Global Mask Blank Market Research Report 2023-Competitive Analysis, Status and Outlook by Type, Downstream Industry, and Geography, Forecast to 2029

Global Mask Blank Market Research Report 2023-Competitive Analysis, Status and Outlook by Type, Downstream Industry, and Geography, Forecast to 2029

Mask Blank is a core part of a photomask used in the semiconductor lithography process. As semiconductor technology develops, a high-definition photomask is required to form delicate patterns, along with a blank mask that can support it. Mask Blank is a glass substrate to be used as a material for making photomasks. From these Mask Blanks, Masks are produced that are used in the photolithography production of semiconductor integrated circuits and form ultra-fine patterns with 40-nanometer width and below. Mask Blanks are the products formed from chrome or molybdenum silicide-based thin film on main quartz or soda-lime glass substrate. And they are coated by photosensitive resist materials which are sensitive to electron or laser beams and resist for the etching process to make circuit patterns.

Market Overview:

The latest research study on the global Mask Blank market finds that the global Mask Blank market reached a value of USD 1584.45 million in 2022. It’s expected that the market will achieve USD 3768.49 million by 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 15.54% during the forecast period.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has forced government authorities to take drastic measures to limit mask blank production and related services to what the lockdown allows. Like all sectors of the economy, mask blank manufacturers are responding to the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic. These include global and domestic supply chain issues such as ocean freight bottlenecks and limited truck availability. As the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted supply chains for several manufacturers, mask blank production has been limited and there is a huge gap between supply and demand. Many businesses are also facing liquidity issues, which could lead to the complete closure of their production facilities. Products didn't reach customers on time at the start of the pandemic due to supply chain issues. Companies have had to contend with expected higher prices, delivery delays, and global uncertainty. As the epidemic gradually came under control, some factories began to resume work. However, enterprises need to protect the life and health of employees during the production process, such as purchasing masks, disinfectants, and other anti-epidemic materials, disinfecting the working environment before and after production, and measuring the temperature of employees every day to ensure the health of employees. These measures will increase production costs and affect the development of enterprises.

Importance of mask blank

Mask blanks are raw plates used to make photomasks. Mask blanks play an irreplaceable role in the semiconductor chip and liquid crystal panel industries. In addition, mask blanks can also be used in the fields of MEMS micro-electromechanical systems and PCB printed circuit boards. Mask blanks and photomasks are essential in the production of semiconductor chips. They are the motherboards used to transfer the tiny, highly complex circuit patterns of semiconductors onto wafers that become IC chips. To make a photomask, it must be made of opaque films and substrates. Then, it must be cleaned and etched. Once the blank is ready, it is inspected for defects and covered with a protective film. This is used to protect the mask from contamination and falling particles. Since a large number of IC chips can be manufactured with one photomask, if the mask used to make the photomask is blank or the photomask used as the original board of the circuit pattern is defective, many defective IC chips will be produced, including Defects caused by fine dust, scratches or unevenness. Manufacturers of semiconductor equipment want to eliminate such defects. Therefore, a mask blank and reticle inspection system are needed to detect possible serious defects to improve the yield rate of the IC chip manufacturing process. Lasertec's main products are mask inspection systems and mask blank inspection systems for semiconductors. The company was the first in the world to commercialize semiconductor photomask inspection systems, and its technology is expected to become the de facto standard for next-generation mask blank inspection systems. In addition, the powerful functions and advantages of EUV mask blanks drive consumption, which is conducive to the development of the industry. Chipmakers need EUV as it becomes increasingly difficult to pattern tiny features using today's 193nm immersion lithography and multiple patterning. Multiple patterning uses different steps to reduce the feature size of the structure, but it also increases the complexity of the process. EUV lithography provides the path needed to allow direct printing of lines and spaces at pitches of 36nm and below, efficiently addressing cycle time, intralayer overlay, and mask count costs associated with multiple patterning. Suppliers of the EUV blank are ramping up production and plan to meet the quality and price demands of the industry. AGC, for example, will increase the capacity for EUVL photomask blanks. Meanwhile, Hoya produces EUV mask blanks and mature optical blanks in Japan, while its Singapore facility produces advanced optical blanks. Therefore, the importance of the mask blank determines its important position in the semiconductor industry chain, and its market demand is continuously increasing.

Growth in the semiconductor and electronics industries

The growth of the mask blank market is largely dependent on the semiconductor industry. Semiconductors are substances with specific electrical properties that are the basis of computers and other electronic devices. It is usually a solid chemical compound, and its ability to conduct electricity under varying conditions makes it a theoretical introduction to controlling electric currents and everyday electrical appliances. Semiconductor manufacturing relies heavily on the photolithographic process, in which light of a given frequency is used to transfer desired patterns onto wafers undergoing semiconductor processing. To transfer the pattern onto the wafer, a photomask is usually used. The growth of the semiconductor market is attributed to the increasing consumption of consumer electronic devices across the globe. The emergence of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and machine learning technologies are providing new opportunities for market development, which help memory chips process large amounts of data in less time. EUV exposure is gaining attention as a next-generation semiconductor manufacturing technology as the demand for higher-performance semiconductors continues to grow for applications such as big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and the commercialization of driverless car technology. This trend has greatly facilitated the production of efficient photomasks. Additionally, there is a growing demand for faster and more advanced memory chips in industrial applications. Industrial automation and the use of sensors in vehicles drive semiconductor applications. Rising levels of household disposable income, rapid population growth, and increasing urbanization are creating a huge demand for conventional and advanced consumer electronic devices. Integrated circuit (IC) chips are found in a wide variety of electronic devices, including smartphones, game consoles, wearables, washing machines, televisions, and refrigerators, for efficient and proper function. Several leading consumer electronics brands, including Samsung, Apple, and Sony, are investing heavily in launching new devices to meet the growing consumer demand for advanced devices, thereby supporting the growth of the semiconductor industry. With the active expansion of the production capacity of semiconductor manufacturers, the demand continues to increase, and its manufacturing process has moved toward the nanometer level. By using materials such as silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), and gallium arsenide (GaAs), electronics manufacturers have been able to replace traditional electronic devices that are bulky and not portable. Miniaturizing semiconductor components make electronic devices more compact and mobile. Hence, strong growth in the semiconductor industry drives demand for the Mask Blanks industry.

Mask blanks defect

EUV mask blanks are used in extreme ultraviolet lithography, a manufacturing process for extremely fine semiconductors that enables higher-performance semiconductors. Improving semiconductor performance is critical to the advanced information processing required for next-generation high-speed communications and autonomous driving. With the expansion of high-performance semiconductor production, the demand for EUV mask blanks is expected to grow significantly in the future. The EUV mask blank is a low thermal expansion glass substrate with various optical coatings on its surface. EUV mask blanks consist of 40 to 50 or more alternating layers of silicon and molybdenum on a substrate. EUV mask defects are one of the challenges in implementing EUV lithography. EUV mask defects are a combination of substrate, multilayer blank, and absorber patterning defects. At every stage of EUV mask manufacturing, care must be taken to control defect rates. Depending on the origin of the defect, the defect can be incorporated into different locations of the blank. Substrate pits and embedded particles on substrates due to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) or cleaning processes are a major concern because they are small and often difficult to detect. Particle residue left on the substrate due to cleaning, storage, or handling is another major cause of mask void defects. Other important sources are deposited particles within multiple layers due to material handling and deposition processes within the deposition tool, and post-deposited pits or particles added after storage, cleaning, or handling. To reduce risk, significant progress has been made in defect detection, schema conversion, and defect repair. Several companies are developing or delivering new mask inspection systems that can find defects in EUV-based photomasks. However, this kind of equipment is immature and expensive, and there are some gaps in practical applications. Therefore, the mask blank defect becomes one of the restrictive factors for the further development of the industry.

Region Overview:

In 2022, the share of the Mask Blank market in Japan stood at 35.71%.

Company Overview:

The major players operating in the Mask Blank market include HOYA, Shin-Etsu MicroSi, Inc., AGC, S&S Tech, ULCOAT, etc. Among which, HOYA ranked top in terms of sales and revenue in 2023.

HOYA

Founded in 1941 in Tokyo, Japan, Hoya is a global med-tech company and a leading supplier of innovative high-tech and medical products. Hoya is active in the fields of healthcare and information technology providing eyeglasses, medical endoscopes, intraocular lenses, and optical lenses as well as key components for semiconductor devices, LCD panels, and HDDs.

Shin-Etsu MicroSi, Inc.

Shin-Etsu MicroSi, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Shin-Etsu Chemical, has become a leader in the research, development, and manufacturing of materials for the semiconductor & coating industries. We provide high-performance products and materials, designed to address today’s photolithography, packaging, solar, and flexible printed circuit requirements.

Segmentation Overview:

By type, Low Reflectance Chrome-film Mask Blanks segment accounted for the largest share of market in 2022.

Application Overview:

By application, the Semiconductor segment occupied the biggest share from 2018 to 2022.

Key Companies in the global Mask Blank market covered in Chapter 3:

Shin-Etsu MicroSi, Inc.
AGC
S&S Tech
ULCOAT
HOYA
Telic

In Chapter 4 and Chapter 14.2, on the basis of types, the Mask Blank market from 2018 to 2029 is primarily split into:

Low Reflectance Chrome-film Mask Blanks
Attenuated Phase Shift Mask Blanks

In Chapter 5 and Chapter 14.3, on the basis of Downstream Industry, the Mask Blank market from 2018 to 2029 covers:

Semiconductor
Flat Panel Display
Touch Industry
Circuit Board
Others

Geographically, the detailed analysis of consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate, historic and forecast (2018-2029) of the following regions are covered in Chapter 8 to Chapter 14:

North America (United States, Canada)
Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Netherlands, Turkey, Switzerland, Sweden)
Asia Pacific (China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia)
Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina)
Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa)