Global Mask Inspection Equipments Market 2018 by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2023

A mask is an original master for transferring IC patterns to the semiconductor wafers. Defects during lithography that exceed expected size must be identified and corrected.

Mask inspection equipment looks for pattern defects and foreign matter on the surface of the mask. This equipment is used in semiconductor plants to inspect masks received from suppliers, such as mask shops, and to conduct regular inspections of masks during the device production process. Mask inspection equipment is also used by mask shops to inspect masks before shipment to device makers.

A major reason why mask inspection equipment is required is that masks often develop a solid growing foreign matter (haze) on their top surface and back side. Masks therefore must be inspected for such impurities before continuing with the semiconductor manufacturing process. The adoption of ArF lithography has increased the level of irradiation light energy. During exposure, gaseous impurities, such as organic substances and ammonia, are present in trace amounts on the mask. Irradiation by a short wavelength laser decomposes these gaseous substances and induces bonding, which often leads to the emergence of a solid growing foreign matter (haze) on the top surface and back side of the mask. Although this haze is microscopic, usually only several tens of nanometers, if it grows it will be transferred to the wafer during the lithography process, resulting in a defective semiconductor device.

Defects that are detected after patterns are written on masks include protrusions from the pattern, cracks in the pattern, dirt or dust on the transparent portion, and transparent pinholes in the portion of the pattern that is shielded from light.

The report focuses on the Mask Inspection Equipment market, but does not include revenue generated from the sale of components that are used in the production or resale of mask inspection equipment.

Scope of the Report:
This report focuses on the Mask Inspection Equipments in global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.
The semiconductor market is shifting toward complex and miniaturized devices. Semiconductor device manufacturers need higher inspection sensitivity as they move toward lower node sizes (10nm and beyond). The migration will introduce complex structures and designs, as well as new materials.
Intense market competition, rapid technological advances, and cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry pose significant challenges to market vendors. The market has significant entry barriers such as high capital investments which challenge the entry of new players in the market. The competition among the vendors is expected to intensify due to the emergence of new technology milestones like IoT and wearable technology.
In terms of geography, the APAC region led the global mask inspection equipment and the four countries including China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, are expected to reach close to $386.95 million by 2018, due to the existence of manufacturing industries in Asian countries. China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea have a very rich environment for manufacturing companies. The economic growth in China and India is also driving the strong demand for electronic products in the semiconductor inspection system market.
The worldwide market for Mask Inspection Equipments is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly 8.1% over the next five years, will reach 690 million US$ in 2023, from 440 million US$ in 2017, according to a new study.

Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers
KLA-Tencor
Applied Materials
Lasertec
Carl Zeiss
ASML (HMI)

Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers
North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)
Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)
Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)
South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia etc.)
Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)

Market Segment by Type, covers
Die to Die (DD) Method
Die to Database (DB) Method

Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into
Semiconductor Device Manufacturers
Mask Shops

There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Mask Inspection Equipments market.
Chapter 1, to describe Mask Inspection Equipments Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;
Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Mask Inspection Equipments, with sales, revenue, and price of Mask Inspection Equipments, in 2016 and 2017;
Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;
Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Mask Inspection Equipments, for each region, from 2013 to 2018;
Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;
Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2018;
Chapter 12, Mask Inspection Equipments market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023;
Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Mask Inspection Equipments sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source

Frequently Asked Questions