How the Semiconductor Industry Growing?

Microchips are big business these days – a USD 0.5 trillion business, in fact. You’ll find microchips in everything from toothbrushes to cars, and they’re produced at about 400 sites worldwide. But, they’re also becoming increasingly complex.

There’s also a serious global shortage of microchips – it affects us ourselves, too. Factory shutdowns in early 2020 were compounded by a simultaneous boom in consumer demand for electronics, causing a major backlog. And the problems have kept spiraling in 2021, with key ports closing and the pandemic halting operations at microchip plants. Some estimates from the hard-hit automotive industry suggest it could be 2023 before bottleneck resolutions.

Meanwhile, Malvern Panalytical’s work to improve microchip technology -and other semiconductor technologies- continues. Chips rely on semiconductor materials, and 2021 is proving to be an exciting year for our semiconductor activities. In particular, we’re working hard to enhance our X’Pert³ MRD XL (X-ray diffraction) and 2830 ZT wafer analyzer (X-ray fluorescence) instruments, keeping ahead of developments in the semiconductor industry. Despite the fact that we now face our own delivery problems that have been sparked by the microchip shortage, we have strong ambitions.

X’Pert³ MRD XL

Perfect for metrological characterization in semiconductor process development, the X’Pert³ MRD XLs are seeing a ‘lab-to-fab’ shift. To better meet the demands of fabrication environments, new and exciting developments and upgrades are coming soon. If you would like us to keep you posted, then make sure to subscribe to the Malvern Panalytical email list.

2830 ZT

We designed this wafer analyzer specifically for the semiconductor industry. In a field reliant on standardization, the 2830 ZT provides best-in-class measuring capabilities for semiconductor film thickness and composition – and is about to become more intelligent and user-friendly.

Committed to continuous optimization

Before the pandemic, around 1 trillion microchips were manufactured every year – that’s 128 chips for every person on the planet. And that means a lot of pressure on semiconductors (not to mention semiconductor scientists). Whilst in the middle of the pandemic and post-pandemic, we expect this market will continue to grow.

We at Malvern Panalytical are ready to support people in this key industry. We commit to continuously improving our instruments and developing innovative technologies. No matter how long the microchip shortage lasts, we’ll be ready with the very latest solutions for an industry that can’t afford to wait.

Curious to know more about our solutions for the semiconductor industry? Head to our website, or have a chat with our representatives.

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