The markets for nanomaterials, tools and equipment for nanoelectronics totalled US$1.8 billion ($2.4 billion) in 2005 and are forecast to reach US$4.2 billion ($5.7 billion) by the 2010, according to a report from the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI).
Revolutionary nanomaterials, tools and equipment accounted for 10 percent of the market or US$189 million ($257 million) in 2005 and are expected to reach US$866 million ($1.2 billion) in 2010, led by growth in carbon nanotubes (CNT), nanoimprint and extreme ultra-violet lithography (EUVL), SEMI said.
Nanoelectronic development activities in five electronics industry sectors, including semiconductors, displays, hard disk storage, optoelectronics/sensors and micro/nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) were reviewed in the report. Over the next five years, display products such as CNT backlights and CNT field emission displays (FED), as well as a number of polymer and transmission films using nanomaterials will be commercialised, SEMI concluded.
The use of nanomaterials in the display sector will also allow the use of new manufacturing techniques such as ink-jet and screen printing technologies. Additionally, NEMS-based memory devices incorporating nanowires and novel forms of semiconductor memory using a variety of nanomaterials, will likely be commercialised during that time, the trade group said.
“The electronics industry is leading the commercialisation of nanotechnology. While the semiconductor and hard disk storage industries have used nanoscale features and materials for several years, nanotechnology is expected to play an increasingly disruptive role across the broader electronics industry,” Lubab Sheet, senior director of nanotechnology at SEMI, said in a statement. “However, few of the companies surveyed that are developing these nanoelectronics devices were able to articulate specific nanomaterials and equipment technical requirements, which creates a problem given the lengthy development cycles required to develop production quality nanomaterials and tools.”
Key findings include the fact that industries that are more focused on technology challenges, including the semiconductor industry, are generally more conservative in adopting new technologies, while those focused more on cost challenges such as displays and hard disk storage are more willing to try new approaches.
The report also suggests that the largest opportunities for nanomaterials suppliers are actually outside of the nanoelectronic industry over the next five years. Industries such as construction materials, automotive and industrial chemicals and sporting goods require significant volumes of nanomaterials with significantly lower technical requirements electronics.