% growth to $1.6B. The combined electronic gases market is expected to reach beyond $2.9B by 2012, according to Techcet’s forecast.
Sales of specialty gases correlate very closely with silicon wafer consumption, and rode the roller coaster down with the semiconductor business through the recession. Bulk gases do not track as closely with wafer starts because the gas volumes attributed to other electronic applications are large in comparison to IC bulk gas. Driven by consumer spending in lieu of vacations and travel, TFT display sales were up over 20% for 2009, helping to keep overall gas revenues from diving too deeply. Gases for the solar market benefitted somewhat less, even though solar cell revenues actually grew 10% to 15% for 2009. However, excess inventory from 2008 kept solar cell production low for 2009. The impact was a net decrease of ~14% for solar gas revenues in 2009.
The electronic gas market leader continues to be Air Products with 26% global market share, followed by Taiyo Nippon Sanso and Air Liquide with 22% each, Linde with 16% and Praxair with 9%.
The report discusses the global issues that are affecting the market dynamics and supply chain stability for He, SiH4, HCl and NF3, all of which are critical to electronics manufacturing. The outlook for future gas usage as shaped by environmental concerns, legislative changes, and geopolitical issues are also discussed.
Flash Memory Leading Photoresists to $1.14B Recovery
Techcet Forecasts $1.5B in Photoresists for 2012
Del Mar, CA, June 21: Photoresist manufacturers are hoping this year to gain back 95% of their 2008 revenue levels, or about $1.14B, following a 25% drop in resist usage in 2009, according to a new report from Techcet Group, “Photoresists and Photoresist Ancillaries, Semiconductor Critical Materials Report 2010.” Revenues are expected to continue to grow to more than $1.5B over the next three years.
Flash memory is clearly in the lithography driver’s seat, fueling demand for 193nm immersion with double patterning, followed by DRAM and microprocessors. About 33% of all semiconductor resist sold in the world is now for 193nm (ArF) dry and immersion patterning, although 248nm and i-line remain a mainstay for most layers produced, with a combined 43% in revenue share and a much higher wafer pass share.
There continues to be an unsustainably high number of suppliers in the resist market, with at least nine manufacturers offering standard and advanced photoresist products. JSR and TOK share 49% of the global market, while 5 others hold shares of 5% to 19%. With a surge in R&D expenses as EUV becomes the primary focus at the leading edge, it seems likely that some consolidation is due.
While there do not appear to be any supply chain shortages looming, there are far fewer suppliers of resins, PACs and PAGs than there are resist and ancillaries suppliers. Only one US supplier, DuPont Electronic Polymers (TriQuest), holds a significant market share for 248nm and 193nm resist polymer resins. Worldwide, there are only three other basic resin suppliers, all in Japan. Many solvents and other materials used in the photolithographic process have been moved offshore and are no longer made in the U.S. This includes solvents such as IPA and other critical chemistries used for carriers and processes in the semiconductor manufacturing world.
The photoresist ancillary markets, which include strippers/removers, developers, ARCs and other ancillaries (EBR, HMDS, specialty solvents) are expected to reach a combined $1.05B this year, despite a revenue decrease of more than 25% last year for developers alone.
PV Materials Take a Steep Dive And Recover Quickly
Techcet Forecasts No Lasting Impact to Five Year Growth Expectations
Del Mar, CA, June 04: Sales for solar cell manufacturing materials bottomed out below $5B in 2009, but are already back on track to $6B by 2013, according to a new report from Techcet Group, “Solar Cell Process Materials 2010.” The year-long recession did not impact all materials equally, with cutting wires and silver inks taking the biggest hits.
China, Japan, Germany and Taiwan command 82% of the global PV cell production. Polysilicon comprises 60% of the direct material costs for single crystal and polycrystalline solar cells, though this is expected to drop to 50% over the next five years as polysilicon prices decline more than 50% from 2008 prices. Solar grade polysilicon is still largely produced in Japan, US and Europe. The remaining direct and indirect manufacturing materials are scattered around the globe, with new suppliers popping up near the high growth PV fabs in China. a-Si technology has been significantly slowed as the promise of manufacturing costs lower than c-Si has been challenged by falling polysilicon prices, in light of lower overall a-Si cell efficiencies. New manufacturing capacity for polysilicon continues to be added in the US as well as in India and Dubai.
Wet Chemicals Market Hoping For Partial Recovery
Techcet Forecasts 15% Growth Following 22% Drop
Del Mar, CA, June 01: Sales of wet chemicals for chip manufacturing plummeted 50% in the first half of 2009 but recovered in the fourth quarter for a net 22% decline from 2008, according to a new report from Techcet Group, “Wet Chemicals for Semiconductor Device Processing 2010.” The year-long recession left in its wake a $754M 2009 market for electronic wet chemicals that is not expected to recover to the $968M 2008 levels until the second half of 2012.
Global market share is distributed among nine players with 5% or more, led by BASF and Kanto with 16% each. There are, however, vast regional differences in market leadership, particularly in Taiwan, Korea and China. KMG’s US market share leadership at 40% was further widened with its acquisition of General Chemical and its 17% share in the first quarter of 2010.
With the continuing migration of semiconductor manufacturing to Asia, the US has fallen to a fourth place 14% in volume consumption of electronic wet chemicals, behind Japan, Taiwan and Korea. In spending on these chemicals, however, the US is slightly ahead of Taiwan and Korea due to a disproportionate demand for higher performance chemicals for leading edge technologies.
In addition to market analysis, critical supply chain issues and EH&S activities, the report includes profiles and updates for the sixteen major chemical suppliers to the global semiconductor industry. Quartz Dips to Seven Year Low Techcet Forecasts Market Doubling to $1B by 2013 Del Mar, CA, July 02: Sales last year of quartz products for semiconductor fabrication dipped to $501M, its lowest level since 2003, but will quickly recover to 2007 levels next year, according to a new report from Techcet Group, “Quartz for Semiconductor Applications, A Critical Materials Report 2010.” Lead times for fabricated materials are up by 50% over normal, and all key fabricators are operating near capacity. Overall sales of quartz base materials and fabricated parts fell approximately 25% to 30% from 2008, even though sales of lower grade quartz crucibles for solar silicon had been up 10% to 15% earlier in the period. Fortunately, the turnaround has been swift moving into 2010. Techcet anticipates a 15% increase in crucible sales and a 40% to 50% increase in base materials and fabricated quartz parts sales this year over last. This growth rate will settle down to about a 12% CAGR for the following three years. The rate of implementation of 450 mm wafer fabrication will impact the near-term prospects for the quartz industry. Intel, TSMC and Samsung still have plans to use 450 mm wafers by 2012. All quartz fabricators have been asked to “be prepared” for 450mm wafer processing. Although most of the major fabricators already have equipment that should be able to accommodate larger diameter quartz, none have made any real investment in new equipment, facility or parts for 450mm wafer processing. In addition to market analysis, recent IP activity and critical supply chain issues, the report includes profiles and updates for seven base material and crucible suppliers and a detailed update on 450mm preparedness.
Robust Metal Precursors Blast Through Recession
Techcet Forecasts $403M Metal Precursor Market by 2016
Del Mar, CA, July 18: Interconnects will drive the ALD/CVD metal precursor market to $403M by 2016, according to a new report from Techcet Group, “High ? and ALD/CVD Metal Precursors, A Semiconductor Materials Report 2010.” The recent recession notwithstanding, 2010 revenues are already expected to exceed 2007 levels by 3%.
The metal precursor market comprises three main segments: interconnects, capacitors and gates. The 2009 market size for CVD/ALD precursors for interconnect applications was approximately $100M, of which $83M is WF6 and TDMAT (Ti) used in established technologies. Organic growth, combined with the introduction of an ALD Cu barrier, will result in a 2016 interconnect metal precursor market of $303M. The adoption of Ru as the Cu barrier could drive revenues even higher, though it is more likely that ALD Co will replace sputtered Ta/TaN at 22nm and beyond. Co precursor revenues are expected to approach $16M by 2016, whereas Ru would result in $54M in precursor revenues if it is the unlikely winner.
Capacitor applications, which include DRAM and other memory devices, make up about 20% of the metal precursor market. High-? metal gate precursors, still hovering around 1%, will approach 3% in the outlying years with a 145% CAGR. These include both the high-? gate dielectric and the metal gate itself.
Aluminum oxide is currently being used for high volume production of 90nm and larger technology node memory devices. Hafnium oxide is being introduced in some memory devices calling for high-? capacitor dielectrics. At the leading edge, hafnium is already being replaced by zirconium oxide, as several of the memory manufactures have found that zirconium maintains a higher dielectric constant.
In addition to market analysis, process flow details, precursor candidates and critical supply chain issues, the report includes profiles and updates for nine major suppliers of vapor deposition precursors.
