Global photoresist revenue rises 14.5pc in 2007

STAMFORD, USA: Worldwide photoresist sales in the semiconductor industry grew for the sixth consecutive year in 2007, according to Gartner Inc.

Worldwide photoresist revenue reached $1.2 billion, up 14.5 percent from 2006 revenue of $1.1 billion.

“The ramp-up in device unit sales enabled photoresist volume consumption to expand 4.2 percent in 2007, while a shift to higher-priced resists bolstered revenue growth,” said Klaus Rinnen, managing vice president at Gartner. “In general, suppliers with strong positions in the rapidly expanding 193-nanometer deep ultraviolet (DUV) market did better in 2007 than those that focused on more-mature technologies.”

As in 2006, the 2007 market share rankings of the major photoresist suppliers did not change. JSR maintained its position as the top supplier with 27.8 percent market share. The company experienced strong growth in 2007 based on high demand for its 193-nm DUV formulations.

Of the large suppliers, Shin-Etsu Chemical had the second strongest growth at 24.8 percent. This supplier focused almost exclusively on the DUV resist market, and as a result Shin-Etsu moved its share to 13.4 percent of the market, up from 12.3 percent the year before. Tokyo Ohka Kogyo and Rohm and Haas maintained the No 2 and 3 spots in the market, despite growth of less than the overall industry at 7.5 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively.

For 2008, Gartner forecasts that photoresist sales growth will slow with initial estimates for 6 percent growth over 2007. “The adoption ramp-up of 193-nm resist continues to add strength to sales, but this is counterbalanced by a slowing in overall semiconductor consumption growth and pricing pressures on all resist products,” said Rinnen.