Failure Analysis: a hidden market for microscopy & related imaging
As was expected, the ISTFA population is very industrially oriented, with few participants from government or academe. As a group, they are highly influential: over half of the MME test set are engineers and another quarter, laboratory managers or directors. Two thirds of them can specify or recommend equipment purchases and another quarter have sign-off privileges. MME’s research indicates that they are well funded and stable. At this point, however, the data takes an unexpected twist.

“We’ve been active in microscopy and imaging for nearly two decades,” indicated MME President Barbara Foster, “but the findings from this meeting really floored us. We found hidden opportunities in at least five key technology areas: fluorescence and polarized applications in light microscopy, confocal microscopy, FT-IR (a cross-over from the analytical realm), and digital imaging.” According the Ms. Foster, the major manufacturers in these arenas have been focusing on traditional markets such as research biology and neuroscience for fluorescence and confocal, or the chemical market for FT-IR. MME’s data indicates that there are exciting opportunities for expansion in semiconductor FA. For example, for one of their clients, the results of this survey uncovered a new market worth an estimated $25M world-wide. MME’s extensive ISTFA 2000 report contains the results from 40 questions, analyzed from four different perspectives (Title, Type of Lab, Type of Work, and Technology Area). It is based on a survey group of approximately 15% of ISTFA’s scientific attendees, with a roster of participants which reads like a “Who’s Who” of the semiconductor industry: from Agilent and AMD to Texas Instruments and TriQuint Semiconductor. Further details are posted on the MME website: MicroscopyMarket.com.
 
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