Editing Photomask (section)

== Leading commercial photomask manufacturers ==
{{main|Mask shop}}
The [[SPIE]] Annual Conference, Photomask Technology reports the [[SEMATECH]] Mask Industry Assessment which includes current industry analysis and the results of their annual photomask manufacturers survey.
The following companies are listed in order of their global market share (2009 info):<ref>{{Cite book| doi = 10.1117/12.832722| issn = 0277-786X| volume = 7488| issue = 1| pages = 748803–748803–13| last = Hughes| first = Greg|author2=Henry Yun| editor-first1 = Larry S.| editor-first2 = M. Warren| editor-last1 = Zurbrick| editor-last2 = Montgomery| chapter = Mask industry assessment: 2009| title = Photomask Technology 2009| journal = Proceedings of SPIE| date = 2009-10-01| bibcode = 2009SPIE.7488E..03H| s2cid = 86650806}}</ref>

* [[Dai Nippon Printing]]
* [[Toppan]] Photomasks (now Tekscend)
* [[Photronics Inc]]
* [[Hoya Corporation]]
* Taiwan Mask Corporation
* Compugraphics

Major chipmakers such as [[Intel]], [[Globalfoundries]], [[IBM]], [[NEC Corporation|NEC]], [[TSMC]], [[United Microelectronics Corporation|UMC]], [[Samsung]], and [[Micron Technology]], have their own large maskmaking facilities or [[joint venture]]s with the abovementioned companies.

The worldwide photomask market was estimated as $3.2 billion in 2012<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.semi.org/en/node/45466|title=Semiconductor Photomask Market: Forecast $3.5 Billion in 2014|last=Chamness|first=Lara |date=May 7, 2013|publisher=SEMI Industry Research and Statistics|access-date=6 September 2014}}</ref> and $3.1 billion in 2013. Almost half of the market was from captive mask shops (in-house mask shops of major chipmakers).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.semi.org/node/49506|title=SEMI Reports 2013 Semiconductor Photomask Sales of $3.1 Billion|last=Tracy|first=Dan |author2=Deborah Geiger |date=April 14, 2014|publisher=SEMI |access-date=6 September 2014}}</ref>

The costs of creating new mask shop for 180&nbsp;nm processes were estimated in 2005 as $40 million, and for 130&nbsp;nm - more than $100 million.<ref>{{cite conference
| url=http://www.sematech.org/meetings/archives/litho/7533/berglund.pdf
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223509/http://www.sematech.org/meetings/archives/litho/7533/berglund.pdf
| archive-date=2016-03-03
| url-status=dead
| title=An Analysis of the Economics of Photomask Manufacturing Part – 1: The Economic Environment
| conference=ISMT Mask Automation Workshop
| last1=Weber
| first1=Charles M.
| last2=Berglund
| first2=C. Neil
| date=February 9, 2005
| section=The Mask Shop's Perspective
| page=6
| quote=Capital-intensive industry.  Investment levels….. – ~$40M for ‘conventional’ (180-nm node or above) – >$100M for ‘advanced’ (130-nm node and beyond)}}</ref>

The purchase price of a photomask, in 2006, could range from $250 to $100,000<ref>{{cite journal|last=Weber|first=C.M |author2=Berglund, C.N. |author3=Gabella, P.|date=13 November 2006|title=Mask Cost and Profitability in Photomask Manufacturing: An Empirical Analysis|journal=IEEE Transactions on Semiconductor Manufacturing |volume=19|issue=4|pages=465–474 |doi=10.1109/TSM.2006.883577 |s2cid=2236552 |url=http://web.pdx.edu/~webercm/documents/2006%20November%20IEEE%20TSM%20Weber%20Berglund%20Gabella.pdf}} [[doi:10.1109/TSM.2006.883577]]; page 23 table 1</ref> for a single high-end [[phase-shift mask]]. As many as 30 masks (of varying price) may be required to form a complete mask set. As modern chips are built in several layers stacked on top of each other, at least one mask is required for each of these layers.