Advanced Nodes Accelerate Semiconductor Equipment Coating Upgrades

As advanced logic, DRAM and 3D NAND architectures become increasingly complex, components inside etch chambers are exposed to more aggressive fluorine-based plasma corrosion and tighter particle-control requirements. According to LP Information, ceramic coatings accounted for 70.15% of the global semiconductor equipment parts coating market in 2025, while plasma spray coatings represented 72.57%. Meanwhile, the combined share of PVD, CVD and ALD coatings increased from 3.94% in 2020 to 8.87% in 2025. The technology focus is therefore shifting from conventional protective coatings toward high-density, low-porosity, low-particle and highly plasma-resistant functional coatings.

Surface coatings for semiconductor equipment parts are evolving from a conventional part-life extension service into a process-critical solution that directly affects process stability, particle performance, tool availability and yield. KoMiCo disclosed its latest quarterly operating information in August 2026; its core businesses remain precision cleaning, special coatings and related functional components for semiconductor equipment. The company’s latest value-up plan continues to identify advances in cleaning, coating and component-manufacturing technologies, together with global supply-chain expansion, as key medium-term growth drivers.

At the same time, leading suppliers are accelerating upgrades in both coating materials and deposition technologies. KoMiCo’s publicly disclosed portfolio covers Atmospheric Plasma Spray (APS), Arc Spray, Aerosol Deposition (AD) and PVD, with next-generation low-particle and high-density coatings targeted at sub-10nm processes. UCT has built an advanced etch-chamber coating portfolio that includes APS YAG, yttrium oxyfluoride (YOF), yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃) and Suspension Plasma Spray (SPS) Y₂O₃.

Market Significance

The core applications for semiconductor equipment parts coatings are concentrated in etch, PVD, CVD and selected ALD systems, with etch representing the highest coating value per tool. Liners, showerheads, focus-ring-related structures, electrodes, ESC-adjacent parts and other plasma-facing components in dry-etch chambers are continuously exposed to high-energy plasmas and corrosive gases. Corrosion, coating flaking or particle generation can directly increase wafer defectivity, shorten preventive-maintenance cycles and destabilize the process window.

TOCALO states that high-performance thermal spray coatings for semiconductor manufacturing equipment are used primarily on etch-related components to suppress dust and particle generation, improve corrosion resistance, extend component life and support higher chip yield. For the fiscal year ended March 2026, TOCALO achieved record consolidated sales and ordinary profit. In the first quarter of FY2026, its Thermal Spray business grew 13.9% year on year, driven mainly by strong semiconductor and FPD demand, further confirming continued momentum in advanced-process surface-treatment requirements.

Under LP Information’s current market definition, ceramic coatings accounted for 70.15% of the global market in 2025, versus 29.85% for metal and alloy coatings. This does not imply the wholesale replacement of metallic coatings; rather, it reflects the rising value and penetration of plasma-resistant ceramic systems such as Y₂O₃, YOF and YAG in advanced etch and other highly corrosive environments.

By deposition technology, plasma spray coating remained the dominant route in 2025 with a 72.57% share, while arc spray accounted for 16.32%. More importantly, PVD, CVD and ALD are gaining penetration. These thin-film technologies are not simply replacing thermal spray; instead, their higher density and more controllable film structures are enabling adoption in applications requiring ultra-low particles, high purity, complex geometries and specialized corrosion resistance.

Industry Implications

Atmospheric Plasma Spray remains attractive because of its high deposition efficiency, suitability for large surface areas and mature material ecosystem, particularly for ceramic powders such as Y₂O₃. It is therefore expected to remain a mainstream chamber-component coating technology over the medium term. KoMiCo’s FineCera APS products are designed to improve plasma resistance and reduce particle generation, with publicly disclosed typical porosity of approximately 3%-5%.

Advanced semiconductor processes are shifting coating evaluation from a simple question of whether a coating is present to a multidimensional assessment of porosity, surface roughness, purity, bonding strength, plasma erosion rate, particle count and metal contamination. KoMiCo’s AD and PVD products can reduce porosity to near-zero levels in selected coatings, with the objective of minimizing reactions between process gases and the coating layer, shortening seasoning time and controlling CD drift.

UCT likewise offers plasma-resistant coatings including YAG, YOF, Y₂O₃ and SPS Y₂O₃ for advanced etch environments. The company notes that increasingly complex 3D and high-aspect-ratio structures accelerate wear and particle risks in chamber components, while advanced coatings can extend component life and improve mean time between cleans. UCT also applies conformal ALD Al₂O₃ coatings to stainless-steel weldments to improve corrosion resistance and surface durability, demonstrating that functional coatings are expanding from etch chambers into gas paths and other corrosion-sensitive components.

China is also moving from conventional anodizing and metal arc spray toward higher-purity ceramic and high-density coating technologies. Ferrotec China publicly lists capabilities including ceramic thermal spray, Al/Ti arc spray, anodizing and precision refurbishment for semiconductor equipment parts. For domestic suppliers, the next competitive threshold is no longer the ownership of spraying equipment itself, but rather high-purity powders and material systems, process-parameter control, low porosity, high bonding strength, consistent cleaning/recoating quality and long-cycle process qualification at advanced-node customers.

Competitive Landscape & Trends

The global market currently features a mix of specialized coating leaders, global Cleaning & Coating platforms and regional service providers. On LP Information’s operating-entity basis, TOCALO, KoMiCo and UCT together accounted for approximately 45.17% of the market in 2025, while CR5 reached about 57.73%. The market is significantly more concentrated than general precision-parts processing, but has not formed an absolute oligopoly. Key barriers include proprietary materials and formulations, deposition-process databases, joint development with tool makers, mass-production consistency and localized recoating-service capabilities.

TOCALO’s core strengths lie in its long-established thermal spray materials, process database and joint-development capabilities with equipment customers. Under its new TOCALO 2030 medium-term plan, the company continues to position semiconductor/FPD as a core growth field. It is also combining its thermal-spray expertise with Japan Coating Center’s PVD capabilities to develop thin-film technologies, signaling a strategic evolution from a thermal-spray specialist toward a broader surface-modification platform.

KoMiCo differentiates itself through a global 'Cleaning + Coating + Local Fab Service' network and a multi-technology surface-treatment portfolio including APS, AD and PVD, with particular emphasis on low-particle and high-density solutions for advanced nodes. UCT, with an estimated 13.90% global share, benefits from deep integration with the semiconductor equipment supply chain and a broad portfolio spanning PVD-kit arc spray, advanced etch plasma spray, SPS and ALD protective coatings.

Future competition will increasingly extend beyond conventional Y₂O₃ APS toward dense coating systems based on YOF, YAG, SPS, AD and PVD. Oerlikon Balzers has introduced BALORA HALONA, a PVD coating for demanding plasma-etch applications that emphasizes chemical stability in fluorine plasma, a 100% dense structure, low particle generation and suitability for sub-10nm processes. The development illustrates how dense thin-film coatings are moving from peripheral protection into more critical plasma environments.

Market Size

According to LP Information's report Coating for Semiconductor Equipment Parts - Global Market Share and Ranking, Overall Sales and Demand Forecast 2026-2032, the global semiconductor equipment parts coating market was approximately US$750 million in 2025 and is expected to reach US$1.20 billion by 2032, representing a CAGR of about 7.2% during 2026-2032.

Future market growth will not simply track semiconductor equipment shipments. It will also be driven by increases in the number of coated parts per tool, average coating value per part and recoating frequency. High-aspect-ratio etch requirements associated with GAA, advanced DRAM and higher-layer 3D NAND will continue to raise expectations for plasma-corrosion resistance, particle control and long-term surface stability.

From a technology-mix perspective, plasma spray is expected to remain the largest route for the foreseeable future, while progressively shifting from conventional APS toward SPS and denser coating structures. PVD, CVD, ALD and Aerosol Deposition will not simply replace thermal spray; rather, they will continue gaining share in use cases requiring ultra-low particles, high purity, complex geometries, thin-film uniformity and specialized corrosion resistance.

Accordingly, the competitive assessment of semiconductor equipment coating suppliers will move beyond the question of whether they can provide Y₂O₃ thermal spray. Increasingly important criteria will include multi-material capability, multiple deposition technologies, advanced-node customer qualification, a global local-service network and a closed-loop Cleaning-Coating-Recoating capability. Semiconductor coatings are evolving from a conventional maintenance service into a critical process enabler for advanced manufacturing.

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