Global Semiconductor Wafer Polishing and Grinding Equipment Market to Reach US$331.0 Million by 2030

The global market for Semiconductor Wafer Polishing and Grinding Equipment estimated at US$263.5 Million in the year 2024, is expected to reach US$331.0 Million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 3.9% over the analysis period 2024-2030. Semiconductor Wafer Polishing Equipment, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is expected to record a 4.7% CAGR and reach US$212.3 Million by the end of the analysis period. Growth in the Semiconductor Wafer Grinding Equipment segment is estimated at 2.5% CAGR over the analysis period.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at US$71.8 Million While China is Forecast to Grow at 7.3% CAGR

The Semiconductor Wafer Polishing and Grinding Equipment market in the U.S. is estimated at US$71.8 Million in the year 2024. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$67.6 Million by the year 2030 trailing a CAGR of 7.3% over the analysis period 2024-2030. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at a CAGR of 1.5% and 3.0% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 2.2% CAGR.

Global "Semiconductor Wafer Polishing and Grinding Equipment" Market – Key Trends & Drivers Summarized

Why Is Planarization and Surface Prep So Vital in Chipmaking?
Semiconductor wafer polishing and grinding equipment play a foundational role in wafer surface preparation, enabling the ultra-flat, defect-free substrates required for modern logic, memory, and analog devices. Grinding equipment removes surface irregularities and thins wafers for packaging, while polishing systems (especially for CMP—Chemical Mechanical Planarization) ensure uniform topography before subsequent layers are applied. These steps are crucial not just for yield, but for device reliability, particularly as chips transition into 3D architectures and ultra-thin packaging formats. For high-bandwidth memory (HBM), backside thinning is essential to facilitate stacking. In power semiconductors and GaN-on-Si applications, precise grinding and polishing ensure thermal performance and electrical isolation. As devices become smaller and more complex, wafer flatness tolerances shrink, making these tools more mission-critical than ever.

Are Hybrid Machines and Process Control Driving Next-Level Performance?
Modern grinding and polishing equipment now feature hybrid tool designs that combine multiple functions—such as thinning, buffing, and rough polishing—in a single platform. These machines offer advanced process control with integrated metrology for real-time thickness, flatness, and material removal rate (MRR) monitoring. Servo-driven heads, vacuum chucks, and automated wafer loading systems enhance repeatability and minimize operator intervention. With wafer diameters reaching 300mm and beyond, multi-zone control and pressure adjustment systems are required to maintain surface uniformity. AI-based feedback systems allow dynamic recipe adjustments, ensuring consistent throughput and surface quality across wafer lots. Tool modularity allows fabs to upgrade process heads or add custom cleaning stages without a full equipment swap. As equipment precision increases, yield improvements are directly traceable to polishing and grinding tool performance, making innovation in this space essential to overall fab economics.

How Is Packaging Evolution Impacting Grinding and Polishing Needs?
The rise of advanced packaging—including fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP), system-in-package (SiP), and chiplet integration—is pushing the boundaries of wafer surface prep. Ultra-thin wafer formats (often below 100 microns) require delicate thinning and stress relief processes during grinding. Polishing is equally important in RDL (redistribution layer) applications, where layer-to-layer alignment is crucial. As 2.5D and 3D packaging gain momentum, backside grinding and double-side polishing are being adopted for better integration and heat dissipation. These trends demand tools that support wafer carriers, temporary bonding, and debonding systems. Equipment must also accommodate different substrate materials like SiC, sapphire, or compound semiconductors without sacrificing accuracy or surface quality. As packaging evolves from a back-end process into a performance-driving feature, polishing and grinding are moving closer to the center of semiconductor innovation.

What’s Fueling the Demand for Wafer Polishing and Grinding Equipment Worldwide?
The growth in the global semiconductor wafer polishing and grinding equipment market is driven by several factors including chip miniaturization, packaging complexity, and expansion of non-silicon materials. As fabs adopt thinner wafers for mobile, AI, and automotive chips, demand for precision grinding and planarization tools is rising. The explosion of 3D NAND and stacked DRAM is increasing the number of critical surface prep steps in each wafer’s lifecycle. Growth in GaN, SiC, and other wide-bandgap semiconductor applications is expanding the equipment’s role beyond mainstream silicon. Fabs are also investing in integrated systems that combine grinding, polishing, and cleaning to reduce tool footprint and enhance process reliability. Rising demand for advanced packaging in China, South Korea, and the U.S. is leading to tool upgrades across OSATs and IDMs alike. Vendors offering high-throughput, recipe-flexible, and multi-material-compatible systems are gaining market share as fabs demand next-gen surface preparation technologies.