$10B Cleaning Market by 2006
Laura Peters, Senior Editor -- Semiconductor International, 12/1/2001
A recent publication by Business Communications Co. Inc. (BCC, Norwalk, Conn.) projects the semiconductor cleaning and planarization market will grow by an average rate of 20% per year, possibly reaching $10B by 2006. The market for cleaning and planarizing materials and equipment is expected to reach ~$4B for 2001, as outlined in the report, "Equipment and Materials for Semiconductor Cleaning and Planarizing."
Like the semiconductor equipment and component suppliers, suppliers of cleaning equipment and materials struggle to supply the semiconductor market exactly when needed. For instance, following a down year in 1998, the global IC market began a drastic upcycle in 1999. This forced materials and equipment suppliers to rapidly ramp new tools, new materials and advanced process technologies within a very short period of time. As the spending continued through 2000, IC manufacturers began to adopt advanced process technologies for copper, low-k dielectrics and other new materials. In fact, the highest growth segments in 2000 were for critical submicron processes and copper interconnect fabrication. At the time BCC's report was completed, the industry had entered the market downturn and the demand for cleaning equipment plummeted.
For additional information on clean processing, go to www.semiconductor.net/clean.
