GIA: New applications spur demand for thin layer deposition tools
Asia-Pacific represents the largest and the fastest growing market and PVD equipment represents the largest product market
The global market for thin layer deposition equipment is projected to reach US$ 18.5 billion by 2018.
This will be driven by emerging applications in medical imaging devices, specialty packaging and industrial coatings.
This is according to Global Industry Analysts' " Thin Layer Deposition Equipment: A Global Strategic Business," report.
Defined as the building block of miniaturisation and MEMS processing, thin layer deposition is a critical part of the fabrication process and is key to the production of all electronic devices.
With surface treatment applications ranging from electronic components, electronic displays, optical coatings, optical data storage devices to antistatic coatings, thin layer deposition is expected to witness strong growth in the coming years.
A significant portion of the growth is expected to stem from the robustly growing electronics industry. Developments in equipment design and performance, innovations in thin film materials and processes will also help spur growth.
Typically, demand for Thin Film Deposition (TFD) equipment is largely tied to the demand for semiconductors, electronics, and medical devices, among others. Periods of economic slowdown tend to curtail consumer spending thus impacting business opportunities in this market.
The capital intensiveness of the industry also makes investments a cyclical pattern with growth occurring largely during periods of intermittent revolutionary technology developments.
The Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Equipment is set to witness considerable demand in the short to medium term period, with ALD process finding large-scale adoption in several end-use application areas. For a long time, the ALD process has been utilised to generate thin films with different compositions such as nitrides, oxides, pure metals, and carbides among others.
The hallmark of this technology is its ability to produce monolayers on a molecular or atomic scale thus making it highly suitable for deposition of nanofilms with thickness less than 100 nm on various surfaces, including polymers, metals and ceramics.
ALD equipment is expected to witness increased adoption as a manipulation and fabrication tool in nanotechnology. What's more, the ALD equipment market is projected to witness increasing demand from non-IC and IC applications.
A marked trend towards miniaturisation of components is also driving the market, given the technology's proven efficiency in fabrication of smaller size components.
Also, with semiconductor fabricators expected to invest in new manufacturing equipment, the market is forecast to witness tremendous opportunity in the coming years. ALD equipment will also find increased adoption in production of other advanced devices such as OLEDs.
The report says Asia-Pacific represents the largest and the fastest growing market with a projected CAGR of 4.9 percent over the analysis period. PVD equipment represents the largest product market.
Over the years, PVD equipment makers have diversified into a variety of high volume, low cost applications such as information storage, optics, medical instruments, industrial coatings, automotive and aerospace components and specialty/flexible packaging.
