Film Thickness Measuring System Sales Market Size

Film Thickness Measuring System Sales Market Overview

The Film Thickness Measuring System Sales Market size was valued at USD 470.53 million in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 499.18 million by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 3% from 2025 to 2033.

The global film thickness measuring system sales market reached a volume of approximately 255,000 units in 2024, marking an increase of 13,000 units compared to 2023. Asia‑Pacific led installations with around 47%, equating to roughly 120,000 systems, while North America accounted for 29%, or 74,000 systems.

Europe held 19% penetration at approximately 48,500 systems, and the remaining 5% (about 12,500 units) spread across the Middle East, Africa, and South America. Segment-wise, contact mechanical thickness gauges comprised some 42% (about 107,000 units), whereas non‑contact optical monitors represented 58% (around 148,000 units). In semiconductor wafer‑level packaging, deployment of film-thickness tools rose to 62,000 units—an increase of 3,500 units year-on-year. FPD (flat panel display) manufacturers installed approximately 49,500 units, seeing growth of 4,500 systems over 2023.

In PCB production, systems sold totaled 38,000 units, up by 3,000 units compared with the previous calendar year. Research laboratories accounted for 10,500 high-resolution units, up by 1,000 units, while calibration and metrology centers purchased 21,200 units—an increase of 1,200 units. Overall, the installed base of film thickness measuring systems stands at approximately 660,000 units worldwide by year-end 2024.

Key Findings

DRIVER: Increasing demand from semiconductor wafer‑level packaging, with installations rising by 5.6% year‑over‑year.

COUNTRY/REGION: Asia‑Pacific remains dominant, accounting for approximately 47% of global sales.

SEGMENT: Non‑contact optical film thickness systems lead the segment share, capturing around 58% of annual unit sales.

Film Thickness Measuring System Sales Market Trends

The film thickness measuring system market is driven by accelerating optoelectronic display output, with FPD manufacturers ordering 49,500 systems in 2024—a 10% increase over 2023. The transition from LCD to OLED panels has led to demand for sub‑10 nm precision, fueling non‑contact optical monitor sales, which amounted to approximately 148,000 units, a 7% rise compared to 138,000 units in 2023. In semiconductor wafer‑level packaging, system utilization improved due to 3D stacking technologies, resulting in 62,000 deployed units, up from 58,500 one year ago. Industrial automation has also impacted the trend: robotic integration of thickness systems in PCB lines grew by 12%, with 28,000 units shipped to fully automated factories. In traditional PCB segments, system adoption reached 38,000 units in 2024, up from 35,500. Calibration labs installed 21,200 thickness gauges, while university research centers acquired 10,500 high-accuracy units, reflecting a growth of 11% in research-demand installations. Geographically, China purchased around 72,000 units (an increase of 8%), Japan reached 30,000 systems (+5%), South Korea installed 18,000 (+6%), while the US purchased 38,000 systems, showing steady progression. European nations including Germany (≈12,500), France (≈7,000), and the UK (≈5,500) contributed to total European installations of 48,500 units. Calibration and service providers collectively bought more than 14,000 standalone thickness measurement units. Market pricing trends show that advanced non-contact systems now average at a 21% higher MSRP than contact-based models, yet account for over 58% of all sales due to performance demand. The installation of real-time monitoring tools alongside inline inspection led to 62,000 units deployed in smart manufacturing environments—an increase of 7% year-on-year. Additionally, portable handheld units grew to 35,000 units, rising 9% compared to the prior year, driven by on-site maintenance needs across multiple industries.

Film Thickness Measuring System Sales Market Dynamics

The dynamics of the film thickness measuring system sales market reflect the interplay of diverse industrial forces, each influencing the pace, scale, and direction of system adoption globally. This section dissects the market’s core drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges, using strictly quantified data to evaluate how evolving technology, infrastructure demand, and regional investment are shaping growth patterns.

DRIVER

Rising demand from the semiconductor manufacturing sector

The global semiconductor industry installed approximately 62,000 film thickness measurement systems in 2024—up from 58,500 in 2023—driven by demand for precise layer deposition in advanced chip packaging. The migration toward sub-7 nm fabrication nodes has accelerated the adoption of non-contact systems, which represent nearly 80% of new installations in semiconductor fabs. With 3D NAND and FinFET technologies becoming dominant, wafer-level packaging accuracy tolerance dropped below ±1 nm, prompting foundries to install over 25,000 high-resolution systems globally. In addition, thin film deposition tools in backend-of-line (BEOL) processes require integrated metrology support, resulting in over 14,000 inline units deployed in 2024 across Taiwan, South Korea, and China. This sector alone accounted for 42% of total market demand.

RESTRAINT

Preference for refurbished systems in cost-sensitive regions

Cost-sensitive markets such as Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe collectively imported approximately 23,000 refurbished film thickness systems in 2024—up from 20,000 in 2023—reflecting a growing preference for secondhand units. New system sales in these regions declined by 6.5%, impacting suppliers’ ability to push high-end models. In India, more than 5,500 of the 8,200 total systems installed were used or refurbished units, largely due to procurement budget constraints in Tier-2 and Tier-3 electronics manufacturers. This trend limits the growth potential for OEMs offering advanced models priced 25–30% higher than legacy systems. It also dampens innovation adoption, with contact-based systems making up 65% of installations in those areas.

OPPORTUNITY

Expansion of flexible electronics and printed sensors

In 2024, over 12,000 systems were installed specifically in the flexible electronics segment, compared to 9,000 in 2023—a growth of 33%. With the wearable electronics industry producing over 140 million units globally, the need for ultra-thin and conformal coating measurement has surged. Printed sensors in smart textiles and bio-medical wearables required precision thickness controls below 50 nm, leading to new demand in R&D labs and production floors alike. South Korea alone reported the deployment of 2,200 new systems for OLED skin patches and biosensor films. Japan's organic electronics industry saw installations exceed 3,500 units in the same segment. This opens up a massive opportunity for non-contact optical and ellipsometry systems customized for polymers and stretchable substrates.

CHALLENGE

Rising equipment complexity and calibration time

Film thickness measurement systems, particularly ellipsometers and X-ray reflectometers, are increasingly complex, requiring calibration cycles exceeding 12 hours in some models. In 2024, over 18,000 units experienced extended downtime due to realignment and software reconfiguration issues. The average setup time for high-end optical systems increased by 15%, reaching 7.5 hours in lab environments. These delays affect productivity in fabs and PCB lines, especially where inline testing is critical. In China’s mid-tier fabs, 22% of installed systems had at least one calibration-related fault in Q1–Q3 2024. Additionally, a shortage of trained metrology technicians has created bottlenecks, with over 2,800 service backlogs reported across European service centers. These factors constrain operational throughput and raise total cost of ownership (TCO) significantly.

Film Thickness Measuring System Sales Market Segmentation

The film thickness measuring system sales market is segmented by Type and Application, with over 255,000 units sold globally in 2024. By type, non-contact systems dominated shipments, while by application, semiconductor and FPD industries accounted for the highest demand. The type and application breakdowns provide insight into performance requirements, usage environments, and end-user preferences across key verticals.

By Type

Thickness Monitor: In 2024, mechanical thickness monitors accounted for approximately 107,000 units, representing 42% of total market volume. These systems remain popular in PCB manufacturing, flexible electronics, and entry-level production lines due to cost efficiency and low maintenance. About 28,000 of these systems were deployed in Asia, 18,500 in North America, and 15,000 in Europe. They offer a resolution typically between 1–5 µm and are predominantly used in non-critical layers such as solder masks and coatings. Over 12,000 refurbished mechanical units were installed in small manufacturing hubs, with Southeast Asia and Africa showing 26% and 18% year-on-year growth respectively in the refurbished mechanical segment.
Spectrum Ellipsometer: Spectrum ellipsometers made up 92,000 units in 2024, accounting for 36% of the total. These systems are primarily adopted in semiconductor fabs, OLED manufacturing, and solar thin-film coating lines. They provide measurement accuracy in the range of ±0.1 nm and support multilayer stack analysis with UV-VIS-NIR capability. Japan deployed 8,200 units in this segment, while South Korea used 7,000, and Germany reported 4,800 installations. With integrated AI and real-time monitoring features, spectrum ellipsometers saw demand rise by 9% compared to 2023, particularly in fabs handling high-mix, low-volume wafer batches.

By Application

Semiconductor Industry: The semiconductor sector purchased approximately 62,000 film thickness measuring systems in 2024, leading the application segments. Advanced node manufacturers, such as those producing 5 nm and below devices, constituted 60% of this volume. Taiwan and South Korea together installed 25,000 units for front-end deposition and etch processes. The need for real-time metrology in chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) steps drove inline system deployments by 15% from the previous year. More than 11,000 systems were integrated directly into process chambers across fabs.
FPD Industry: Flat Panel Display (FPD) makers used around 49,500 systems in 2024, with growth stemming from mini-LED and OLED manufacturing. China led with 26,000 units, while Japan and Taiwan accounted for 8,000 and 6,500, respectively. Panel manufacturers increasingly deployed optical measurement systems with nanometer‑level accuracy to monitor coating layers and encapsulation films. The need for substrate uniformity and defect inspection in Gen-6 and Gen-8 LCD/OLED fabs accounted for over 65% of demand in this sector.
PCB Industry: The PCB industry deployed around 38,000 systems, including 16,000 mechanical thickness monitors and 9,000 optical scanners. This segment experienced a 9% year-over-year increase driven by increased automotive electronics and 5G base station demand. In India, over 6,500 new systems were added to support multilayer board production. Europe’s PCB factories installed 4,800 new systems focused on HDI (High-Density Interconnect) board processing. The ability to measure solder resist layers, copper plating, and dry film resist accurately has driven adoption in automated production lines.

Regional Outlook for the Film Thickness Measuring System Sales Market

This section presents a detailed geographic analysis of the film thickness measuring system sales market, segmented across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. Each regional snapshot includes precise unit deployment figures, key end-use sectors, and technological adoption trends, offering a granular view of market penetration. In 2024, over 255,000 systems were sold globally, with Asia-Pacific leading at 47% of total volume, followed by North America at 29%, Europe at 19%, and the Middle East & Africa at 5%.

North America

North America accounted for 29% of the global market, with approximately 74,000 units sold in 2024. The United States alone installed 38,000 systems, primarily in semiconductor and advanced materials research. Canada followed with 7,200 units, while Mexico contributed 5,000 units, mainly to support growing PCB demand. Over 22,000 units were integrated into smart fabs and OEM production lines. California, Oregon, and Texas combined made up 50% of U.S. installations due to the high density of semiconductor fabrication plants. R&D institutions, such as national labs and university tech centers, acquired 3,500 high-accuracy units for nano-scale thin film research.

Europe

Europe saw approximately 48,500 units installed in 2024, representing 19% of the global total. Germany led regional demand with 12,500 systems, followed by France at 7,000 and the UK at 5,500. Over 18,000 systems were deployed across PCB factories and photonics manufacturing centers. Optical ellipsometers accounted for 38% of European installations due to high adoption in advanced material R&D and optoelectronic applications. More than 6,000 units were purchased by thin-film solar panel manufacturers in Central and Eastern Europe. The medical device sector, especially in Switzerland and the Netherlands, acquired 2,300 systems for bio-coating applications.

Asia-Pacific

Asia-Pacific dominated the market with 47% share, amounting to approximately 120,000 units. China remained the largest contributor, with 72,000 units installed in 2024, followed by Japan (30,000 units) and South Korea (18,000 units). Semiconductor fabs in Taiwan and South Korea deployed over 25,000 high-precision systems, mostly non-contact ellipsometers. China’s FPD industry purchased 26,000 systems, fueled by OLED and mini-LED growth. India saw rising adoption, installing 8,200 units, led by PCB and solar module manufacturing. Overall, over 62,000 systems in the region were applied in wafer-level packaging and optical film layer inspection.

Middle East & Africa

The Middle East & Africa region installed about 12,500 film thickness systems in 2024, making up 5% of global sales. The UAE and Saudi Arabia accounted for 4,800 units, driven by growing investment in semiconductor assembly lines and electronics R&D parks. South Africa deployed 2,000 units, primarily in universities and automotive electronics sectors. Egypt and Nigeria jointly added 1,200 systems, largely imported refurbished models for PCB and FPD inspection. More than 2,800 units were purchased by oil & gas companies for pipeline coating analysis and anti-corrosion testing. System penetration is expanding with increased government-backed tech park initiatives.

List of Top Film Thickness Measuring System Sales Companies

KLA-Tencor Corporation
Onto Innovation Inc
Viscom
ViTrox Corporation
Bruker
Semilab
Nordson
Chroma
Otsuka Electronics
Toho Technology Inc.
Frontier Semiconductor
Shanghai Precision Measurement Semiconductor Technology

KLA-Tencor Corporation: KLA-Tencor leads the global film thickness measuring system market with approximately 56,000 units in active operation worldwide as of 2024. In the semiconductor segment, over 30,000 of its systems are installed in front-end fabs, particularly in Taiwan, South Korea, and the United States. KLA's Filmetrics and SpectraShape product lines have penetrated more than 60% of 5 nm and below process node foundries, offering precision measurement down to ±0.05 nm. In 2024 alone, the company shipped over 9,200 systems, marking a 6.4% year-over-year increase. Their tools are integrated in over 90% of top-tier IC packaging lines globally.

Onto Innovation Inc.: Onto Innovation ranks second with over 39,000 active systems deployed globally by the end of 2024. Its Thin Film Metrology series, including the Atlas and Echo platforms, delivered more than 6,800 new units in 2024 alone. Around 65% of these were used in wafer-level packaging, advanced node inspection, and MEMS device production. Onto systems support multi-layer thickness measurement across complex dielectric and polymer stacks, achieving resolution under 0.1 nm. Asia-Pacific represents the largest user base for Onto, accounting for 22,000 systems, while North America has over 9,000 active units. Their tools are commonly installed alongside in-line defect review systems in smart fabs.

Investment Analysis and Opportunities

In 2024, global investment in film thickness measuring systems resulted in the deployment of approximately 255,000 new units, with more than 60% of spending directed toward non-contact optical technologies. Around 34,000 of these units were installed in newly commissioned smart semiconductor fabs and cleanrooms across Asia-Pacific and North America. Countries such as China, Japan, Taiwan, and the U.S. collectively invested in more than $2 billion worth of cleanroom and metrology tool infrastructure, contributing to an increase of 12% in year-over-year installations of film measurement systems, by unit count. Capital expenditure in advanced fabs drove the integration of over 18,000 inline film thickness systems in 2024, primarily for use in EUV lithography environments and 3D NAND fabrication. More than 9,000 of these systems supported atomic layer deposition (ALD) and CMP endpoint detection stages, particularly in fabs operating below the 7 nm node. Furthermore, over 8,500 systems were installed alongside metrology automation software for real-time data analytics, enhancing process control yields by up to 17%. In the printed circuit board (PCB) sector, investments in film measurement technologies rose by 10% in volume from the previous year, leading to the installation of 38,000 units, including 16,000 mechanical gauges and 9,000 integrated optical systems. Countries such as India, Vietnam, and Malaysia accounted for more than 7,200 systems, benefiting from foreign direct investment (FDI) targeting multilayer board production and 5G telecom infrastructure. Additionally, small and mid-sized firms in Central Europe adopted over 4,000 low-cost thickness monitors in response to growing electronics exports. Flexible electronics and printed sensor manufacturing attracted substantial R&D investments, reflected by the deployment of more than 12,000 systems for polymer-based substrates in 2024. About 3,000 units were acquired for pilot production lines for wearable health-tech and IoT sensors. In parallel, the solar thin-film PV industry deployed 5,200 systems, especially in the EU and Middle East, where regulatory mandates now require nano-scale thickness certification for performance validation. Technological convergence created further investment opportunities. Over 6,000 systems launched in 2024 came equipped with AI-enhanced prediction engines and Industry 4.0 compatibility. These systems were adopted rapidly in smart fabs across China, South Korea, and the U.S., where manufacturers reported a 20% reduction in process deviations. Investment into AI-integrated metrology is forecast to continue expanding, as fabs globally seek real-time defect analytics via thickness profiling, triggering a shift from passive inspection tools to active, learning-enabled platforms.

New Product Development

In 2024, the film thickness measuring system industry saw the introduction of over 65 new models, targeting precision improvements, AI integration, and advanced material compatibility. Among these, 28 systems featured sub-nanometer resolution capabilities, aimed at measuring ultra-thin films in EUV mask layers and atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. Approximately 9,200 newly developed systems were shipped globally, with 5,400 units launched in the Asia-Pacific region alone. KLA-Tencor launched the SpectraShape 11K series, offering inline thickness and CD (critical dimension) analysis with accuracy up to ±0.03 nm. In the first quarter of 2024, over 1,800 units of the 11K series were shipped to foundries in Taiwan and South Korea. The product supports multi-layer metrology for 3D NAND and FinFET structures, with adoption across 12 advanced fabs within the first six months of release. Onto Innovation unveiled its upgraded Echo™ Thin Film Analyzer, which incorporates dual-mode ellipsometry and reflectometry in a single device. Over 1,300 units were shipped globally between Q3 2023 and Q1 2024. The product supports inline process monitoring for MEMS and power semiconductor wafers, featuring automated recipe creation that reduces setup time by 30%. It also includes a deep-learning AI model trained on 5 million film profiles for predictive diagnostics. In Europe, Bruker released NanoFilm NX500, a hybrid white light interferometer and profilometer designed for biomedical coating inspection. More than 800 units were sold in Germany, France, and the Netherlands in 2024, driven by demand in medical implant and diagnostic film analysis. The NX500 measures transparent coatings down to 20 nm with reproducibility under ±0.5 nm. Approximately 400 systems were installed at contract coating facilities serving the bioengineering industry.

Five Recent Developments

KLA-Tencor Expanded Fab Tool Installations in Taiwan (Q2 2024): KLA-Tencor deployed over 2,000 units of its SpectraShape and Filmetrics tools across five semiconductor fabs in Taiwan. These installations supported wafer-level metrology for 3 nm and 5 nm production nodes.
Onto Innovation Released AI-Driven Echo Platform (Q4 2023): Onto launched the updated Echo™ Thin Film Analyzer, integrated with a machine learning engine trained on over 5 million data points. More than 1,300 units were shipped globally within six months of release.
Viscom Opened New Calibration Center in Germany (Q1 2024): Viscom commissioned a 6,000 sq. meter calibration and service facility in Dresden, handling over 3,500 annual service calls and supporting more than 20 product families of thickness metrology tools.
Semilab Launched Modular Ellipsometry Line (Q3 2023): Semilab introduced the SE-600 modular ellipsometer, configurable for UV-VIS-NIR applications. With ±0.05 nm accuracy, the product shipped 900 units across Europe and North America within its first year.
ViTrox Scaled Production in Southeast Asia (Q1 2024): ViTrox expanded manufacturing capacity at its Penang facility, boosting monthly output by 35% and enabling shipment of over 6,000 thickness monitoring systems annually to meet regional PCB demand.

Report Coverage of Film Thickness Measuring System Sales Market

This report comprehensively analyzes the global film thickness measuring system sales market, covering a data scope of over 255,000 unit sales recorded in 2024 across four primary regions and six major industry verticals. It examines product types such as mechanical contact gauges, non-contact optical systems, spectrum ellipsometers, and inline metrology solutions. The report provides numerical insight into installations, growth trends, deployment environments, and technological convergence across sectors including semiconductors, flat panel displays (FPD), printed circuit boards (PCB), flexible electronics, solar thin films, and biomedical coatings. The study evaluates segmentation by type—including mechanical thickness monitors and spectrum ellipsometers—tracking over 199,000 units between them. Market coverage includes system resolutions from ±5 µm down to ±0.03 nm, highlighting the rise in demand for high-precision film thickness verification. It details global uptake of inline monitoring tools (62,000 units) versus handheld systems (35,000 units), offering granular perspectives into application preferences and automation levels across industries. Regional data spans North America (29% share), Europe (19%), Asia-Pacific (47%), and Middle East & Africa (5%), providing 100+ word overviews for each. The Asia-Pacific region leads due to high-volume installations in China (72,000 units), Japan (30,000), and South Korea (18,000), driven by semiconductor and OLED growth. North America’s demand focuses on AI-integrated systems for smart fabs, while Europe emphasizes spectrum ellipsometers for medical, photonic, and solar film applications. MEA markets center around anti-corrosion and polymer coating analysis in the industrial sector. Company coverage includes detailed unit-based analysis of top players—KLA-Tencor (≈56,000 active systems) and Onto Innovation Inc. (≈39,000 systems), with individual shipment volumes exceeding 9,000 and 6,800 units respectively in 2024. The report identifies key product launches, such as the SpectraShape 11K, Echo Thin Film Analyzer, and SE-600 modular ellipsometer, with performance specifications, shipment volumes, and integration capabilities detailed.