July 8, 2003 – IC stepper suppliers fell victim to the same market downswing as the rest of the industry in 2002, according to new research from VLSI.

ASML squeaked past Nikon to capture the top spot in the market thanks to its 193nm business, shipping more 193nm systems in 2002 than the rest of the industry combined. ASML also accounted for 48% of the industry’s stepper revenue, shipping 205 steppers for a total of $1.58 billion.

As a whole, the stepper supplier market shipped 582 units in 2002; a flurry of orders in 4Q02 kept the industry from shipping less than 400 units for the year, a low-water mark not seen in two decades.

Applications outside of traditional IC manufacturing, including advanced packaging and LCD steppers, helped buoy companies including Ultratech, Nikon, and Canon during a difficult year.