Plasma Etching Equipment Market Outlook – 2027
Plasma Etching equipment is a type of plasma processing device that is used in fabrication process during manufacture of semiconductor devices. This equipment works on the plasma etching technique, which is used to fabricate ICs by shooting high-speed stream of plasma of the processed gases within its chamber to etch thin film patterns and a vacuum pump extracts gaseous products.
Plasma etching systems are largely used in manufacture of consumer electronic goods such as LCDs and OLEDs as it helps display devices get higher resolution and performance by improving physical properties of etched materials as well as sticks two surfaces better than other etchants. This high-precision device is used to plasma clean circuits after machining as it efficiently removes unwanted organic residues from metal surface and is less risky than acid etching devices.
Plasma etching equipment consume less chemical and is ideal for automation as well as single wafer manufacturing since the by-products formed during this process are volatile. These equipment highly improve the quality of fabrication of ICs and are reliable for treating a wide range of substrates since it improves physical and chemical properties of metals without affecting its properties.
Growth in use of this device in active process control system supports development of next-generation semiconductor technology, which is anticipated to boost growth of the plasma etching equipment market share at a steady pace in coming years.
The global plasma etching equipment market is segmented on the basis of type, technology, application, industry vertical, and region. Based on type, the plasma etching equipment market is bifurcated into barrel type and planar type. In terms of technology, the market is categorized into RIE, ICP, and DRIE. On the basis of application, the market is divided into logic & memory, power device, MEMS, RFID, and CMOS image sensors.
In terms of industry vertical, the plasma etching equipment market is segregated into consumer electronics, industrial, automotive, healthcare, and others. Geographically, the plasma etching equipment market is analysed across several regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa (LAMEA).
Top Impacting Factors
Rise in adoption of miniature semiconductor ICs in compact, energy-efficient electronic goods requiring advanced circuit fabrication process with small geometries and precise pattern transfer is the primary factor that propels the plasma etching equipment market growth. However low anisotropy of this device as reacting species can react in any direction, fluctuating nature of the semiconductor equipment industry as well as huge inventory pileup while supply outpaces demand tend to hamper the plasma etching equipment market growth.
On the other hand, use of plasma isotropic etching equipment for manufacture and cleaning of printed circuit boards as well as use of anisotropic etching to form circuit patterns in wafers further proliferates the market revenue. Extensive upgradation in IoT application along with incorporation of AI requires miniature semiconductors to be integrated in fully automated smart devices such as smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets among others, hence paving new avenues to the plasma etching equipment industry.
New Product Launches to Flourish the Market
The global leading plasma etching equipment market players have adopted necessary steps to design plasma etch equipment with advanced functionality and extendibility with a view to deliver chipmakers process performance at the highest productivity.
In March 2020, LAM Research Corp., American corporation dealing with semiconductor processing devices, launched Sense.iTM platform, a plasma etch technology and system solution, which offers system intelligence in a compact high density architecture. The Sense.i platform has space-saving architecture that offers 50% improvement in etch output density.
It has smaller footprint that benefits a new fab build or a fab undergoing node-to-node technology conversion. This helps to build greater number of process chambers in a fab and reduces total output for a given floor space. This self-aware platform features autonomous calibration and maintenance capabilities, which reduces downtime and machine-learning algorithms and allows tools to self-adapt to minimize process variations and maximize wafer output.
Sense.i platform allows semiconductor manufacturers to capture and analyse data, identify trends, and specify actions for improvement. This solves critical cost-scaling challenges and acts as an installed base that helps to design tools for semiconductor manufacturing.
Surge in Use in Industrial and Automotive Applications
Plasma etching equipment are used in pre-treatment technology in car manufacturing such as removal of silicon residues through plasma cleaning. This involves plasma etching of high-performance plastics and application of plasma coat as adhesion promoter. These equipment are also used to produce ICs and MEMS devices that are deployed in automobile in tire-inflation monitoring and absolute-manifold pressure sensing systems to improve passenger safety during vehicle collision.
In June 2019, Oxford Instruments, manufacturing and research company based in the UK, launched Atomfab, a Plasma Atomic Layer Deposition (PALD) high volume manufacturing solution (HVL) to address fundamental challenges in the Gallium Nitride (GaN) power device industry. One of the challenges of GaN device is high-quality gate passivation, which is addressed by Atomfab by high throughput delivered by high deposition rate process on a high uptime HVM platform.
Atomfab precisely controls remote plasma to protect underlying sensitive reproducible GaN substrate that is delivered by the plasma. Atomfab delivers significantly reduced cost per wafer as well as fulfils customer needs on a single wafer platform with standard cluster configurations and improved process controls. In addition, it provides significant Cobalt Oxide (CoO) reduction, increase in yield, and enhanced device performance to GaN power devices.
Key Benefits of the Stakeholders
- The study gives an analytical overview of Plasma Etching Equipment market forecast with current trends and future estimations to determine imminent investment pockets.
- The report provides information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities along with detailed plasma etching equipment market analysis.
- The current plasma etching equipment market trends are quantitatively analyzed.
- Porter’s five forces analysis illustrates the potency of buyers & suppliers in the market.
COVID-19 Scenario Analysis
- After the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, the global semiconductor market counts among the most impacted as manufacturing units are mostly in China and most of them had to shut operations leading to severe disruption of supply chain. There is a short-term demand lapse, which has led the plasma etching equipment market share to fall, owing to lockdown of operations and travel restrictions on a global basis.
- The plasma etching equipment market revenue is anticipated to experience a significant dip, owing to the unprecedented temporary halt in manufacturing operations of single wafer as well as miniature semiconductor ICs. It is followed by a temporary demand lapse in semiconductor devices or electronic goods by end users, attributed to slowdown in business operations supported by travel restrictions.
- Manufacture of equipment has outpaced the demand leading to huge inventory pileup. Equipment manufacturers are forced to lower the price for clearing stock, which has results in lesser revenue inflow during this time of crisis.
Questions Answered in the Plasma Etching Equipment Market Research Report
- Who are the leading players in the plasma etching equipment market?
- What would be the detailed impact of COVID-19 on the plasma etching equipment market size?
- What are the current trends that would influence the market in the next few years?
- What are the driving factors, restraints, and opportunities in the market?
- What are the projections for the future that would help in taking further strategic steps?
Plasma Etching Equipment Market Report Highlights
| Aspects | Details |
 By Type |
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 By Technology |
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 By Application |
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 By Industry Vertical |
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 By Region |
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 Key Market Players | SAMCO Inc., Oxford Instruments PLC, Applied Materials Inc., Tokyo Electron Ltd, SPTS Technologies, LAM Research Corp, GigaLane, Trion Technology, Plasma Etch Inc, NAURA |
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