IN Brief:
- Fine Semitech Corporation has ordered a further Canatu CNT100 SEMI reactor for semiconductor pellicle production.
- The combined reactor order, including previously ordered long-lead items, is valued above €5 million.
- Most revenue associated with the programme is expected to be recognised during 2027.
Canatu has received a further CNT100 SEMI reactor order from Korean semiconductor supplier Fine Semitech Corporation as FST expands production capacity for carbon-nanotube pellicle membranes.
The order follows an earlier commitment covering long-lead components and represents the next stage of the companies’ production collaboration. Canatu classifies the combined reactor order as worth more than €5 million, excluding royalties and other recurring elements.
The equipment will be used by FST to manufacture carbon-nanotube membranes for semiconductor pellicles. These thin membranes sit above photomasks during lithography, preventing particles from reaching the mask while transmitting the radiation used to pattern the wafer.
That function becomes more demanding as lithography operates at shorter wavelengths and tighter process margins. A pellicle has to transmit enough radiation to avoid compromising exposure performance while remaining mechanically stable and resistant to heat, contamination, and repeated use inside the lithography environment.
Canatu forms its membranes from networks of carbon nanotubes, using the material’s low mass and mechanical properties to create structures thin enough for advanced lithography applications. Its commercial model includes both CNT membrane products and the reactor systems required to manufacture them.
FST’s latest order therefore commits additional production infrastructure rather than increasing purchases of finished material alone. Installing another reactor gives the Korean company more internal capacity to produce CNT membranes as demand from semiconductor manufacturing develops.
The majority of the revenue from the order is expected to be recognised in 2027, although Canatu expects a contribution during the second half of 2026. That schedule reflects the delivery and commissioning cycle associated with semiconductor production equipment rather than an immediate consumables shipment.
The disclosed contract value also excludes royalties and other recurring components. Canatu’s longer-term revenue from the relationship will consequently depend partly on the production activity enabled by the installed equipment rather than solely on the initial reactor sale.
Pellicles occupy a small physical part of the lithography chain, but failures can have disproportionate consequences. A contaminant on a reticle can introduce repeated pattern defects across multiple dies, while removing the mask for cleaning interrupts an exceptionally expensive production tool.
Advanced semiconductor manufacturing has therefore turned what appears to be a simple protective membrane into a specialised materials problem. Transmission, thermal behaviour, particle protection, mechanical stability, and compatibility with the lithography environment all have to be maintained simultaneously.
The step from development material to installed manufacturing equipment is also a useful indicator of commercial maturity. Laboratory performance can establish that a CNT membrane has desirable properties, but high-volume semiconductor production requires repeatable material quality, controlled reactor processes, equipment uptime, and consistent integration with downstream pellicle fabrication.
FST’s decision to add another CNT100 SEMI system indicates that the companies are increasing capacity rather than remaining at evaluation scale. The new order follows the earlier purchase of long-lead items, reducing the gap between procurement and eventual system installation.
Canatu is due to publish its half-year financial report on 25 August. In a separate disclosure issued immediately after the reactor order, the company released preliminary financial information so that the order’s contribution could be considered alongside its revised 2026 outlook.
The financial timing should not obscure the manufacturing step. The more useful measure is the additional reactor entering FST’s production chain and the resulting increase in CNT pellicle membrane capacity.
Delivery, installation, qualification, and production ramp-up will determine how quickly that capacity becomes usable. Those milestones will also provide a firmer indication of whether carbon-nanotube pellicles are establishing themselves as a repeatable industrial process rather than remaining a specialist materials technology at the edge of advanced lithography.