Ion Implanter Market Size, Share, and Industry Analysis By Technology (High Current Implanter, High Energy Implanter, and Medium Current Implanter), By Application (Semiconductor Fabrication and Metal Finishing), and Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

Ion implant is a major process of introducing dopants into a semiconductor. Implanters bombard wafers with foreign atoms to modify material properties such as conductivity or crystal structure. The main part of an implanter system is the beam path, wherein the ions are generated, concentrated, accelerated, and passed at high speed to the wafer. Implanter is used to make microchips.

Ion implanters are currently used extensively in the manufacturing of semiconductors. The electronic devices market has rapidly grown due to the high demand for smartphones, laptops, and other devices. In addition, the silicon wafer sizes in the semiconductor industry are shifting from 100 mm to 300 mm. In recent years, wafer sizes in the semiconductor industry have increased by 25% to 50% due to technological advances in ion implantation machines. Growth in semiconductor demand is expected to boost the demand for ion implanters over the forecast period.

• According to International Data Corporation (IDC), the global semiconductor revenue reached USD 661 billion in 2022, a year-on-year growth rate of 13.7% after strong results in 2021, in which revenue reached USD 582 billion in the automotive industry with 30.2% and 26.7% year-on-year growth, respectively. Leading growth applications were 5G phones, gaming consoles, wireless access points, data centers, and wearables.

The ion implanter market is expected to shrink and shift in the growth rate due to the need for a high initial investment in this industry. Some restraining factors for the global ion implanter market include the transition in the transistor architecture and the high cost of equipment characterization. Consolidation in the semiconductor industry is also one of the major factors restraining the ion implanter market.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered by the novel coronavirus's spread is detrimental to the global industrial landscape. This industry faced significant losses and had to reduce operations due to the imposition of strict lockdown measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Consequently, the virus outbreak altered the demand for the ion implanter market. Additionally, electronic demand dropped dramatically due to the pandemic's economic slowdown. The electronics industry impacted the global ion implanter market. Moreover, supply chain disruptions caused by domestic and international transportation restrictions impacted the operations of the ion implanter market.

KEY INSIGHTS

The report covers the following key insights:

• Recent Advancements in the Ion Implanters Market


• Key Industry Trends


• Regulatory Landscape for Ion Implanters Market


• Key Industry Developments (Mergers, Acquisitions, and Partnerships)


• Impact of COVID-19 on the Market

SEGMENTATION

ANALYSIS BY TECHNOLOGY

Based on technology, the market is classified into high-current implanters, high-energy implanters, and medium-current implanters. The high current implanters segment holds the largest market share due to beamline improvement for energy contamination. It is also used for shallow doping and surface modification processes and finds application for processes requiring high-dose implantation at relatively low energies.

The high-energy implanters segment is expected to grow substantially over the coming years for deep junction formation and implantation into thick substrates, which is required for processes requiring deep implantation or penetration into semiconductor materials.

The medium current implanter segment would hold a notable position in the market due to the rising requirement for a broad spectrum of implantation in semiconductor manufacturing. Its versatility characteristics for various semiconductor fabrication processes provide moderate doses and depths of implantation.

ANALYSIS BY APPLICATION

Based on application, the market is divided into semiconductor fabrication and metal finishing. The semiconductor segment holds the dominant share in the market due to the use of ion planters for semiconductor manufacturing. Due to the high demand for smartphones, laptops, and other electronic devices, the electronic device market has been growing rapidly. In addition, the silicon wafer sizes in the semiconductor industry are shifting from 100 mm to 300 mm. In recent years, wafer sizes in the semiconductor industry have increased by 25% to 50% due to technological advances in ion implanter machines. The growth in semiconductor demand is expected to drive the demand for ion implantation equipment. As a result, the demand for ion implanters will likely increase over the forecast period.

The metal finishing segment is projected to grow considerably over the forecast period due to the rising usage of ion implanters for controlled ion bombardment, enhancing product durability and performance in various industrial applications. Moreover, the rising demand for metals to manufacture different end-use products would also contribute to market growth.

REGIONAL ANALYSIS

By region, the global ion implanter has been categorized into five key regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

The Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the market. This dominance is attributed to significant regional semiconductor manufacturing countries such as China, Taiwan, and Japan.

Europe also suffered a semiconductor shortage during COVID-19. This made Europe (EU) increase investments in the semiconductor industry. The EU has provided USD 43.18 billion in funding for developing the semiconductor industry. The chip law consists of three "pillars":

• Pillar 1: The Chips for Europe Initiative – an investment program to unlock essential European resources for semiconductor development, estimated at USD 11.05 billion.


• Pillar 2: A security of supply framework – a framework to accelerate investment and ensure investment is targeted at critical strategic areas of the market.


• Pillar 3: Surveillance and Crisis Response – the implementation of semiconductor market surveillance mechanisms to facilitate rapid response and action if crises arise in the future.

This development in the semiconductor industry is expected to increase the demand for ion implantors in Europe.

North America holds a considerable share in the ion impanter market owing to the huge presence of semiconductor industries and rising manufacturing of the products requiring semiconductors.

The Latin America market is poised to record considerable growth due to the rising investment in establishing semiconductor manufacturing companies in Mexico, Brazil, and other countries. For instance, in 2024, Intel, a chip manufacturing company in the U.S., announced that it would invest around USD 1.2 billion in the upcoming two years.

The Middle East & Africa is a significant regions in the market. The semiconductor industry is one of the most capital-intensive industries globally. The UAE's strategic investment in the semiconductor sector is part of a larger Emirati strategy to position the country as a global tech leader under Economic Vision 2030.

KEY PLAYERS COVERED

The report provides the profiles of key players such as Advanced Ion Beam Technology Inc., Ionoptika Ltd, Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd, Amtech Systems Inc., Intevac Inc., Applied Materials Inc., Axcelis Technologies Inc., Ion Beam Services SA, Nissin Electric Co Ltd, and ULVAC Inc.

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

• In July 2023, China Electronics Technology Group (CETC) announced the development of ion implanters for 28nm fabrication processes, which will positively impact China's domestic semiconductor front-end process equipment.

In April 2023, Axcelis Technologies, one of the leading suppliers of ion implantation solutions for the semiconductor industry, announced the shipment of its 500th Purion ion implanter system to a leading semiconductor device manufacturer in North America