Due to the late start of the domestic market, China's laser annealing machine and its core parts still rely on imports at present, and there is a broad space for domestic substitution in the future.
Laser annealing (ELA) is one of the common processes of laser surface treatment. Through laser annealing, the mechanical properties (such as plasticity, toughness, etc.) of materials can be increased and the hardness of materials can be reduced. Laser annealing machine is the key equipment in laser annealing process, which is suitable for metal products that need to improve toughness and reduce surface hardness. In recent years, with the development of China's economy and the wide application of laser technology, the market scale of laser annealing machine has gradually expanded.
According to the Report on Monitoring the Market Situation and Future Development Prospects of China's Laser Annealing Machine Industry from 2022 to 2026 released by the New World Industry Research Center, China is one of the world's major laser annealing machine markets. In 2021, the market size of China's laser annealing machine will be about 3.34 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 15.6%. It is estimated that the laser annealing machine market in China will continue to grow from 2022 to 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of about 10.0%.
Laser annealing machines are widely used in power semiconductors, advanced process chips, OLED panels, new displays, metal processing and other fields. At present, power semiconductors are the main application scenarios of laser annealing machines, accounting for more than 70% of applications, followed by advanced process chips. Thanks to technological progress, the performance and volume of power semiconductors have been greatly upgraded. In this context, the market's requirements for laser annealing machines have also been rising. Intelligence, high-end and refinement will become an important upgrading direction.
Globally, the laser annealing machine market is mainly concentrated in the Asia Pacific region, with China, Japan, South Korea and other countries as the main participants. The laser annealing machine market is highly concentrated, and the high-end market is almost monopolized by foreign enterprises, among which Mitsui Group, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, YAC BEAM, Hitachi, and Applied Materials have a high market share. Due to the late start of the domestic market, China's laser annealing machine and its core parts still rely on imports at present, and there is a broad space for domestic substitution in the future.
The development of laser annealing machine industry is supported by policies. In 2016, excimer laser annealing equipment entered the Guiding Catalogue of Key Products and Services in Strategic Emerging Industries. In recent years, with the increase of national support and the rapid development of downstream industries, the localization process of laser annealing machines in China has accelerated. At present, China's laser annealing machine manufacturers include Shanghai Microelectronics, Juguang Technology, Chengdu Leipu Technology, Han's Laser, Beijing Huazhuo Jingke, etc. With the increase of layout enterprises, the competition in the laser annealing machine market will continue to intensify.
Industry analysts from New Horizon said that the laser annealing machine is the core equipment of the laser annealing process. In recent years, with the development of the downstream industry, the market demand for the laser annealing machine has been released and the industry scale has been expanding. China is one of the main markets for laser annealing machines in the world. However, due to technical limitations, high-end laser annealing machines and core components still rely on imports. There is a wide space for domestic laser annealing machines to replace.
Source: Xinsijie
