The markets for nanomaterials, tools and equipment for nanoelectronics totaled $1.8 billion in 2005 and are forecast to reach $4.2 billion by the year 2010, according to Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI).

The Silicon Valley-based trade group on Monday issued a market research report, “Global Nanoelectronics Markets and Opportunities.” Revolutionary nanomaterials, tools and equipment accounted for 10 percent of the market or $189 million in 2005 and are expected to reach $866 million 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 commercialized, 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 commercialized during that time, the trade group said.

"The electronics industry is leading the commercialization 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.

By: DocMemory
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