Following a phenomenal year of growth in 2004, the lithography market will stay flat in 2005 at $4.8 bln, according to The Information Network. While unit shipments of lithography tool will drop 7%, average selling prices will increase at the same rate as tool shipments trend toward more expensive 193nm DUV tools. Price increases won’t be the norm for other processing tools such as etch, deposition, or implant, and revenues will drop nearly 10% in 2005 across all these sectors. While ASML led the total lithography market with a 39% share of shipments and a 50% share of revenue, the 193nm sector proved to be more of an equalizer market in 2004, as the share spread between ASML, Nikon, and Canon was only 8% in unit shipments. Revenue growth for the lithography market will reach $6.4 bln in 2007, exceeding for the first time revenues of $6.0 bln registered in 2000. However, unit shipments in 2007 will reach 602 units. In 2000, 1,083 units were shipped, 625 of which were the lower-priced I-line tools. By way of comparison, an I-line tool in 2000 cost less than $3 mln, compared with a price tag of $16-21 mln for a 193nm tool in 2004.