3D IC to bring business opportunities for Taiwan semiconductor equipment makers

3D IC to bring business opportunities for Taiwan semiconductor equipment makersPatty Wang, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 20 June 2012]3D IC is expected to afford business opportunities for Taiwan-based makers of semiconductor production equipment because processes and corresponding equipment for 3D ICs have not yet been standardized and therefore Taiwan-based makers can cooperate with foundry services providers in R&D for 3D IC equipment, according to chairman Hsu Chin-jung for Taiwan-based Hermes Microvision a maker of E(electronic)-beam inspection systems.

International vendors, including KLA, ASML, Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron, have dominated the supply of semiconductor equipment in Taiwan, with Taiwan-based makers occupying only 10% of the market, Hsu noted. For 3D IC however, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) are engaging in R&D to develop specifications for processes and equipment and are expected to seek cooperation with Taiwan-based equipment makers, Hsu said.

As demand for 3D IC is expected to take off in 3-5 years, Hermes Microvision has begun evaluating the feasibility of producing E-beam inspection systems for use in 3D IC, Hsu said. Hermes Microvision currently has a global market share of 85% for E-beam inspection systems, with clients including TSMC, UMC, Intel, Samsung Electronics and Toshiba, Hsu indicated.

View the original article here