Recently, Yole Intelligence (a subsidiary of Yole Group), an internationally renowned market research company, developed a new semiconductor manufacturing laser equipment and technology report, and focused on introducing innovative technologies and market trends since 2017.
This report provides an overview of laser technology trends, summarizes the current adoption status and various types of lasers available on the market, and pays close attention to the ultra short pulse (USP) lasers that have emerged in the past five years. The report emphasizes:
- By 2027, the total market of laser wafer equipment will reach 1.153 billion dollars;
- The use of solid-state laser technology (mainly DPSS lasers) has increased significantly;
- The laser equipment ecosystem is highly diversified because the process steps that market users are interested in are very different (for example, laser marking, laser annealing and laser transfer). In addition, new market participants are emerging, mainly in the laser emission (LLO) and laser induced forward transmission (LIFT) markets closely related to MicroLEDs.
Yole Intelligence predicts that the global laser equipment market will grow steadily at a compound annual growth rate of 6.6% from 2022 to 2027. This growth mainly comes from two aspects: first, market users need to deal with increasingly complex structures; Secondly, the application of non silicon materials in new More Than Moore devices has increasingly captured people's minds.
According to Gael Giusti, semiconductor manufacturing technology and market analyst of Yole Intelligence, laser chip will be the largest market segment in the laser wafer equipment and technology market from 2022 to 2027, followed by laser annealing. As manufacturers increasingly process thinner wafers, smaller molds, and more - than - more - Moore related materials, the wafer chip market is booming. "The application of logic and power SiC has driven the development of laser annealing equipment market. However, the fastest growing market so far will still be laser emission (LLO) and laser induced forward transmission (LIFT) equipment, although these are strongly dependent on the emergence of MicroLED."
The laser equipment ecosystem is highly diversified, because different process steps are very different. In addition, new players are emerging, mainly in the laser emission and quality transmission markets, both of which are closely related to MicroLEDs. This market is very promising and continues to attract many new and old players who want to get a good position before any mass production starts.
In general, the Japanese semiconductor equipment giant DISCO dominates the global laser equipment market, mainly because of its strong position in wafer cutting. In 2007, the Japanese DISCO company developed equipment that can use laser for wafer cutting, and since then, laser cutting has gradually developed.
In the past five years, the dynamics related to merger, acquisition and partnership of laser equipment manufacturers have been particularly common, with at least 2-3 cases occurring every year. Their general motivation is to acquire specific technologies, which are usually related to specific applications and materials. In addition, it has become an increasingly clear trend for tool suppliers to develop their own laser sources internally. However, there is often a very close relationship between tool suppliers and laser source manufacturers because they are not mutually exclusive.
In the past decade, solid state lasers (including ultrashort pulse systems) have made great technological progress. They are becoming more reliable, compact, powerful and cheaper every year. This trend provides a new possibility for equipment manufacturers to process multi-layer structures and small and sensitive die cores. More interestingly, the market has begun to increasingly combine laser technology with non laser technology, such as plasma etching/cutting, or use different laser configurations in the same device. Yole Intelligence anticipates that this trend will continue and be strengthened to provide more process flexibility for equipment manufacturers.
It is gratifying that MicroLEDs perfectly match these different trends. By stripping the GaN epitaxial layer deposited on the sapphire, and the massive transfer of the micro LED tube core, laser seems to be one of the best methods to deal with the micro LED. They may even be combined with GaN epitaxial layers, and the two are directly bonded on the integrated circuit backplane. Therefore, laser processing can cover an important part of the MicroLED manufacturing chain, thus helping to promote the next wave of disruptive innovation in the display industry.
Source: OFweek
