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EUV competition rages to peripheral semiconductor equipment
Surrounding the new generation of semiconductor manufacturing technology "EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet Light)", the competition among equipment companies has intensified. Tokyo Electronics will invest a record high development cost in fiscal year 2020 (as of March 2021), and Lasertec’s order book has doubled in the past year. In the EUV-related equipment market, the Dutch ASML monopolizes the core lithography machine, but in the fields of inspection and light source, the presence of Japanese companies is also improving.
Toshiki Kawai, president of Tokyo Electronics, the world’s third largest manufacturer of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, said: “If EUV is popularized, demand for higher-end equipment will increase.” In fiscal year 2020, it will invest a record high of 135 billion yen in research and development expenses. .
Toshiki Kawai, president of Tokyo Electronics, the world’s third largest manufacturer of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, said: “If EUV is popularized, demand for higher-end equipment will increase.” In fiscal year 2020, it will invest a record high of 135 billion yen in research and development expenses. .
The advantage of Tokyo Electronics is "Coater Developer". This equipment is used to coat a special chemical liquid on a silicon wafer as a semiconductor material to develop it. In the field of EUV mass production equipment, the company's market share is 100%. Consolidated sales for this fiscal year are expected to reach 1.28 trillion yen. More than 10% of this will be used for research and development to consolidate the leading edge in the popularization stage of EUV.
In the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market of more than 6 trillion yen per year, generational changes are taking place.
The finer the circuit line width of a semiconductor, the higher the performance, and the current cutting-edge product is 5 nanometers. To transfer such a thin circuit to a silicon wafer, EUV lithography machine is indispensable. With the increasing supply of ASML, the only mass-produced EUV method in the world, development competition including peripheral equipment such as coating and light sources has also begun.
The symbol of the generational change is the test equipment manufacturer Lasertec. If there are defects in the photomask as the original circuit board, the defect rate of the semiconductor will increase accordingly. The company produces test equipment that supports EUV, and its orders from July 2019 to March 2020 have increased 2.2 times from the same period last year, reaching 65.8 billion yen. Two-thirds of the annual orders are expected to be EUV related.
In addition, fierce confrontations between Japanese companies are also taking place. In the field of electron beam mask writing machines, Toshiba's NuFlare Technology is catching up with the alliance between JEOL and IMS NANOFABRICATION (Austria). The focus is on the development of "Multi-Beam" technology using 260,000 laser beams.
In January, Toshiba repelled HOYA, which initiated a hostile TOB (public tender offer), and consolidated its control over Niu Fulai. 25 newly dispatched development technicians, etc., plan to supply EUV-supporting next-generation lithography equipment within 2020.
Gigaphoton (located in Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture), a subsidiary of Komatsu that produces laser sources, is looking forward to a comeback. Before the advent of EUV, the company became one of the top two in the field of light sources for lithography machines. However, due to reasons such as the acquisition of a competitor by ASML, it is currently losing its presence. Gigaphoton strives to develop high-output light source components before ASML launches EUV next-generation equipment in order to regain market share.
The background for companies to accelerate the development of EUV equipment is the miniaturization competition launched by South Korea's Samsung Electronics and TSMC. The demand for high-performance semiconductors such as 5G is strong, and the two companies are competing for each ASML lithography machine worth over 20 billion yen. In this process, business opportunities for surrounding manufacturing equipment companies are also expanding.
Statistics from the International Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Association (SEMI) and the Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) show that the market share of semiconductor manufacturing equipment made in Japan was 31.3% in 2019, which has hovered around 30% in the past 20 years.
In the field of lithography equipment, Nikon and Canon had previously swept the world market, but failed in the competition with ASML and fell behind in EUV development. In the semiconductor field, as the manufacturing process becomes difficult, the tendency of winner-takes-all is increasing. The generational change taking EUV as an opportunity will also accelerate the survival of the fittest in equipment companies.
"The investment in cutting-edge equipment in the mainland market has ceased," the head of EUV-related parts and components companies sighed. As the Dutch government did not approve it, ASML has been unable to export EUV lithography machines to the mainland. In addition, the purchase of peripheral equipment and parts is also suspended.
There is trade friction between China and the US behind it. If ASML equipment cannot be imported, mainland semiconductor manufacturers will lag behind in the miniaturization competition. The mainland government puts forward the goal that the semiconductor self-sufficiency rate will reach 40% by 2020 and 70% by 2025, but this is difficult to achieve. Many views believe that the United States exerted pressure on the Dutch government to use it as a weapon of sanctions.
Statistics from the International Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Association show that the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market in 2019 was 59.7 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 59% over 2014. During this period, the mainland market has increased its presence, and its share of the world's overall market has increased from 11.6% in 2014 to 22.5%. For Japanese semiconductor manufacturing equipment companies, the mainland has become a market that is hard to ignore.
EUV technology development is difficult, and the R&D costs of all companies are expanding. If the market no longer expands, the return on investment of enterprises will be delayed, and the development of new technologies may be difficult to advance.
In the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market of more than 6 trillion yen per year, generational changes are taking place.
The finer the circuit line width of a semiconductor, the higher the performance, and the current cutting-edge product is 5 nanometers. To transfer such a thin circuit to a silicon wafer, EUV lithography machine is indispensable. With the increasing supply of ASML, the only mass-produced EUV method in the world, development competition including peripheral equipment such as coating and light sources has also begun.
The symbol of the generational change is the test equipment manufacturer Lasertec. If there are defects in the photomask as the original circuit board, the defect rate of the semiconductor will increase accordingly. The company produces test equipment that supports EUV, and its orders from July 2019 to March 2020 have increased 2.2 times from the same period last year, reaching 65.8 billion yen. Two-thirds of the annual orders are expected to be EUV related.
In addition, fierce confrontations between Japanese companies are also taking place. In the field of electron beam mask writing machines, Toshiba's NuFlare Technology is catching up with the alliance between JEOL and IMS NANOFABRICATION (Austria). The focus is on the development of "Multi-Beam" technology using 260,000 laser beams.
In January, Toshiba repelled HOYA, which initiated a hostile TOB (public tender offer), and consolidated its control over Niu Fulai. 25 newly dispatched development technicians, etc., plan to supply EUV-supporting next-generation lithography equipment within 2020.
Gigaphoton (located in Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture), a subsidiary of Komatsu that produces laser sources, is looking forward to a comeback. Before the advent of EUV, the company became one of the top two in the field of light sources for lithography machines. However, due to reasons such as the acquisition of a competitor by ASML, it is currently losing its presence. Gigaphoton strives to develop high-output light source components before ASML launches EUV next-generation equipment in order to regain market share.
The background for companies to accelerate the development of EUV equipment is the miniaturization competition launched by South Korea's Samsung Electronics and TSMC. The demand for high-performance semiconductors such as 5G is strong, and the two companies are competing for each ASML lithography machine worth over 20 billion yen. In this process, business opportunities for surrounding manufacturing equipment companies are also expanding.
Statistics from the International Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Association (SEMI) and the Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) show that the market share of semiconductor manufacturing equipment made in Japan was 31.3% in 2019, which has hovered around 30% in the past 20 years.
In the field of lithography equipment, Nikon and Canon had previously swept the world market, but failed in the competition with ASML and fell behind in EUV development. In the semiconductor field, as the manufacturing process becomes difficult, the tendency of winner-takes-all is increasing. The generational change taking EUV as an opportunity will also accelerate the survival of the fittest in equipment companies.
"The investment in cutting-edge equipment in the mainland market has ceased," the head of EUV-related parts and components companies sighed. As the Dutch government did not approve it, ASML has been unable to export EUV lithography machines to the mainland. In addition, the purchase of peripheral equipment and parts is also suspended.
There is trade friction between China and the US behind it. If ASML equipment cannot be imported, mainland semiconductor manufacturers will lag behind in the miniaturization competition. The mainland government puts forward the goal that the semiconductor self-sufficiency rate will reach 40% by 2020 and 70% by 2025, but this is difficult to achieve. Many views believe that the United States exerted pressure on the Dutch government to use it as a weapon of sanctions.
Statistics from the International Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Association show that the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market in 2019 was 59.7 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 59% over 2014. During this period, the mainland market has increased its presence, and its share of the world's overall market has increased from 11.6% in 2014 to 22.5%. For Japanese semiconductor manufacturing equipment companies, the mainland has become a market that is hard to ignore.
EUV technology development is difficult, and the R&D costs of all companies are expanding. If the market no longer expands, the return on investment of enterprises will be delayed, and the development of new technologies may be difficult to advance.