TECHCET—the advisory services firm providing electronic materials information—announced that the global market for Photoresists and Ancillary Materials declined in 2019 due to semiconductor fabrication market challenges. However, growth is forecasted to resume this year, albeit limited by the COVID-19 drag on the global economy. G-Line/I-Line and DUV photoresists should exceed US$1.6 billion in 2020, as detailed in the latest Critical Materials ReportTM (CMR) quarterly update on Photoresists & Ancillaries (see Figure). Meanwhile, the global market for extremely strategic EUV photoresists is expected to be just over US$10 million this year with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 50% through 2023.
“After many years of delays EUV is finally happening in IC fabrication, with advanced logic lines at Intel this year joining lines at Samsung and TSMC in using EUV, and ASML shipping a new stepper to SK hynix in the fourth quarter of 2019,” explained Ed Korczynski, TECHCET senior analyst and author of the report. “As a clear sign that EUV technology is now ready for commercial manufacturing, specialty EUV resist supplier Inpria just announced a $31 million Series C investment from a syndicate led by photoresist manufacturer and existing investor JSR Corporation.”
Inpria’s new investors included SK hynix Inc. and TSMC Partners. The round also in- cluded participation from existing investors Air Liquide Venture Capital ALIAD, Applied Ventures, Intel Capital, and Samsung Venture Investment Corporation.
ASML sold 203 DUV in 2019, and 26 EUV tools with 7 shipped in the third-quarter and 8 shipped in the fourth-quarter. The company claims capacity in 2020 to ship 30 NXE:3400 series steppers, and with anticipated assembly efficiency improvements should be able to ship 40-45 EUV tools per year starting in 2021.
This report covers the following suppliers: Avantor, BASF, Brewer Science, Dongjin Semichem, Dongwu Fine-Chem, DuPont (formerly Dow), Eastman Chemical, FujiFilm, JSR, Kempur, KMG (Cabot Microelectronics), Merck/EMD, Moses Lake Industries, Nissan Chemical, PhiChem, SACHEM, Shin-Etsu, Soulbrain, Sumitomo, Suntific, Tama Chemical, Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, and Versum.
