The demand for 8-inch wafers is increasing, how will ASM INTERNATIONAL layout?

In the case of limited supply, the market has a strong demand for 8-inch wafers, so the demand for equipment for manufacturing wafers is also increasing, so that the entire semiconductor market has begun to re-examine the investment and value of 8-inch wafer lines. Although the mainstream technology has reached 12 inches since the market demand for 8-inches is increasing, should equipment manufacturers stick to the 12-inch market and ignore the huge demand of the 8-inch market?

Affected by the epidemic, the global digitalization process is developing rapidly, and the demand for semiconductor chips is strong, which in turn stimulates the strong growth of the semiconductor equipment market. According to the ranking of sales of semiconductor equipment manufacturers in 2020 announced by the US semiconductor industry research company VLSI, semiconductor sales will reach 92.4 billion U.S. dollars (approximately RMB 603.5 billion) in 2020, year-on-year increase of 18%. Among them, compared with the ranking in 2019, ASM INTERNATIONAL performed well and ranked among the top ten semiconductor equipment manufacturers in the world.

Xu Lai, general manager of ASM INTERNATIONAL China, said that since 2016, ASM INTERNATIONAL's annual turnover has increased by more than double digits. The fastest growth in 2018 and 2019 was as high as 37%. Compared with 2019, ASM INTERNATIONAL's total revenue in 2020 exceeds 1.3 billion euros, an increase of 18%, showing an overall upward trend. This is mainly due to the rapid growth of the Chinese semiconductor market and the growing market share of ASM INTERNATIONAL in the global advanced logic process market, especially in the Chinese market. ASM International China has achieved outstanding results of 10 times growth in 3 years.

ASM INTERNATIONAL's business centers and R&D centers are distributed in seven regions around the world, including two R&D centers in Europe. The two major divisions in Japan and South Korea are mainly engaged in PEALD (Enhanced Plasma Atomic Layer Deposition) and PECVE (Chemical Vapor Deposition). The furnace tube equipment design center is located in the Netherlands, and the United States has Epi and ALD related to heat conduction.

"With the growth of the business, we are no longer restricted by the area of ​​the factory and production capacity. Now as far as the entire supply chain is concerned, it is mainly subject to the delivery date of the parts and components. The delivery time of our supply is also based on each month. , Each quarter is determined by the supply chain delivery situation." Xu Lai said that the factory production capacity will not be the bottleneck of ASM INTERNATIONAL.

In 2020, ASM INTERNATIONAL will still take the lead in the field of atomic layer deposition (ALD), becoming the world's largest and highest-occupied ALD equipment supplier. In addition, ASM INTERNATIONAL has also gained a lot in the fields of epitaxial growth (Epi), enhanced plasma chemical weather deposition (PECVD), and vertical furnace tube equipment.

Xu Lai pointed out that ASM INTERNATIONAL's leading industry, ALD accounts for more than half of its equipment revenue, and all equipment has a certain installed capacity in China. Among them, Pulsar accounted for the highest proportion, with a current market share of 100%.

"ASM INTERNATIONALs ALD equipment is divided into two categories, one is related to heat and the other is related to plasma. According to VLSI survey data, our single-wafer ALD accounted for 53% of the global market share in 2019. With ALD Revenue is showing a significant double-digit growth trend, and we believe that ASM INTERNATIONAL will maintain its leading position in 2021."

Epi has been a very hot topic in the past few years, and ASM INTERNATIONAL has provided domestic customers with better choices. Epitaxial growth refers to the growth of a new single crystal layer on a single crystal substrate. The new single crystal layer epitaxially grown can be different from the substrate in terms of conductivity and resistivity, and it can also grow multiple layers with different thicknesses and different requirements. Single crystal, thereby greatly improving the flexibility of device design, improving material quality and device performance. Xu Lai mentioned: "When it comes to epitaxial growth, thick epitaxial technology is ASM INTERNATIONAL's most advanced technology. This technology has expanded the Chinese market for ASM INTERNATIONAL."

The vertical furnace tube is a field that ASM INTERNATIONAL has been involved in very early, covering all the needs from 6 inches to 12 inches, and it has started to grow slowly in the last three years. Among them, the installed capacity of 200mm (8-inch) wafer models has grown particularly rapidly in the past two years.

In recent years, with the rapid development of 5G, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and other technologies, the global digitalization process has accelerated, and the demand for electronic products has increased, which has further promoted the growth of the semiconductor market. The global outbreak of the new crown epidemic in 2020 has accelerated the popularization of a remote office, and the demand for mobile phone cameras, power chips, fingerprint recognition, and other products has risen sharply. These products have more advantages on 8-inch wafers. Therefore, the supply and demand situation of the 8-inch wafer product line has reversed, and capacity shortages have begun to appear.

In the case of limited supply, the market has a strong demand for 8-inch wafers, so the demand for equipment for manufacturing wafers is also increasing, so that the entire semiconductor market has begun to re-examine the investment and value of 8-inch wafer lines. Although the mainstream technology has reached 12 inches since the market demand for 8-inches is increasing, should equipment manufacturers stick to the 12-inch market and ignore the huge demand of the 8-inch market?

ASM INTERNATIONAL launched a new 8-inch device at the right time. Since the A400 was first put on the market in 2018, ASM INTERNATIONAL has quickly opened up the domestic market. Its main customers include power device and MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) manufacturers. The new 200mm model A400D introduced by ASM INTERNATIONAL at the SEMICON 2021 conference provides a series of comprehensive process applications, including low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) processes, such as doped silicon and silicon nitride films, diffusion processes (such as Wet oxidation and degradation process).

Hichem MSaad, Executive Vice President of Global Products of ASM INTERNATIONAL, said: The A400D device can ensure that ASM INTERNATIONAL expands its position as a leader in the power, analog, RF, and MEMS application markets. As 200mm manufacturing begins to revive, growth in IoT devices, etc. Under the impetus, our existing vertical furnace tube technology is clearly still able to achieve industry-leading results. Combining our technology with the latest innovations in robotics and control has significantly enhanced the manufacturing capabilities of the system to achieve today's production goals."