The market size of front-end testing equipment is large and maintains stable growth

1. Overview of the front measure testing equipment industry

(1) Front-end testing equipment is an indispensable core equipment in the chip manufacturing production line

The front-end measurement equipment uses light, electron beam and other media as the main tools to measure key indicators or detect potential defects for the processing results of process equipment such as lithography machines, etching machines, thin film deposition equipment, etching, etching, and its use scenarios cover almost all the processes of chip front-end production such as diffusion, thin film deposition, lithography, etching, ion implantation, CMP, cleaning, etc., the details are as follows:

The market size of front-end testing equipment is large and maintains stable growth

Source: PwC public information collation

Different from process equipment such as lithography machines, etching machines, thin film deposition equipment, etching equipment, front-end quantity testing equipment is a "process control equipment", which does not participate in manufacturing itself, but plays the role of "guiding" manufacturing activities:

On the one hand, the yield rate is the "lifeline" of chip manufacturing, and the chip production line must rely on the front-end quantity testing equipment to detect various defects of the product, and find potential problems in each process stage accordingly, and adjust the process route, equipment collocation, and production line parameters in a timely manner, so as to improve the overall product yield of the chip production line. With the continuous development of downstream chip demand, the process steps of chip manufacturing are also increasing, and the increase in process steps will also lead to the overall yield of the production line becoming more difficult to control, resulting in the continuous increase of the production line's dependence on front-end quantity testing equipment.

On the other hand, when making manufacturing process improvements or process node upgrades, chip production lines must also obtain accurate data support through front-end quantity testing equipment to judge the advantages and disadvantages of process solutions or guide corresponding R&D exploration. For example, in multiple exposure technology, it is precisely by relying on the "overlay accuracy measurement equipment" to measure the "offset" of two adjacent photoresists after the lithography process, so as to verify whether the relative position of multiple masks is accurate, so as to verify whether the relevant process is feasible, and then determine the commercial value of the technology. Without accurate data, multiple exposure technology will not be commercialized.

Therefore, the front-end testing equipment is an indispensable core equipment in the chip manufacturing production line, and the technical level of the front-end testing equipment directly affects the quality of the chip and restricts the technological improvement of the chip process.

(2) The front-end quantity testing equipment involves multidisciplinary fields, with precise and complex structures and difficult manufacturing

From a structural point of view, the front-end quantity detection equipment is mainly composed of transmission unit, optical path processing unit, signal unit, quantity detection unit and other systems, including thousands of specific modules, and the breakthrough of each specific module requires long-term technical accumulation of the enterprise.

From a functional point of view, as a high-precision instrument in the semiconductor industry, the front-end measurement and testing equipment needs to complete the nano-level measurement and detection work, and is the "eye" and "doctor" of the semiconductor front-end production. The functional attributes of the front-end inspection equipment determine that it must have the characteristics of "high precision".

From a technical point of view, the front quantity detection equipment involves a number of technologies such as high vacuum cavity transmission technology, spectral detection technology, rapid operation technology, high-precision signal detection technology, etc., which is the technological crystallization of optics, physics, mechanics, algorithms and other disciplines, with high technical barriers and difficult manufacturing.

(3) There are many kinds of front-end quantity testing equipment, and it is necessary to take into account the safe and stable production of the production line while making breakthroughs in self-development

Different from the process equipment such as lithography machine, etching machine, thin film deposition equipment, etching machine, etching and other process equipment, etching machine, etching machine, etching and other process equipment, etching machine, etching and other process equipment, etching machine, etching machine, etching and other potential defects detection, etc., are used for the detection of a series of potential defects such as particle staining, pattern defects, microscopic defects, mechanical scratches, etching, etching, etching,

Different categories of front-end testing equipment have different functions, and their technical principles also have their own characteristics, and each subdivision requires deep technical accumulation and continuous research and development, and needs to invest greater energy to carry out self-research. For the production line, due to the "barrel effect" in each continuous process, the lack of quantity testing equipment in any subdivision will lead to the inability to effectively control the overall production results of the production line, which will adversely affect the yield of the production line.

In the above context, on the one hand, it is necessary for domestic enterprises to continue to tackle key problems in various subdivisions and improve the ability of various front-end testing equipment; on the other hand, it is also necessary to pay attention to the repair equipment market, and continue to provide multi-category repair equipment supply for the production line through the development of the repair equipment market, so as to maintain the stable operation of the production line, so as to ensure the safe production of chip manufacturing.

2. The scale of the front-end testing equipment industry

(1) The market size of front-end testing equipment is large and maintains stable growth

As an important component of the semiconductor equipment market, the market size of front-end testing equipment is second only to thin film deposition equipment, lithography machine and etching equipment in semiconductor equipment.

In recent years, the global front-end testing equipment market has shown steady growth. From 2019 to 2023, the global front-end testing equipment market size will grow from US$5.187 billion to US$12.53 billion.

(2) A small number of international leading enterprises dominate the global front-end testing equipment supply market

The market pattern of front-end inspection and repair equipment mainly shows that the international original repair department occupies most of the market share, and third-party repair manufacturers such as Zhuohai Technology compete with the original repair department to gradually increase their market share.

Similar to the lithography machine market, the technical barriers of front-end testing equipment are high and the manufacturing is difficult, which requires long-term investment and technical accumulation of enterprises, and the supply market presents a highly concentrated pattern. At present, the global front-end testing equipment supply market is dominated by a few international leading companies such as KLA, AMAT, and Hitachi, with a total market share of more than 70%.

In order to match the pace of upgrading the wafer manufacturing process under Moore's Law, meet the needs of the world's leading wafer manufacturing enterprises for a new generation of equipment in a timely manner, and maintain the competitiveness of leading the market, under the limited capital, production capacity and manpower, international leading enterprises will generally devote more energy to R&D and production of advanced process equipment. For the mature process equipment market, international leading companies generally achieve all-round occupation by providing repair equipment.

At present, the domestic advanced process front-end testing equipment market is mainly occupied by the new equipment departments of international leading enterprises such as KLA and MAT, while the mature process market is mainly occupied by the repair departments of the above-mentioned international leading enterprises.

(3) The mainland front-end testing equipment industry is in the early stage of development

The structure of the front-end testing equipment is precise and complex, and the manufacturing is difficult, and the mainland chip industry started relatively late, resulting in the development of the front-end testing equipment industry has been at a low level. Although the country has continued to encourage semiconductor equipment research and development for many years, domestic self-developed enterprises are constantly studying and making breakthroughs, but limited by factors such as the late start of the industry, it is still expected to be unable to meet the demand gap for stable chip production in the short term, and once the chip as "industrial food" is lacking, it will directly affect the development of many downstream emerging fields. Therefore, in order to ensure the chip output and production safety of the production line, while encouraging the self-development of new equipment, we should take into account the repair equipment market, so as to ensure the operation of the chip production line.

3. Comparison of the capabilities of the Chinese and foreign front-end testing equipment industries

In the global front-end testing equipment market, the international leading enterprises represented by KLA, AMAT, and Hitachi have entered the market earlier, have a large business scale, rich product layout, and have strong technical strength and independent research and development capabilities.

The mainland started late in the field of semiconductor front-end testing equipment, and domestic enterprises are still in the initial stage of development, although breakthroughs have been achieved in some subdivisions, but the maturity of products is far from meeting the urgent needs of the downstream. Compared with the international giants KLA, AMAT, and Hitachi, on the one hand, there is a certain gap in the overall technical level of domestic enterprises, and on the other hand, the self-developed products of many domestic enterprises are still in the initial stage such as customer verification, and the degree of commercialization is not high, and it will take a long time to achieve large-scale and batch delivery.

For more industry information, please refer to the "2024-2030 Pre-channel Testing Equipment Industry Market Research and Development Trend Forecast Report" of PwC Consulting, and PwC Consulting also provides special market research projects, industrial research reports, industrial chain consulting, project feasibility study reports, specialized and special new little giant certification, market share reports, 15th Five-Year Plan, post-project evaluation reports, BP business plans, industrial maps, industrial planning, blue white papers, national manufacturing single champion enterprise certification, IPO fundraising feasibility study, IPO working paper consulting and other services.

The market size of front-end testing equipment is large and maintains stable growth

Read on

Why is a composite multi-gas detector the ideal gas detection equipment?

Learn how to remove carbon deposits and make your vehicles more efficient. Carbon deposits are mainly due to the colloidal substance produced by insufficient combustion of gasoline. Both internal combustion engines produce carbon deposits, but vehicles with direct in-cylinder injection are even more

The leading domestic testing equipment, Zhongke Flying Measurement: adhere to independent research and development, and continue to promote the layout of new products

A leading manufacturer of display testing equipment, Jingzhida: storage testing equipment opens the second growth curve

Molecular marker detection of colorectal cancer丨The national team will take you to learn mCRC precision treatment

Pen and ink condense the fragrance of books and calculate the style of the exhibition - the test of Chinese character writing ability and mathematical calculation ability of Hongqi Primary School in Weiyang District

The big S event is escalated again! It is useless to use the test report to prove itself, and the three major doubts prove that there is another hidden situation

What should I do if my EAC Certification sample fails to pass the test?

24 electronic devices that have disappeared, compare them, which one have you used?

In 2023, BOE A will achieve revenue of 174.543 billion yuan, a slight decrease of 2.17%. Its business is dominated by displays, accounting for 84.25%, and the Internet of Things innovation business accounts for 1

Overtake! Japan announced a breakthrough in 6G equipment, and Huawei's 5G status is facing challenges

Heavy! Big S, Little S and Fan Xiaoxuan publish the test results! The comment area exploded!

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology vigorously promotes 5G cross-network roaming! Huawei 5G equipment affected? Netizen: Reduced fees?

The size of the urine is detected with a tranquilizer! The doctor analyzed that the drug is highly addictive, and Wang Xiaofei did not lie

The Apple 15 device is back! However, to build an OEM industry chain beyond China, India has no ambitions

180 devices can be upgraded, HarmonyOS 4.2 is more interesting and fun, and the experience has been comprehensively improved

Internet celebrity Wen Elf suffered from severe depression for half a year, and announced his return to say that his communication equipment had been confiscated by his family

U.S. chip strength: monopoly 51% of design, 68% of EDA/IP, and 47% of equipment

It is not black or blown, and chip equipment manufacturers in the United States, Japan and Europe are all relying on China to "reward" food

Once tested for life! This hospital in Oil City has launched a personalized medication genetic testing program

MIT engineers create advanced lead detection equipment that delivers near-instantaneous and accurate results with a single drop of water

Ocean Flower Island Basement Quality Problem Tracking: Resampling and Testing

Popular Science | What are the power equipment? What is the difference between primary and secondary equipment?

Huawei will use the remaining inventory of Kirin 9000 chips in devices that cost around $300

Helin Micro-Nano: Da Mo Research Report strongly promotes + GB200 semiconductor testing + glass substrates

At a speed of 76,000 kilometers per hour, NASA detected that an asteroid with a diameter of 1.8 kilometers was heading towards the Earth

The urban management is equipped with explosion-proof helmets and professional law enforcement recording equipment! Is this too powerful to deal with the masses? Or is there a deviation in the direction of the work? If you don't understand, just ask, and see in the comment area. #城管

After testing, the sugar content here in Hongqiao exceeded the standard!

Which used car platform has more car sources? Which used car inspection platform is good?

Case Study (17) - The ship was stranded due to the failure of the safety valve of the auxiliary boiler

National Highway 245 New Deal Overrun Detection Station Traffic Technology Monitoring Equipment Will Be Launched Soon···

The first benchmark dataset for hyperspectral salient object detection was launched

HarmonyOS 4.2A new batch of public beta upgrades has been launched, and these 14 Huawei devices have been upgraded, making them smoother

The less the elderly have sex with each other, how long do they live? A test tells you the answer, and both sons and daughters-in-law should know about it