200mm Fab Equipment List: What You Need, What It Costs, What Most People Get Wrong

This guide is for: an engineer or business development lead who has been handed a budget and told to build a 200mm semiconductor fab, and who now realizes "buy some used tools" is not a complete plan.

Get this wrong, and you'll spend 18 months discovering that support infrastructure — vacuum, DI water, chemicals, cleanroom HVAC — costs more than the tools. I've seen teams lock in a $12M equipment budget, get everything on site, then spend another $14M they didn't plan for. That's not a rounding error. That's a company-ending discovery.

Here's what a real 200mm fab actually costs, process area by process area.

Lithography: $800K–$3M, Depending on Node

For legacy nodes (350nm–800nm), Canon i-line steppers (i6/i7 series) or GCA 6500/8500 systems run $80K–$250K used. For 250nm–350nm, you want an ASML PAS 5500 series — budget $300K–$800K for a working system with reasonable PM history.

Don't buy a stepper without the alignment system working. Realignment after shipping is a $30K–$80K service call minimum. Always test print and measure CDs before purchase.

Track systems (SVG 8900, TEL Clean Track Mark 8) run $120K–$350K. You'll need matching coat and develop modules. Budget separately for resist, developer, and HMDS tooling.

Etch: $400K–$1.5M

For a basic 200mm etch capability: one oxide etch (Lam TCP 9400, AMAT MXP+, or TEL Unity), one polysilicon/nitride etch, one metal etch. Each runs $80K–$250K.

The plasma source matters more than the chamber vintage. A 2003 Lam TCP with a rebuilt RF system outperforms a 2001 AMAT DPS with original RF. Ask about the last RF generator service date. A failed RF generator replacement is $25K–$60K on top of the tool cost.

CVD: $600K–$2M

PECVD (AMAT P5000, Novellus Sequel) for oxides and nitrides: $150K–$400K per system. LPCVD tubes (Thermco, Tystar, Tempress) for poly, nitride, oxide: $60K–$180K.

A P5000 with four chambers is different from a P5000 with one chamber and three blocked flanges. Clarify the configuration before you get on a plane. Showerheads are $4K–$12K each and typically need replacement on purchase.

W CVD (AMAT Centura WxZ or Novellus Concept One) runs $200K–$500K depending on chamber count and service history.

Diffusion/Oxidation: $200K–$600K

Horizontal furnace tubes (Thermco, SVG Thermco, Tystar) for oxidation, anneal, and doping are $40K–$120K each. A 4-stack furnace system with matching boat handling runs $200K–$400K.

RTP (AMAT 610/RTP, Mattson Heatpulse) for activations and quick oxidations: $60K–$150K.

Budget separately for quartz ware (boats, tubes, paddles). First-year quartz consumables on a 4-stack system run $15K–$40K.

Ion Implant: $300K–$1.2M

Varian 350D (medium current) is the workhorse: $120K–$300K. High-current implant (Varian VIISta, Axcelis Optima) runs $200K–$600K.

Implant tools have high service complexity. If you don't have a Varian-trained service engineer, budget $40K–$80K/year in service contracts or contract labor. An unserviced implanter is a paperweight.

CMP: $250K–$800K

IPEC/Speedfam 372 or Novellus Mirra for 200mm CMP: $100K–$300K. Conditioning discs, pads, and slurry add $20K–$40K/year in consumables.

Don't underestimate post-CMP clean. You'll need a scrubber (SEZ, CFM) at $60K–$150K, or you're spending the entire yield advantage on particle defects.

Metrology: $400K–$1.2M

Minimum viable: one KLA-Tencor Surfscan SP1/SP2 for particles ($60K–$150K), one Rudolph/Nanometrics OCD for film thickness ($50K–$120K), one KLA 2135 or 2351 for defect review ($80K–$250K).

Don't skip metrology to save money. Every dollar you cut here costs $10 in yield loss and rework.

Wet Clean: $200K–$600K

Solid State Equipment (SSE) or CFM wet benches for RCA clean: $40K–$100K each. Budget 3–4 benches minimum. A single-point wet clean failure stops the whole line.

HF handling requires dedicated ventilation and emergency response. This is where first-time builders most frequently underestimate facility costs.

The Hidden 40%

Support infrastructure — DI water system ($200K–$500K), vacuum rough pump manifolds ($80K–$200K), chemical distribution ($100K–$300K), specialty gas delivery ($150K–$400K), cleanroom HVAC/filtration ($500K–$2M depending on class) — routinely adds 30–40% to the equipment budget.

Every team I've worked with that didn't plan for this ended up borrowing from tool budgets to cover it. Then they cut the metrology suite. Then they wonder why yield is terrible.

What to Buy New vs Used

Buy new: photoresist, developer, process gases, DI water filters, vacuum pump seals. Consumables that fail silently are not worth the gamble.

Buy used: steppers, etch tools, CVD systems, furnace tubes, implant, CMP. These are capital-intensive tools where used pricing is 60–80% below new and the risk is manageable with proper inspection.

FAQ

How much does it cost to build a 200mm semiconductor fab? A minimum viable research-scale 200mm fab (not full process coverage) runs $8M–$15M for equipment. A production-capable fab with redundancy runs $25M–$60M. Neither number includes facility, utilities, or staffing.

What 200mm tools are hardest to find used? Working i-line steppers in good condition, high-current implant (Axcelis Optima), and advanced CMP with integrated defect review. Plan 6–12 months for sourcing.

Can I build a 200mm fab entirely with used equipment? Yes, with exceptions. Process gas delivery systems, DI water systems, and safety-critical components (gas abatement, chemical exhaust) are worth buying new. Everything else has a working used market.

How long does it take to install and qualify a 200mm fab? 12–24 months from first equipment purchase to first qualified process. Teams that rush this end up requalifying everything.

What's the biggest budget mistake in 200mm fab builds? Underestimating facility prep. Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and gas line infrastructure for a serious fab routinely runs $1M–$5M before a single tool is installed.

Where do I find 200mm equipment? Broker networks (Caladan Semi, Solid State Equipment Company, Apex), equipment auctions (Heritage Global, Hilco), and direct from fab closures. Auctions get attention but broker networks get you inspected tools with history.