{"id":215816,"date":"2024-03-21T22:17:05","date_gmt":"2024-03-21T22:17:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/21\/little-known-chip-supplier-lasertec-sees-1800-share-jump-over-5-years\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:20:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:20:11","slug":"little-known-chip-supplier-lasertec-sees-1800-share-jump-over-5-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/21\/little-known-chip-supplier-lasertec-sees-1800-share-jump-over-5-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Little-known chip supplier Lasertec sees 1800% share jump over 5 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

[ad_1]
\n<\/p>\n

Read or watch anything on the semiconductor<\/a> industry, and the same names pop up again and again. There are the chipmakers<\/a>: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, Samsung Electronics or Intel, the companies who make the leading-edge chips that power the devices we use every day. Then there are the famous chip designers, like Nvidia, AMD and Arm. Maybe, if you dive a little deeper, you might encounter<\/a> ASML, the Dutch company that makes the extreme ultraviolet lithography machines that make those advanced chips.<\/p>\n

\n

But the semiconductor industry is much broader<\/a> than that. There\u2019s a whole web<\/a> of companies that play an important role<\/a> in enabling the leading-edge and mature chipmakers to make the tiny pieces of silicon that go into our phones, fridges and washing machines. There are companies that supply the gases and materials, that make the chip making tools, and that make the parts that go into these tools.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s Lasertec: A little-known company that makes the inspection systems that verify chip designs made using EUVs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lasertic is one of 30 firms featured on the Asia Future 30, Fortune\u2019s <\/em>list compiled in partnership with BCG that highlights companies in the region best positioned for future growth. (You can access the full list here<\/a>, and the Future 50\u2014which highlights 50 companies from around the world\u2014here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The Yokohama, Japan-based Lasertec was founded in 1960, known then as Tokyo ITV Laboratory. The company started by designing and developing X-ray TV cameras for medical applications, and expanded to providing inspection systems for the semiconductor industry in the mid-70s. The company changed its name to Lasertec in the mid-80s.<\/p>\n

But 2017 was the year that set Lasertec apart from the competition, when the Japanese firm developed the first inspection system for EUVs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

EUV machines\u2014only made by ASML\u2014cost<\/a> at least $200 million each, with more advanced versions costing over<\/a> $300 million. But the price tag is worth it for customers like TSMC: It\u2019s the only way to make the most advanced chips at scale.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But chipmakers need to inspect and certify that the chips made by EUVs are fit for use. That\u2019s where Lastertec\u2019s inspection tools come in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLasertec has established itself in inspection systems for EUVs and has partnerships with leading-edge foundries like TSMC,\u201d says Lucy Chen, co-founder of JL Advisory Group, a Taiwan-based semiconductor research firm. She adds that, based on her experience, Lasertec\u2019s systems are better than its competitors. <\/p>\n

Lasertec has a near-monopoly for inspection systems for EUV-based operations\u2014and that\u2019s been good news for the company\u2019s shares amid the chip boom. Lasertec\u2019s share price has increased by more than 1,500% over the past five years and it\u2019s been part of the top-tier prime market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange since April 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"