A mask shop is a factory which manufactures photomasks for use in the semiconductor industry.
Merchant mask shops will produce photomasks for a variety of integrated device manufacturers (IDMs), foundries or optical device companies in addition to providing excess cavity work and re-pellicle for captive mask shops.
The company structure is similar to that of any medium-sized manufacture and has the following unique departments or mask makers: The worldwide photomask production market was $3.1 billion in 2013.
[2] In 2013 cost of new 28 nm mask shop was estimated at $110 – 140 million.
[3] As technology shrinks, the cost to mask shops increase and the product turn around time grow longer as well.