Worldwide semiconductor capital equipment spending totaled $33.8 billion in 2013, an 11.5 percent decline from 2012, according to final results by Gartner, Inc. Wafer-level manufacturing equipment demand performed above the market with strength in lithography and associated processes, while back-end manufacturing segments fared significantly worse than average.
"With this as a backdrop, capital spending was muted and dominated by a few top players," said Klaus-Dieter Rinnen, managing vice president at Gartner.