Europe
06/01/1998
VLSI top ten equipment suppliers
Asian financial problems that arose late last year led to several changes in the overall industry and in the Top Ten rankings (see table), according to a study by VLSI Research Inc. A recession in Asia and a weakened yen were factors causing the market share of the Top Ten companies to decrease for the first time in four years to 42.9%. This was the first time since 1993 that there were less than six Japanese companies in the Top Ten list. However, the average sales per Japanese company increased from $1.55 billion to $1.61 billion, due mainly to Advantest, which leapt up two ranks last year to become the fourth largest semiconductor equipment company.
1. Applied Materials, Santa Clara, CA. Applied Materials continues to be the largest semiconductor capital equipment manufacturer for the sixth year in a row. The company`s sales of $4.37 billion were larger than the total revenues for the Top Ten companies of 1992. Applied`s sales increased 9% over the previous year, once again outpacing the industry. Applied introduced several improved technologies and products in 1997, including a series of ion implanters, an etch system, a polishing head for CMP systems, a CD-SEM system, and a new tool for copper.
2. Tokyo Electron Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. The largest semiconductor equipment manufacturer in Japan, TEL held the position it has had since 1992. With sales of $2.86 billion, TEL is one of only two companies to ever achieve revenues over $2.5 billion. R&D was Tokyo Electron Ltd.`s focus last year; the company developed a new technology that allows for more uniform plasma etching.
3. Nikon, Tokyo, Japan. Nikon maintained its rank in the Top Ten for the seventh year in a row. The company`s reputation as the world`s largest stepper manufacturer has been in place since the early 1980s. The 300% increase in sales of DUV steppers played a strong role in the company`s overall revenues of $1.68 billion. Increased demand for 0.25-?m process equipment in 1997 meant an increase in production of excimer steppers.
4. Advantest, Tokyo, Japan. Advantest was one of five companies that jumped more than one position during the 1990s. Advantest offered memory testers with synchronous DRAM capability before any other company, at a time when IC makers needed it most. This led to $1.64 billion in revenue in 1997, up 39% over last year`s amount.
5. Lam Research Corp., Fremont, CA. Lam`s sales of $1.09 billion were due in part to the acquisition of OnTrak Systems in August. Lam released its third-generation TCP metal etch system, and an STI application set for its polysilicon and polycide etch tool.
6. KLA-Tencor, San Jose, CA. KLA-Tencor showed the highest growth of all the Top Ten companies. The company broke the $1 billion barrier last year, thanks to the merger that took place in April. The merger brought in several new markets, including film thickness instruments and surface particulate scanners.
7. Canon, Santa Clara, CA. The company`s DUV stepper sales more than tripled in the past year, due in part to the introduction of three new systems - a new KrF excimer laser stepper, a step-and-scan system for mass producing 256-Mbit DRAM and 0.25-?m microprocessors, and a DUV stepper for printing device patterns on 300-mm wafers.
8. ASM Lithography, Veldhoven, Netherlands. ASM increased sales in 1997 to $909.5 million, moving up a position to eighth. Most of the company`s growth can be attributed to DUV stepper revenue, which increased more than 400% last year.
9. Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. Although Hitachi`s sales rose slightly to $853.5 million, the company fell two ranks to ninth. Because of Hitachi`s widespread product line, any gains made in one market segment were canceled out by poor performance in other areas.
10. Teradyne Inc., Boston, MA. Teradyne increased its semiconductor equipment sales to $841.7 million, up 11% over the previous year. The company`s Perfect Dock coupling system received an award, signifying that it was one of the 100 most technologically significant new products of the year.