Rising demand for array packaging helped boost sales of semiconductor packaging and assembly equipment by 81% last year, according to a report by Gartner Dataquest, Stamford, Conn. With customers in Asia and the Pacific purchasing 60% of the equipment, worldwide sales reached $4.6 billion in 2000.
The growth was driven in part by array packaging, as indicated by a healthy increase in sales of flip-chip bonders and solder-ball placement and wafer-bumping equipment. At the same time, wire-bonding equipment held the lion's share of the market, with nearly a third of the equipment sales.
Despite cautions that equipment vendors face tougher times this year, Gartner Dataquest analysts predict that demand for array-packaging equipment will continue to rise. Yet they also note that other factors such as acquisitions, concentration of market share, and the convergence of chip and pc-board assembly technologies will be influential.
For a copy of the research brief, "Array Packaging Helps Drive Packaging and Equipment Market to 81% Growth," contact Gartner Dataquest at (408) 468-8000, or point your browser to www.gartner.com.