KLA-Tencor Buying Vistec Unit

MILPITAS, Calif., July 30, 2008 -- KLA-Tencor, a maker of equipment to detect defects in integrated circuits, today announced it will acquire the Microelectronic Inspection Equipment (MIE) business unit of Vistec Semiconductor Systems. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Vistec's MIE unit is located in Weilburg, Germany, and provides advanced semiconductor mask and wafer manufacturing systems. It is one of three international business units of Vistec Semiconductor Systems, which was formerly a part of Leica Microsystems and took on its current name in March 2006.

MIE makes mask metrology tools for registration metrology (pattern placement). It provides SEM (scanning electron microscopy) -based tools for mask critical-dimension measurement for 45-nm photomask production and 32-nm development. Other MIE technologies include macro defect inspection systems, overlay measurement systems for MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) applications and software for defect classification and data analysis.

“The Microelectronic Inspection Equipment division of Vistec not only complements KLA-Tencor’s product portfolio, it will give us an opportunity for growth into new segments of the mask and wafer markets,” said Rick Wallace, CEO of KLA-Tencor.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close before the end of 2008.

For more information, visit: www.kla-tencor.com

There are 6 suppliers of Masks in the Photonics Marketplace.

OSI Optoelectronics - Design & Manufacturing Standard Oct 22 MR

Published: July 2008

Glossary

mask: 1. A framelike structure that serves to restrict the viewing area of the screen when placed before a television picture tube. 2. In photolithography, a photomask (or mask) is typically a patterned transparent plate or an opaque plate with patterned holes or transparencies that uses a laser light source to transfer and print the pattern by an etching process onto a substrate that is typically a silicon wafer used in integrated circuitry.
metrology: Metrology is the science and practice of measurement. It encompasses the theoretical and practical aspects of measurement, including the development of measurement standards, techniques, and instruments, as well as the application of measurement principles in various fields. The primary objectives of metrology are to ensure accuracy, reliability, and consistency in measurements and to establish traceability to recognized standards. Metrology plays a crucial role in science, industry,...
nano: An SI prefix meaning one billionth (10-9). Nano can also be used to indicate the study of atoms, molecules and other structures and particles on the nanometer scale. Nano-optics (also referred to as nanophotonics), for example, is the study of how light and light-matter interactions behave on the nanometer scale. See nanophotonics.
photomask: A photomask, also known simply as a mask or reticle, is a key component in the photolithography process used in semiconductor manufacturing and other areas of microfabrication. It is a high-precision plate or glass substrate that carries a pattern of opaque and transparent regions. Photomasks are crucial for transferring intricate patterns onto semiconductor wafers during the photolithography process. The photomask is typically placed in the optical path between a light source and a...
photonics: The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...

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