SEMI Reports 2016 Semiconductor Photomask Sales of $3.3 Billion

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SEMI, the global industry association representing the electronics manufacturing supply chain, today announced that the worldwide semiconductor photomask market was $3.32 billion in 2016 and is forecasted to reach $3.57 billion in 2018. After increasing 1% in 2015, the photomask market increased 2% in 2016. The mask market is expected to grow 4% and 3% in 2017 and 2018, respectively, according to the SEMI report. Key drivers in this market continue to be advanced technology feature sizes (less than 45nm) and increased manufacturing in Asia-Pacific. Taiwan remains the largest photomask regional market for the sixth year in a row and is expected to be the largest market for the duration of the forecast. 

Revenues of $3.32 billion place photomasks at 13% of the total wafer fabrication materials market, behind silicon and semiconductor gases. By comparison, SEMI reports that photomasks represented 18% of the total wafer fabrication materials market in 2003. Another trend highlighted in the report is the increasing importance of captive mask shops. Captive mask shops, aided by intense capital expenditures in 2011 and 2012 continue to gain market share at merchant suppliers’ expense. Captive mask suppliers accounted for 63% of the total photomask market last year, up from 56% in 2015. Captive mask shops represented 31% of the photomask market in 2003. 

A recent published SEMI report, 2016 Photomask Characterization Summary, provides details on the 2016 Photomask Market for seven regions of world including North America, Japan, Europe, Taiwan, Korea, China, and Rest of World. The report also includes data for each of these regions from 2003 to 2018 and summarizes lithography developments over the past year.

About SEMI 

SEMI connects nearly 2,000 member companies and 250,000 professionals worldwide annually to advance the technology and business of electronics manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Since 1970, SEMI has built connections that have helped its members grow, create new markets, and address common industry challenges together. SEMI maintains offices in Bangalore, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Grenoble, Hsinchu, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley (Milpitas, Calif.), Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C.  For more information, visit www.semi.org.