WLCSP Electroless Plating Market Outlook - 2027
The global WLCSP electroless plating market was valued at $1.77 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $2.88 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 5.9% from 2020 to 2027.
WLCSP electroless plating is considered to be less porous than electroplated plating. It provides a barrier of corrosion protection to steel. It is a very gentle process as very little comprehensive stress is applied. WLCSP electroless plating is a chemical process and no electricity is required externally. In addition, the plating process provides accurate data and is cost-effective. Further, electroless plating of WLCSP can be completed with less equipment and fewer coats.
Wafer-level chip scale packaging provides a solder interconnection directly between a device and the motherboard of the end product. Wafer Level CSP includes wafer bumping, wafer level final test, device singulation, and packing in tape & reel to support a turnkey solution. This package type is used for a wide range of semiconductor devices such as RF WLAN combo chips, FPGAs, power management devices, integrated passive networks, flash/EEPROM, along with other automotive applications.
Different integrated circuits (ICs) have different packaging requirements, which provide growth opportunities for WLCSP electroless plating over traditional plating technologies. In addition, WLCSP electroless plating is expected to offer higher abilities than conventional plating solutions, which is expected to offer lucrative opportunities for WLCSP electroless plating market trends in the coming years.
WLCSP electroless plating is used for solder bumping applications on semiconductor wafers. The technology uses a patterned vacuum plate to pick up the solder spheres to transfer them to the wafer. WLCSP electroless plating has an advantage over traditional high-density package substrates as it ensures adequate reliability in advanced packaging solutions.
Wafer bumping is essential for WLCSP or any board-level semiconductor packaging. Bumping is an advanced wafer-level process technology where “bumps” or “balls” made of solder are formed on wafers in a whole wafer form before the respective semiconductor wafer gets diced into individual chips. The bumps interconnect the die and the substrate together in a single package. In addition, the bumps also play a crucial role in the electrical, mechanical, and thermal performance of the WLCSP package.
WLCSP bumps were initially manufactured and produced by dropping performed solder spheres through a metal template on a silicon wafer. The process involved modified surface mount printers for WLCSP bumps. There were many limitations which were involved with the process such as a fixed size of a sphere only being used, chances of failure of the seal between the slotted fixture and the wafer, and low yield among others.
These factors create the need for efficient plating technology, which would eliminate the above-mentioned issues and provide seamless operation capabilities. Electroless plating for WLCSP bumps assists in creating very thin bumps at the wafer level. Electroless plating first gets deposited onto the bond pads of the die through chemical techniques.
According to WLCSP electroless plating market analysis, bumping is an important technology for WLCSP in packaging applications. Electroless plating for WLCSP bumps provides additional corrosion protection at a comparatively lower cost than electroplate technology. The process is simple and is the last step of the wafer processing and assists in significant growth toward WLCSP electroless plating market share globally.
Factors such as the need for circuit miniaturization and microelectronic devices, enhanced features of WLCSP electroless plating providing better shielding as against traditional plating process, and cost-effectiveness of WLCSP electroless plating are expected to drive the market growth. However, the decline in the growth of the semiconductor industry globally and the volatility of the prices of raw materials hamper the market growth to a certain extent. Furthermore, an increase in demand for WLCSP electroless plating in aerospace and healthcare industries is expected to be opportunistic for the market.
Segment Overview
The global WLCSP electroless plating market is segmented based on type, end-use, and region.
By type, the market is classified into nickel, copper, and composites. The nickel segment is further subdivided into low phosphorus, medium phosphorus, and high phosphorus.
By Type
Composite segment would grow at a highest CAGR of 7.3% during 2020 - 2027
By end use, the market is divided into automotive, electronics, aerospace, machinery, and others. By region, it is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA, along with its prominent countries.
By End Use
Electronics segment holds a dominant position throughout the forecast period
Top Impacting Factors
The notable factors positively affecting the WLCSP electroless plating market include the rise in the impending need for circuit miniaturization and microelectronic devices and the cost-effectiveness of WLCSP electroless coating. Further, WLCSP electroless plating provides better shielding than the traditional plating process. However, the slow-paced growth of the semiconductor industry globally and the volatility of the prices of the raw materials restrict the market growth. An increase in demand for WLCSP electroless plating in aerospace and healthcare industries is expected to offer huge market opportunities in the coming years.
By Geography
Asia-Pacific region secures the leading position throughout the forecast period with a highest rate of 6.5%
Impending Need For Circuit Miniaturization and Micro Electric Device
With the increase in advancement in technologies, manufacturers are emphasizing providing compact electronic devices in various industry verticals such as consumer electronics, healthcare, automotive, and semiconductor IC manufacturing. These manufacturers are reducing the size of the integrated circuits to ensure fine patterning and plating on the wafers and chips.
In addition, the medical devices industry is observing an increase in demand for nano-sized robotic surgery equipment with sophistication and advances in wearable and personalized healthcare gadgets. Therefore, the trends toward compact electronic devices have created the need for designers to outgrow conventional plating and adopt WLCSP electroless plating. This factor assists in WLCSP electroless plating market growth globally.
Volatility of the Prices of Raw Materials
The cost of raw materials remains the major concern among various industry verticals globally. The extreme prices of raw materials such as nickel, copper, ceramic, gold, phosphorus, and others is a real challenge among its customers. According to estimates, the semiconductor market in raw materials is unstable in North America and Europe.
As various types of materials such as copper, aluminum, steel, phosphorus, and others are used in electronic components, the prices of raw materials tend to fluctuate due to their demand. Various electronic companies are very sensitive to material cost, as it increases the cost of production and affects the demand and supply gap. Therefore, the increase in prices of raw materials in semiconductor manufacturing poses a greater threat to the WLCSP electroless plating market globally.
Increase in the Demand for WLCSP Electroless Plating in Aerospace and Healthcare Industry Vertical
The semiconductor plating industry is providing advanced IC packages to develop next-generation chip designs. Traditionally, the integrated circuit industry was using traditional chip scaling and innovative architectures for new devices. In addition, there exist multi-chip packages in every phone, data center, consumer electronics, and network which drive the growth of advanced packaging as it promotes system optimization.
Therefore, enhanced operation capabilities and precise processing are lucrative for various industry verticals, such as automotive, healthcare, aerospace & defense, and industrial sectors, which are now adopting advanced WLCSP electroless plating. All these factors assist in providing enhanced system performance in its operation. This provides a lucrative WLCSP electroless plating market opportunity.
Competitive Analysis
The key players profiled in the WLCSP electroless plating industry include Atotech Deutschland GmbH, ARC Technologies Inc., MacDermid Inc., KC Jones Plating Company, Okuno Chemical Industries Co. Ltd. COVENTYA International, C. Uyemura & Co. Ltd., Nihon Parkerizing Co. Ltd., ERIE PLATING COMPANY, and Bales Metal Surface Solutions (Bales). These key players have adopted strategies, such as product portfolio expansion, mergers & acquisitions, agreements, geographical expansion, and collaborations, to enhance their WLCSP electroless plating market size penetration.
Key Benefits For Stakeholders:
- This study includes the analytical depiction of the WLCSP electroless plating market forecast along with the current trends and future estimations to determine the imminent investment pockets.
- The report presents information regarding the key drivers, restraints, and opportunities in the market.
- The WLCSP electroless plating market growth is quantitatively analyzed from 2019 to 2027 to highlight the financial competency of the industry.
- Porter’s five forces analysis illustrates the potency of the buyers and suppliers in the industry.
WLCSP Electroless Plating Market Report Highlights
| Aspects | Details |
 By Type |
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 By End Use |
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 By Region |
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 Key Market Players | C. UYEMURA & CO., LTD., ARC TECHNOLOGIES, INC., COVENTYA INTERNATIONAL, OKUNO CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES CO., LTD., MACDERMID, INC., ERIE PLATING COMPANY, BALES (BALES METAL SURFACE SOLUTIONS), NIHON PARKERIZING CO., LTD., ATOTECH DEUTSCHLAND GMBH, KC JONES PLATING COMPANY |
Analyst Review
The WLCSP electroless plating market is highly competitive, owing to strong presence of the existing vendors. Electroless plating technology vendors, who have access to extensive technical and financial resources are anticipated to gain a competitive edge over their rivals, as they have the capacity to cater to the global market requirements. The competitive environment in this market is expected to further intensify with increase in technological innovations, product extensions, and different strategies adopted by the key vendors.
The WLCSP electroless plating market is expected to leverage high potential for the automotive and machinery industry verticals in 2025. The current business scenario is witnessing an increase in the demand for smart consumer electronics, particularly in the developing regions such as China, India, and others, due to an increase in demand for technological advancements in this sector such as adoption of AI and IoT. Companies in this industry are adopting various innovative techniques such as mergers and acquisition activities, to strengthen their business position in the competitive matrix.
The WLCSP electroless plating market is steadily gaining traction, owing to rise in demand for enhanced technologies in the semiconductor industry such as integration of IoT, AI, and surge in demand for smart consumer electronics. Technological developments in the emerging economies in Asia-Pacific boosts the WLCSP electroless plating market growth.
In addition, its technological superiority over traditional packaging techniques and need of circuit miniaturization in microelectronic devices improves thescope of applicability in the WLCSP electroless plating market.
The WLCSP electroless plating market provides numerous growth opportunities to the market players such as AUTOTECH, ARC Technologies, Coventya, and the Bales Company.
The Global WLCSP Electroless Plating Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.9% from 2020 to 2027.
The WLCSP Electroless Plating Market is projected to reach $2.88 billion by 2027.
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Rise in impending need for circuit miniaturization & microelectronic devices and cost-effectiveness of WLCSP electroless coating drives the growth of WLCSP Electroless Plating Market.
The key players profiled in the report include Atotech Deutschland GmbH, ARC Technologies Inc., MacDermid Inc., KC Jones Plating Company, Okuno Chemical Industries Co. Ltd. COVENTYA International, C. Uyemura & Co. Ltd., Nihon Parkerizing Co. Ltd., ERIE PLATING COMPANY, and Bales Metal Surface Solutions (Bales).
On the basis of top growing big corporations, we select top 10 players.
The WLCSP Electroless Plating Market is segmented on the basis of type, end use, and region.
The key growth strategies of WLCSP Electroless Plating market players include product portfolio expansion, mergers & acquisitions, agreements, geographical expansion, and collaborations.
Nickel segment holds a dominant position throughout the forecast period of 2020 to 2027.
Automotive segment would exhibit the highest CAGR of 8.4% during 2020 - 2027.
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