Auros Technology sees Q1 earnings surge from SK Hynix’s spending 

Overlay equipment maker Auros Technology on Thursday said it has recorded 22.64 billion won in sales and 8.45 billion won in operating income in the first quarter.

Sales jumped 427% from a year prior and operating income skyrocketed 907% over the same time period.

Net income in the quarter was 6.47 billion won, a jump of 673% from a year prior.

The increase is attributed to its main customer SK Hynix’s increased spending.

In 2020, SK Hynix accounted for 98% of Auros’ sales.

Overlay equipment are used to inspect whether materials deposited on the wafer are aligned precisely.

It shoots light and uses the reflection for analysis. Every time a layer is added to the wafer, the equipment is used to detect errors and reposition the depositing equipment. An overlay equipment’s competence comes from its definition, precision, speed and lamp life.

Worldwide overlay measurement equipment is thought to be worth around 550 billion won. KLA is the leader with up to 70% market share, followed by ASML which takes most of the rest.

Auros has been working with SK Hynix since 2012 to develop the overlay equipment. 

A Auros spokesperson said the firm was also manufacturing overlay equipment for 8-inch wafers, which was developed based on its 12-inch wafer technology.

They said the company is ready to meet demand from SK Hynix’s plan to expand its 8-inch foundry capacity.

Earlier this month, SK Hynix had said it plans to spend 110 trillion won in its fabs at Icheon and Cheongju up to 20230. The company also said it plans to spend 120 trillion won for 10 years starting in 2025 to build a semiconductor cluster at Yongin city. It added that it was reviewing plans to double its foundry capacity.