The International Semiconductor Industry Association (SEMI) announced in December last year, the North American semiconductor equipment shipments amounted to US $2 billion 390 million, the monthly increase of 16.3%, the annual increase of 27.7%, hit a new high of nearly 17 years.Last year, the global semiconductor equipment manufacturers shipments amounted to $56 billion, the annual increase of 40%, a record high.

A record of global semiconductor equipment shipments increased 40% year

SEMI said, with the capacity to China, Fabs continue to pay, will increase the demand for semiconductor equipment is expected this year, the global semiconductor equipment spending will continue to grow, at $63 billion, is expected to write high, than last year growth of 11%.

The semiconductor equipment sales was an important index for the semiconductor boom boom, with the growth in the amount of semiconductor equipment, also means that the wafer manufacturing process about the future orders growth, expansion of production capacity and equipment capital expenditure.

North American semiconductor equipment shipments in December last year, a 17 year high, in the new application of semiconductor element wave, this year will be even more heat the semiconductor boom last year.

SEMI released earlier last year semiconductor output for the first time exceeded $400 billion, the annual increase of 20%, increase output and Tongchuang record, equipment and material factory is good.SEMI optimistic about growth can be extended to 2019, estimated 2019 output value will reach $500 billion in semiconductor, semiconductor equipment and materials output will also record another four years of growth.

SEMI estimates that this year related wafer factory spending will reach $13 billion, after the completion of construction of the new fab, 2019 2020, equipment spending will be good.This year the amount of equipment purchases by $56 billion last year to $63 billion.

The end part of silicon wafer materials also led to price increases, the average price rose 17% last year, mainly by 12 inch silicon wafer drive.SEMI said that even if the silicon wafer price doubled, only to the level of 2011.

SEMI estimates that this year the global semiconductor equipment will increase the amount of high single digit percentage.Due to the big expansion of new fabs, this year the mainland semiconductor equipments before and after market may exceed the market in Taiwan, but because the mainland Fab investment mostly from foreign manufacturers, there are many Taiwan factory, Taiwans industry competitiveness so nondestructive.

Foreign near monopoly semiconductor equipment supply

Research firm Gartner said in 3DNAND and sophisticated logic chip fabrication equipment spending growth driven by the year 2016, the global semiconductor wafer level manufacturing equipment market size increased 11.3% year, $37 billion 407 million.The size of the annual reduction of 1% haze swept away in 2015.

Gartner research vice president TakashiOgawa said, because the market for high-end data center services, as well as on the mobile device, increasing the processor and memory requirements, which makes the semiconductor industry have on wafer level manufacturing equipment investment, and promote the semiconductor equipment market scale growth.

Further analysis of Gartner, 3D semiconductor manufacturing is mainly caused by the top ten front equipment industry performance gap.With 3D semiconductor etching equipment solutions industry, performance is quite brisk, such as metal etching equipment business, because 3DNANDFlash investment demand and strong growth.The growth performance of the most dazzling ScreenSemiconductorSolutions, but also benefit from the 3DNANDFlash investment boom, and the appreciation of the yen against the dollar exchange rate bullish factors blessing, because the statistics are in dollars as a unit of account.

Applied materials (AppliedMaterials) in 2016 revenue growth, especially the field of etching equipment revenue growth is more obvious.Thanks to its 3D etching equipment.

Statistics show that in 2016 the overall application materials of wafer level manufacturing equipment revenue increased 20.5% year, $7 billion 737 million.In the industry of the crown revenues continued.

Japan ScreenSemiconductorSolutions industry is in the yen exchange rate against the dollar, and the market for 3DNAND production increased demand and other factors, in 2016 the whole wafer level manufacturing equipment revenue increased 41.5% year, $1 billion 375 million.Although the company in 2016 revenue ranked only sixth in the top ten in the industry, but the revenue increase rate in the industry of the crown.

The rate of annual growth in revenue in 2016 after ScreenSemiconductor is Hitachi frontech (HitachiHigh-Technologies).The companys annual revenue growth rate of 24.3%, revenue of $980 million.Revenue ranked seventh in the top ten in the industry.

Research and development of Colin (LamResearch) and Holland ASML are respectively to 5 billion 213 million revenue and $5 billion 91 million, ranked two and three.The two industry in 2016 revenue growth rate of 8.4% and 7.6% years.

In 2016 the top ten industry revenue, only HitachiKokusai and ASMInternational revenue decline year by 16.6% and 14.7%, respectively, 528 million and 497 million dollars.

The top ten companies total revenue accounted for all of the industrys total revenue of 78.6%, compared to 2015 accounted for 77.4%, up 1.2 percentage points.

Domestic equipment manufacturers with opportunities to break through

At present, our country has achieved a 12 inch domestic equipment from scratch breakthrough, the overall level of 28 nm, etching machine, ion implantation machine, PVD, CMP and other 16 kinds of key equipment products through mass production line verification assessment and achieve sales.The lithography machine prototype successfully developed and implemented in 90 nm resolution exposure, exposure system and realize the goal of development of domestic double stage; 65-45 to complete the development of nano technology in mass production, 28 nanometer process to complete the development of going into production, 20-14 nanometer technology achievements of key technology; integrated circuit packaging technology close to the international advanced level; key materials, polishing agent sputtering target etc. domestic production line batch applications.These results showed that the level of Chinas integrated circuit manufacturing technology has made considerable progress, further narrowing the gap with the international advanced level.

The domestic semiconductor equipment industry has mainly formed 3 industrial clusters.After years of development, at present, China has formed a number of equipment backbone enterprises, mainly in the region of Liaoning, Beijing, Shanghai.Different manufacturers have their own advantages, such as etching machine, PVD, CVD, oxidation furnace, etc. of North Huachuang have good benefits.

Some domestic 12 inch equipment used in the production line to achieve.According to the Chinese semiconductor industry branch support Semiconductor Industry Association report, technical level of domestic semiconductor equipment industry in recent years has been greatly improved.In the key equipment manufacturing 8 inches, with the supply capacity, at present, etching machine, ion implantation machine, film growth device, oxidation furnace, annealing furnace, LPCVD, washing machine, crystal growth equipment, CMP equipment, packaging equipment and other products formed the basic domestic supporting capacity, technical level can meet the requirements of users.It is expected that by 2018, there will be 40 kinds of equipment through the production line into the users evaluation, procurement procedures.

Some domestic equipment used in 14nm has begun to enter the production line, enter verification.At present, 9 items of equipment into the 14nm verification,WINSOK semiconductor Will inject a force for the semiconductor industry.