300mm is reshaping the factory automation market

摘要

IC fabrication on 300mm wafers will require complete rethinking, as device manufacturers recognize that full automation and standardization are key to reducing cost and improving performance. With the introduction of larger wafer sizes and the subsequent need for automation and control, equipment that addresses these requirements will become not only more complex, but critical in day-to-day operations. The 300mm automation revolution is a certainty, since the poor performance of some automation companies at 200mm indicates that significant growth will only come with new 300mm fabs. What we mean by poor performance has to do with growth and ratio of growth to the semiconductor equipment market. For example, the transport market was down in 1997 compared to 1996; down in 1998 compared to 1997; and only up 2.0% in 1999, when the entire equipment market grew 17.0%. The year 2000 was no different for the automation market. The semiconductor process equipment market grew 87.1 %, while the factory automation market grew 79.7%. There were 24 fabs built in 2000, four of them 300mm.