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Final figures out from Gartner highlight that worldwide semiconductor equipment market grew 143% in 2010 to nearly US$41 billion as the market recovered from the industry slowdown of the previous two years. According to Gartner the ATE segment sales up by 149%, while WFE segment sales where up by 145% and PAE sales increased by 127%.

"The semiconductor equipment market soared in 2010. Driven by the pent-up demand from the 2008 and 2009 downturn, and a stronger economy than projected, 2010 just kept getting better and better," noted Klaus Rinnen, managing vice president at Gartner. "Memory and foundry spending were the key drivers, although all areas showed significant growth."

Gartner’s list of top 10 semiconductor capital equipment companies saw their market share rise nearly two points in 2010, accounting for 63.4% of total revenue, up from 61.6% in 2009.

ASML was seen as the fastest-growing company, moving from No. 3 to No. 2 based on the strength of immersion lithography sales for double patterning, which resulted in a total equipment market share of 13%.

However, Applied Materials remained in the number one position but it could not increase its share as it is not a player in the lithography equipment sector.

"The year began with technology buys, and capacity purchases soon followed, resulting in one of the hottest growth years in industry history," said Rinnen. "We also witnessed a number of changes in the top 10 semiconductor capital equipment companies, as strength in double patterning benefited some companies more than others."