JAN WILLIS, Co-founder, eBeam Initiative
The photomask industry is experiencing a wave of optimism as it continues to play a bigger role in supporting semiconductor scaling efforts through innovations in mask designs, materials and equipment. Combined with semiconductor growth markets of automotive, AI and data centers, it’s no surprise that the mask industry has shown impressive strength—with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% over the past seven years according to data available from SEMI.
As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, the future looks bright for the mask industry. According to experts who participated in the annual eBeam Initiative Luminaries survey, the results of which were released this past October, more than 90% anticipated increased purchases of multi-beam mask writers over the next three years, while more than 80% predicted increased purchases of mask inspection equipment over the same period. This optimism reflects the role of multi-beam mask writers in enabling the production of both EUV and curvilinear masks, and the role of mask inspection in maintaining the reliability of advanced photomasks. A large number of survey participants also predicted increased purchases of laser mask writers, which typically write the majority of photomasks each year, and are going through a replacement and expansion cycle.
Industry experts at an eBeam Initiative panel held in October underscored the significant role of multi-beam writers in writing EUV masks, with increasing demand tied to the global installation of EUV lithography systems. With multi-beam mask writers now widely deployed, there is an opportunity to take advantage of their ability to print any mask shape within the same write time and target more pervasive curvilinear mask shapes. Curvilinear inverse lithography technology (ILT) used to generate the target mask shapes is gaining traction, with over 70% of survey respondents acknowledging its potential utility for 193i nodes in addition to EUV. Curvilinear mask features have been shown not only to print more accurately, but also to print more reliably, which is good for both mask and wafer quality.
Increasing investments in critical photomask infrastructure yields benefits for the entire mask-to-wafer ecosystem. The future for the photomask industry is bright indeed, promising continued expansion and technological leadership in the years to come.
Click here to read the 2025 Executive Viewpoints in Semiconductor Digest
