Battle heats up for growth market in implant

摘要

The ion implantation market appears set for powerful growth, projected to almost triple over the next five years from an estimated US$819 million in 2001 to US$2.433 billion by 2006, with a CAGR of some 24%, according to VLSI Research (Table 1). Three vendors, Axcelis Technologies (including the company's joint venture, Sumitomo/Eaton Nova), Applied Materials, and Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates (VSEA), split most of the market, with leadership bouncing from one to the other in the major categories: high-current, medium-current, and high-energy implanters (Table 2). There is an intense battle for market share, with each vendor claiming supremacy for features in contending systems, benefiting users as a result. While all the toolmakers have made great strides in meeting ITRS roadmap challenges, much more remains to be done.