Rising Application of Wireless Communication Devices to Drive Photomask Market

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The photomask market is estimated to reach $4.95 billion by 2025, up from $3.32 billion in 2016, according to a new report by The Insight Partners. 

The global photomask market by application is fragmented into semiconductor & IC, discrete, optoelectronics, display devices, MEMS and others. Photomasks find their largest applications in the manufacture of semiconductors. A set of photomasks is required to produce a complete semiconductor material. The photomask is protected by in this case is protected by a foil which is called pellicle to avoid any contamination to the chip board. The image carved on the photomask is then imprinted on the chip board by laser lithography or e-beam lithography. While using a photomask for lithography, the equipment has to fulfill certain specifications that include line width uniformity, accuracy, pattern position and minimum feature size. Photomask prototyping is used for high volume production of semiconductor devices

Compact and lightweight electronics are the prime demands from almost all industry verticals. The benefits provided by the transistors in communication field makes it much more lucrative to be adopted. The prime benefits of reduction in size, weight and power and secure communication provided by transistors and memories make it one of the most ideal components in electronics devices. Transistors and memories have different requirements in varying devices and are useful in a broad range of applications.

Thus, with the prominent growth in the sales of semiconductor devices, the demand for new set of photomasks is also set to increase. Advancement in processor technology by Qualcomm, Intel, AMD and Nvidia is posing a good growth opportunity for the photomask market. Availability of advanced technology for semiconductor packaging such as 3D packaging to shrink the size of semiconductor devices is set to multiply the demand for new photomask sets for the fabrication of these chips. Additionally, implementation of IoT (internet of Things) is further going to increase the penetration of semiconductors and IC in day to day things. Thus, the market for photomask possesses a huge growth opportunity for the photomask market during the forecasted period from 2017 – 2025.

Some of the leading photomask market players are Advance Reproduction Corp., Compugraphics International Ltd, Nippon Filcon Co. Ltd, Photoronics Inc., and Taiwan Mask Corp., among others.