Probe card market set for recovery, says VLSI Research
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Press release; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 12 May 2010]
The weak memory IC market during 2009 had a severe impact upon demand for wafer test probe cards, with the final quarter of the year being weaker than expected, according to VLSI Research. However, recovering demand for advanced logic ICs drove stronger than expected demand, partially offsetting the memory-driven weakness.
VLSI Research said that overall probe card revenues declined 29% in 2009 compared to the total IC sales decline of only 8.5%. However, sales of probe cards, including spares and service, is forecast to grow by 25.6% to US$927 million in 2010, supported by a strong recovery in the memory IC market as well as non-memory.
In 2009, total probe card revenues fell to US$738 million, which was only 53% of the peak revenue seen in 2007, VLSI Research noted.
VLSI Research indicated that 2009 saw further changes in the probe card supplier ranking as those with sales primarily into the non-memory segment gained share. Technoprobe moved up to fourth position and Microprobe made big gains to take-fifth. FormFactor, Micronics Japan (MJC), and Japan Electronic Materials (JEM) retained their top-three ranking.
Overall probe card revenues are not expected to recover to the peak level seen in 2007 over the next five years, reflecting severe price pressure particularly at the lower end of probe card technology, VLSI Research said. It projected the probe card market will reach US$1.3 billion by 2013.
VLSI Research: Global top-5 IC probe card vendors, 2009 (US$m)
2009 rank
2008 rank
Company
2009 revenues
2008 revenues
1
1
FormFactor
135.3
210.2
2
2
MJC
118.2
193.3
3
3
JEM
90.4
132.9
4
6
Technoprobe
36.1
37.0
5
9
Microprobe
34.6
31.2
Source: VLSI Research, compiled by Digitimes, May 2010
Categories: Bits + chips IC manufacturing Passive, PCB, other IC components
Tags: 2010 FormFactor probe card VLSI Research |
