Czech-based electron microscope manufacturer TESCAN is undergoing a strategic shift, expanding into advanced semiconductor packaging through its growing expertise in failure analysis (FA) technology. With Taiwan emerging as a global center for advanced packaging R&D, TESCAN plans to establish a local subsidiary in 2025 to meet rising demand from semiconductor clients across the Asia-Pacific region.
In a market crowded with established semiconductor equipment giants, how will TESCAN carve out its niche with its flagship FA solutions? And what sets its offering apart when it comes to meeting the highly customized needs of Taiwan's top chipmakers?
TESCAN enters advanced packaging race with full-stack semiconductor diagnostics
Founded in Brno, the Czech Republic's second-largest city, TESCAN built its reputation over three decades in fields like materials science and geoscience. In recent years, however, the company has pivoted toward the semiconductor industry, with a particular focus on the rapidly expanding advanced packaging segment.
TESCAN's advanced packaging FA solution is built around a hybrid workflow that integrates scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB), and other inspection tools into a seamless, cross-platform system. The setup aims to reduce testing time, cut labor requirements, and speed up R&D while improving yield outcomes.
Described as a "full-body checkup" for chips, the solution uses a suite of diagnostic tools—much like a team of medical specialists—to identify failure points across materials and structures. This approach has proven essential for OSAT providers, foundries, and IC design houses alike.
According to TESCAN Taiwan Country Manager Robert Feng, FA begins with non-destructive testing to locate potential defects without damaging the sample. The next phase involves destructive analysis using laser cutting for speed, followed by dual-beam systems to isolate and expose the faulty regions.
The process continues with SEM imaging via the dual-beam system to analyze interfaces and defect signatures. To address the rising need for structural stress and material composition analysis, TESCAN also provides a 4D STEM-enabled platform that measures internal stress fields and compositional shifts, supporting both process refinement and next-gen packaging evolution.
AI-powered FA boosts speed and precision as TESCAN courts customized equipment market
TESCAN's semiconductor strategy—centered on failure analysis and advanced packaging—is gaining momentum thanks to integrated technologies and region-specific applications. According to APAC Managing Director Sean Lee, the semiconductor business in Asia-Pacific contributed nearly 50% of the company's global revenue in 2024. "There's still plenty of room to grow," he said.
For 2025, Lee projects a 40% revenue surge in APAC, fueled largely by Chinese demand, with semiconductor-related sales expected to account for about half of that growth.
As a challenger in the semiconductor equipment space, TESCAN is still trailing global leaders in market share. To gain ground, the company is leaning into product flexibility and differentiation.
Lee highlights technologies such as CoWoS, 2.5D/3D, and heterogeneous integration as major drivers of increased FA complexity. TESCAN's strategy focuses on large-format and customized inspection demands, delivering broader and deeper coverage tailored to client-specific requirements.
TESCAN's edge, Lee says, lies in its singular focus: "We only do electron microscopes." Unlike competitors with sprawling product portfolios, the company offers more streamlined and responsive collaboration.
Most equipment vendors favor standardized models to maximize cost and production efficiency. TESCAN, however, starts with the unmet needs of leading customers and gradually scales into more price-sensitive segments—a strategy built on flexibility and differentiation.
Across the region, Lee says, packaging customers want FA tools that are faster, more precise, and competitively priced. TESCAN has targeted sample preparation, the bottleneck in the testing workflow, and introduced AI and machine learning to streamline it. The result: faster output, fewer manual errors, and relief for an industry plagued by skilled labor shortages.
Feng notes that training an operator in sample preparation and analysis typically takes six to twelve months. But with product lifecycles shrinking, delays are no longer acceptable. TESCAN's solution reduces prep time from four hours to under one, even for first-time users.
TESCAN bets on APAC expansion to stay close to advanced packaging clients
Lee points out that Taiwan and China together account for over 70% of the global advanced packaging market. Many Chinese customers are Taiwan-owned or managed by Taiwanese executives, making Greater China the most critical hub for packaging technology and a core driver of TESCAN's APAC expansion.
Although Lee concedes that launching the Taiwan office in 2025 is "a beat late" and would have been better timed two years earlier, he believes conditions remain favorable. As client technologies mature and US-China chip tensions intensify, China's localization drive makes this an opportune moment.
Following the acquisitions of TESCAN Korea and anti-vibration system maker Daeil Microanalysis Laboratory (DML), the company will open new subsidiaries in Taiwan and Singapore in 2025. Moving away from agent-based distribution marks a major step in strengthening brand visibility and service capabilities across the APAC semiconductor market.
In the past, Taiwan clients relied on local agents for sales and service, which created delays in communicating feedback to TESCAN's R&D hub in the Czech Republic, slowing development and impeding local adaptation.
To avoid missing out on co-innovation opportunities, TESCAN opted to establish its subsidiaries, enabling technical teams to work directly with clients. This move shortens communication loops, accelerates market responsiveness, and enhances local support across key APAC markets—including Taiwan, China, South Korea, and Malaysia—while deepening regional collaboration.
Article edited by Jack Wu
