China

Vacuum pumps, pressure gauges, and vacuum valves combined make up the biggest expense on the bill of materials for semiconductor OEMs. The semiconductor industry consumed almost $2.7 billion worth of vacuum subsystems in 2020, with over 60% supplied by vendors based in Europe.

After a downturn in 2019, investments in new fab projects starting construction is expect to jump US$12 billion to nearly US$50 billion in 2020, with China accounting for the bulk of the investments, according to the latest update of the World Fab Forecast from SEMI.

Despite the growth, reclaim suppliers continue to struggle to cost-effectively remove complex materials from wafers in the face of ever-tightening particle specifications, cope with the shortage of feedstock for reclaim, and manage yields from repeatedly reclaimed wafers.