[News] Japanese Equipment Giant TEL Emerges as Major Winner as EUV Orders Surge

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According to a report from the Commercial Times, Tokyo Electron (TEL), a leading global semiconductor equipment manufacturer, is the only company in the world that possesses equipment for four consecutive processes: deposition, coating/developing, etching, and cleaning, which are crucial steps before wafers enter the process of EUV lithography. As the semiconductor nodes keep advancing, the Japanese semiconductor giant would significantly benefit from the trend by its extensive product line.

Hiromitsu Kambara, TEL’s President & Representative Director of TEL Miyagi Ltd., stated that as chip design evolves, etching technology is continuously advancing towards 3D development, with vertical stacking making more efficient use of space. However, the increase in the number of stacking layers leads to an increase in the number of deposition cycles and etching times, thereby necessitating the growth in the number of required machines.

While EUV bellwether companies enjoy nearly 100% market share in the sector, TEL, with its close collaboration with the industry leader in the coating/developing process, could also dominate in this field, the report noted. In other words, as EUV shipments increase, TEL will benefit concurrently. TEL also disclosed that it has already established a research and development center in Taiwan and will soon expand its cleanroom facilities to collaborate with the most advanced process manufacturers.

When paired with partner Litho (lithography) machines, TEL has nearly 100% market share in the coating/developing market. Currently, TEL operates in 19 countries with a total of 87 locations, according to Commercial Times.

As the semiconductor industry enters the angstrom era, fabs are increasingly relying on equipment precision, for which TEL has prepared accordingly. TEL’s latest product, Grinder, is designed not only to ensure wafer flatness but also to achieve partial etching flatness and surface cleaning. This allows the equipment to measure wafers’ flatness and cleanliness effectively.