Dublin, July 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Mask Inspection Equipment Market 2016-2020" report to their offering.
The global mask inspection equipment market to grow at a CAGR of 11.27% during the period 2016-2020.
The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global mask inspection equipment market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the analyst considers the sale of mask inspection equipment or systems to global, regional, and local end-users, mainly to captive and merchant mask shops.
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.
Mask inspection equipment is fab equipment that is used, before lithography, to inspect photomasks for defects during the production of semiconductor wafers. It is also used for R&D purposes. The increase in the application of semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) in segments like consumer electronics, automobiles, and industries is prompting IC vendors to raise their production scales. This will compel the vendors to demand more mask inspection equipment to ensure maximum reliability of their offerings.
A trend which is having a very big impact on the market is the evolution of IoT. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of interconnected computing devices comprising mechanical and digital machines or objects that possess the unique ability to transfer data over the network without human-to-computer interaction.
It is one of fastest growing markets globally, with about 30 billion devices - generating approximately 50 trillion GBs of data - to be connected through the IoT by 2020. The IoT allows devices to use sensors and actuators to collect and transmit data to a centralized location on a real-time basis. The adoption of the IoT is increasing in market segments such as consumer electronics, automotive, and medical.
According to the report, a key growth driver is the increasing number of fabs. The growth of the semiconductor industry is mainly driven by surging demand for semiconductor chips and memory devices from end-user markets, such as consumer electronic devices, medical devices, and sensor systems. 2016 is expected to be a challenging year for the semiconductor industry mainly due to macroeconomic factors such as a slowdown in the Chinese economy, falling average selling prices of smartphones, and declining tablets and PC segments.
However, the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), automation in automobiles, and the concept of a connected environment are expected to create substantial demand for semiconductor devices during the forecast period.
Further, the report states that one challenge that could restrict market growth is the high dependency on a few suppliers.
Key vendors
- KLA-Tencor
- Applied Materials
- Lasertech Corporation
Other prominent vendors
- Carl Zeiss
- FEI
- Hermes Microvision (HMI)
- JEOL
- Nanometrics
- Nikon
- Planar Corporation
- Rudolph Technologies
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4lr57w/global_mask