Etching Equipment

After the patterns are defined through lithography, etching processes are used to selectively remove unwanted materials from the wafer, creating the intricate circuit structures. This can be done using wet etching with chemical solutions or dry etching techniques using plasma. Key suppliers of etching equipment include Lam Research and Applied Materials, both from the USA, Tokyo Electron from Japan, Oxford Instruments based in the UK, and SEMES from South Korea. Other suppliers include Hitachi High-Tech (Japan), Technics (with a global presence including the USA, UK, Singapore, China, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan), and Tegal (South Korea, acquired by OEM Group, USA). The etching equipment market benefits from a multi-national supply base, with significant contributions from the USA, Japan, the UK, and South Korea, providing a more diversified sourcing landscape compared to the lithography sector.