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E-Beam Wafer Inspection System Market share is estimated to witness remarkable growth during the forecast timeframe of 2023-2032. The demand for semiconductor wafers is increasing at a strong rate every year, boosting the deployment of wafer inspection systems. Moreover, growing miniaturization of the system will create several lucrative business opportunities for the industry over the coming years.
E-beam wafer inspection systems are semiconductor fabrication tools that use electron beam scanning to inspect major detects in a wafer. These systems are finding notable usage in R&D projects wherein accuracy is a top priority.
However, lack of awareness regarding the features of these inspection systems may pose major challenges for the market progress in the future.
The Russia-Ukraine war also negatively impacted e-beam wafer inspection system market trends as semiconductor manufacturers were forced to shut down their operations. The shortage of raw materials due to their inaccessibility was another factor that hindered the production of semiconductors, thereby slowing the market progress.
Wafer inspection technologies are experiencing constant innovations, which will have a positive impact on global e-beam wafer inspection system industry outlook during the forecast period. For example, in December 2021, Hitachi High-Tech Corporation announced the launch of GS1000, an Electron Beam Area Inspection System. The new system will be used in EUV 3nm and 5nm processes and will cater to the requirement of mass production of semiconductor devices. Such product launches are expected to fuel the industry expansion.
Based on resolution, e-beam wafer inspection system market is segmented into less than 1nm, 1nm to 10nm, and more than 10nm. The market revenue from the 1nm to 10 nm resolution segment will increase considerably by 2032. Tools that have 1nm resolution can enable end-users to detect the most challenging and minute defects that other technologies cannot identify. These tools are also highly used in ramp and production of multiple patterning, FinFET formation, DRAM, R&D, and 3D NAND formation applications. These factors are estimated to favor the product adoption, which will eventually boost the market development.
Based on end use, global e-beam wafer inspection system industry is divided into communication devices, automotive parts, consumer electronic equipment, and others. The automotive part segment is likely to capture a large industry share during the analysis timeline as the automotive sector is growing at a remarkable pace every year.
The growing need for futuristic technologies in automobiles and the rising sales of electric vehicles (EVs) will boost the usage of e-beam wafer inspection systems. Around 4.3 million new BEVs and PHEVs were sold in the first half of 2022, representing a hike of more than 62% as compared to the first half of 2021. Since EVs use semiconductors to incorporate advanced communication technologies, such as ADAS, the usage of e-beam wafer inspection systems will rise.
Asia Pacific e-beam wafer inspection system market forecast will be positively influenced by the region’s ever-expanding semiconductor sector. These inspection tools are being increasingly used by semiconductor manufacturers as they facilitate high-quality inspection of wafers. Governments are also increasing their investments to expand the network of semiconductors fabrication plants. For example, in November 2022, Indonesia’s Ministry of Industry announced plans to set up a semiconductor fabrication plant in Batam, Riau Province. The plan is part of the country’s efforts to become self-reliant in semiconductor manufacturing. These developments will further strengthen the regional market potential.
E-beam wafer inspection system market has a vast presence of reputed organizations, such as ASML Holding N.V., Hitachi Ltd, Applied Materials Inc., NXP Semiconductors N.V., Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., and Renesas Electronics, among many others. These industry participants are creating innovative products to help them gain a competitive edge.
For instance, in December 2022, Applied Materials, Inc. introduced two new cold field emission (CFE) e-beam products – SEMVision G10 for reviewing defects and PrimeVision 10 for identifying defects. These products are expected to help the firm maintain its dominant position in the e-beam process diagnostics & control space.