Collection Industry Research 2026.07.12

A Compilation of Areas to Understand When Grasping the Semiconductor Industry Value Chain

An overview of the industrial structure following the entire flow of semiconductor creation from design, IP, EDA, foundry, equipment, materials, packaging, to testing.

The semiconductor industry does not operate on a structure where one company does everything alone. It consists of a long value chain made up of design firms, IP providers, EDA software, foundries, equipment, materials, components, packaging, and testing companies. Therefore, when looking at semiconductor news, it's important to understand not just the performance of specific companies, but where the bottlenecks occur and which areas of demand move first. This list organizes the main industrial fields that the semiconductor goes through from idea to product.

Semiconductor Design

Semiconductor design is the starting point that determines the purpose and performance of the product. It decides what calculations will be performed, how much power will be used, what interfaces will be supported, and how it will connect with software. Fabless companies often focus on this design capability, outsourcing manufacturing to foundries. In the AI era, merely being good at design is not enough; connections to HBM, packaging, and the software ecosystem are essential to remain competitive. When looking at the design field, it's good to check architecture, customer companies, development cycles, and whether mass production foundries are secured.

유형 설계 단계 핵심 포인트 아키텍처, 전력 효율, 고객 요구, 소프트웨어 이해 팁 설계와 제조·패키징 협력을 함께 보기

바로가기

IP and EDA

IP and EDA may be less known to general consumers but are very important areas within the semiconductor value chain. IP refers to reusable design blocks like CPU cores, interfaces, and memory controllers, while EDA is software used to design and validate complex semiconductors. As chips become more miniaturized and complex, reducing design errors and shortening development times become critical. The value of validation increases for products like AI chips and automotive semiconductors, where reliability is essential. This field can be understood as an industry closer to software and design ecosystems rather than manufacturing plants.

유형 설계 인프라 핵심 포인트 설계 블록, 자동화 도구, 검증, 개발 기간 이해 팁 칩 복잡도가 높을수록 IP·EDA 중요성이 커짐

바로가기

Foundry Manufacturing

Foundry manufacturing is the central axis of the semiconductor value chain. It takes chips designed by fabless companies and produces them through actual wafer processes. The more advanced the process, the more precisely numerous steps like photolithography, etching, deposition, cleaning, and inspection must align, making yield stabilization very important. Foundry companies require large-scale equipment investments and establish long-term cooperative relations with customers. AI, mobile, and HPC chips rely heavily on advanced processes, meaning the production capacity and roadmap of foundries significantly impact the entire industry.

유형 제조 단계 핵심 포인트 공정, 수율, 생산능력, 고객 인증 이해 팁 첨단 공정 발표보다 양산과 수율을 확인

바로가기

Semiconductor Equipment

Semiconductor equipment is the essential tool used to actually create chips. Photolithography equipment engraves circuit patterns, etching equipment removes necessary portions, deposition equipment applies thin films, and measurement and inspection equipment detects defects. As processes become more refined, the precision and productivity of the equipment become crucial. The equipment industry is sensitive to semiconductor investment cycles, and demand shifts according to customers' new fab constructions and process transitions. Even with increasing AI demand, equipment companies must consider the timing of actual investments and customer exposure.

유형 제조 인프라 핵심 포인트 노광, 식각, 증착, 세정, 검사, 설비투자 이해 팁 칩 수요와 장비 발주는 시차가 있을 수 있음

바로가기

Semiconductor Materials

Semiconductor materials are essential elements that go into various processes. They come in many types, such as silicon wafers, photoresists, specialty gases, CMP slurries, cleaning agents, wiring materials, and insulator materials. Once certified, materials often aren't easily changed, making customer trust and quality control very important. If supply chain risks arise, it can lead to production disruptions, so national material independence and supply stability are also significant issues. When evaluating material companies, it's advisable to check how deeply they are involved with specific processes and customers.

유형 공정 재료 핵심 포인트 웨이퍼, 포토레지스트, 특수가스, 슬러리, 공급 안정성 이해 팁 소재는 수율과 품질에 직접 연결됨

바로가기

Components and Substrates

In the semiconductor value chain, components and substrates are just as important as equipment and materials. Equipment components must withstand high temperatures, vacuum, and plasma environments, while package substrates play a role in connecting chips with external systems. High-performance chips like AI semiconductors need to deliver power and signals reliably, increasing the importance of substrate and interconnect technologies. This field may not be highly visible, but any bottlenecks can impact the supply of finished products. It's important to look at which chips and packages are used for specific products.

유형 공급망 부품 핵심 포인트 패키지 기판, 장비 부품, 전력·신호 연결 이해 팁 완제품보다 숨어 있는 병목 역할을 볼 것

바로가기

Advanced Packaging

Advanced packaging is one of the most highlighted areas in the semiconductor value chain. While it was seen in the past as a post-processing step to protect chips and connect them to the outside, it has now become a key technology for closely connecting various chiplets and HBM to enhance performance. TSMC's CoWoS is described as a representative platform that integrates logic chips with HBM for high-performance applications like AI and supercomputing. As demand for AI chips increases, the production capacity of advanced packaging, along with substrates, equipment, and testing capabilities, also becomes increasingly important.

유형 후공정 핵심 기술 핵심 포인트 CoWoS, 칩렛, HBM, 인터포저, 고성능 컴퓨팅 이해 팁 AI 반도체 병목은 제조공정뿐 아니라 패키징에서도 발생

바로가기

Testing and Inspection

Testing and inspection are the stages in which the quality of semiconductors is verified before they enter actual products. Defects are found at the wafer stage, and after packaging, electrical properties and performance are inspected. For high-performance products like AI chips or automotive semiconductors, where the cost of errors is high, testing requirements become more stringent. If testing times extend, it can also affect production throughput, so balancing costs and quality is important. While testing is not very visible in the industry, it can be understood as the final gateway directly linked to yield, customer certification, and reliability.

유형 품질 검증 단계 핵심 포인트 웨이퍼 검사, 패키지 테스트, 신뢰성, 고객 인증 이해 팁 테스트는 원가이면서 품질 보증 수단

바로가기

The semiconductor value chain is affected by the complexity of technology and investment size, so even a slight disruption at one stage can impact the entire supply. For instance, an increase in demand for AI semiconductors not only makes design crucial but also highlights the importance of HBM, advanced packaging, substrates, equipment, and testing. When examining the semiconductor industry, we need to look at both 'which chips are selling well' and 'what companies and technologies are needed to manufacture those chips.' This list serves as a fundamental framework for understanding the industrial structure, while investment evaluations for each company should separately consider their customers, technologies, profitability, and supply chain risks.

한눈에 보기 8개

Semiconductor Design

설계 단계 · 아키텍처, 전력 효율, 고객 요구, 소프트웨어 · 설계와 제조·패키징 협력을 함께 보기

IP and EDA

설계 인프라 · 설계 블록, 자동화 도구, 검증, 개발 기간 · 칩 복잡도가 높을수록 IP·EDA 중요성이 커짐

Foundry Manufacturing

제조 단계 · 공정, 수율, 생산능력, 고객 인증 · 첨단 공정 발표보다 양산과 수율을 확인

Semiconductor Equipment

제조 인프라 · 노광, 식각, 증착, 세정, 검사, 설비투자 · 칩 수요와 장비 발주는 시차가 있을 수 있음

Semiconductor Materials

공정 재료 · 웨이퍼, 포토레지스트, 특수가스, 슬러리, 공급 안정성 · 소재는 수율과 품질에 직접 연결됨

Components and Substrates