New Tripoli, Pennsylvania–Worldwide revenues for semiconductor processing equipment rose 31.8% in the fourth quarter of 2000 and are poised to continue rising another 45.9% in 2001, according to New Tripoli, Pennsylvania-based market researchers The Information Network in their recently published ‘The Global Market for Equipment and Materials for IC Manufacturing’ report.

“Despite the slowdown in the fourth quarter, the semiconductor equipment industry registered record growth of 76.1% in all of 2000,” says Dr. Robert N. Castellano, president of The Information Network. “A slowdown in the semiconductor industry over the next quarter because of inventory corrections will be a boom for equipment manufacturers in 2001. IC manufacturers will need to fill empty fab shells with equipment to increase capacity once they recognize that the ‘herd mentality of doom-and-gloom’ was premature, and strong demands for ICs will continue.”

The top 10 equipment manufacturers during 2000, according to the report, were Applied Materials; Tokyo Electron; ASM Lithography; Nikon; KLA-Tencor; Lam Research; Novellus; Canon; ASM International; and Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates.

“The revamped 2000 ITRS roadmap, where production of ICs at 0.13-micron design rules is anticipated to begin in 2001, not 2002, as had been detailed in the 1999 roadmap will also dictate the need for advanced tools that will expand equipment purchases in 2001,” Castellano concludes.