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SEMI fails to back own
standards, says research firm NEW TRIPOLI, Pennsylvania -- The Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) industry organization is not backing its own standards for "cluster tools" and large equipment companies, such as Applied Materials Inc. and Tokyo Electron, are continuing to sell inflexible cluster tools, according to The Information Network, a market research firm. Robert Castellano, president of The Information Network, defines the flexible cluster tool cluster tools conforming to the strictest SEMI/MESC (Modular Equipment Standards Committee) standards. Cluster tools combine several processes within one vacuum chamber for the purpose of reducing cycle times, reducing wafer handling by operators, reducing particulate contamination, reducing molecular contamination, and initiating difficult processes, he said The market for these 'flexible cluster tools' -- populated mainly by smaller semiconductor equipment companies -- was $1.6 billion in 2003, up 5.6 percent from $1.5 billion in 2002, the research firm said. Novellus Inc. led the sector in 2003 with a market share of 48.5 percent, slightly ahead of Lam Research Corp., the research firm said. With the exception of Novellus, Lam Research, and ASMI, the market is comprised of tools suppliers with annual revenues of less than $50 million. In fact, some of these suppliers only offer a portion of their tools with SEMI/MESC adherence. The leading chipmaking equipment vendors have persevered with proprietary, non-flexible cluster tools, the research firm observed. Applied Materials Inc. was the leader in the non-flexible cluster tool market in 2003, with a 34.3 percent share. That market was down 3.4 percent in 2003 and the non-flexible cluster tool market has performed less well than the front-end equipment market for some time. However, The Information Network did not put a value on the non-flexible cluster tool market or predict how either market would perform in 2004. "Until the largest semiconductor companies such as Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron decide to lead the charge towards an open architecture, the flexible market will be populated by small companies that use their tool compatibility as a leverage to compete against their much larger competitors," Castellano said in a statement. "SEMI set some standards for flexibility years ago but it is [sic] not being accepted by the largest equipment suppliers and not being encouraged by SEMI," he added. Copyright © 2003 CMP Media, LLC
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