Nearfield Instruments Secures €135M Funding Round: Week in Brief: 7/26/24

Photonics.com
Jul 2024NORTHBROOK, Ill., July 26, 2024 — IDEX Corp. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Mott Corporation, a designer and manufacturer of sintered porous material structures and flow control solutions, and its subsidiaries for cash consideration of $1 billion. The acquisition expands IDEX’s applied material science technologies portfolio and expands market opportunities in semiconductor wafer fab equipment, medical technologies, space and defense, and water purification industries.

Nearfield’s funding round will go towards developing metrology solutions for the semiconductor industry. Courtesy of Nearfield Instruments.

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands — Developer of metrology and inspection solutions Nearfield Instruments has successfully closed an oversubscribed €135 million ($146.7 million) Series C funding round. The funding will allow Nearfield to accelerate the provision of metrology and inspection technologies, including the company’s QUADRA 3D metrology system, for use in the semiconductor and chip manufacturing industries.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Adeia Inc., a computing and edge sensing company, has entered into a long-term hybrid bonding license with Hamamatsu Photonics for Adeia's semiconductor intellectual property portfolio covering die-to-wafer hybrid bonding. The license supplements Hamamatsu’s existing license to Adeia’s DBI wafer-to-wafer hybrid bonding and ZiBond wafer-to-wafer direct bonding technologies and follows from a prior development license between the parties that included a DBI Ultra die-to-wafer hybrid bonding technology transfer.

Tark’s facility in Dayton, Ohio. Courtesy of Laird Thermal Systems.

Tark’s facility in Dayton, Ohio is pictured. Courtesy of Laird Thermal Systems.

DURHAM, N.C. — Developer and manufacturer of thermal management solutions Laird Thermal Systems has acquired Tark, Inc., a supplier of pumps and cooling solutions for the medical and industrial computed tomography and X-ray tube industry. The company said the acquisition adds complementary technologies and capabilities to its portfolio while enhancing its global market position.

QUEBEC CITY — The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) will award a total of 7.4 million CAD ($5.4 million) to three projects led by the National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS). These initiatives aim to improve quantum communication, computing, and detection capabilities through the integration of photonics and quantum technologies. The projects will specifically focus on scaling semiconductor platforms for on-chip quantum communication, the improvement of cybersecurity and medicine, and the use of photonic systems for quantum information processing.

MUNICH — Afinum, an investment firm, has entered into a partnership with the founders of A.R.C. Laser GmbH, Angela Thyzel, and G.N.S. neoLaser Ltd. to jointly invest in the formation of the MedTech Laser Group, an integrated developer for medical laser technologies. As part of the transaction, Afinum will acquire a significant majority stake while the founders reinvest in the newly formed entity. The companies will collaborate on R&D, sales and marketing, as well as regulatory matters. The joint growth strategy also emphasizes international expansion, a go-to-market approach, and further driving of organizational development.

WATERLOO, Ontario — Micro-pixel manufacturer VueReal and emissive display manufacturer RiTdisplay have entered into a strategic partnership to bring display solutions to a wider range of applications. The partnership builds on a previous collaboration aimed at developing automotive display and interior/exterior lighting systems and expands the collaboration to encompass consumer markets and augmented reality. The collaboration follows VueReal's plans to double its manufacturing space and add a new production line to produce displays.

BEVERLY, Mass. — Hamilton Thorne Ltd, a precision instruments and software provider to the assisted reproductive technologies (ART) space, has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement with an acquisition vehicle managed by Astorg, a private equity firm, to acquire 100% of its assets. Under the terms of the agreement, Hamilton Thorne’s shareholders will receive a buyout worth 388 million CAD ($280.1 million). Astorg has also entered into an agreement to acquire the ART product portfolio of Cook Medical, which the firm intends to combine with Hamilton Thorne.

DARMSTADT, Germany — Science and technology company Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany intends to acquire provider of metrology and defect inspection equipment Unity-SC for a payment of €155 million ($168.2 million) plus further performance-based milestones. According to the company, the acquisition compliments Merck’s science and technology-driven portfolio for the semiconductor industry. The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

FREMONT, Calif. — Aehr Test Systems, a supplier of semiconductor test and burn-in equipment, has entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire all of the outstanding capital stock of Incal Technology, Inc., a privately held manufacturer of packaged part reliability and burn-in test solutions. The acquisition expands Aehr’s product portfolio to include Incal’s test solutions, including its capabilities for AI accelerators, GPUs, and high-performance computing processors. The purchase price of the acquisition is valued at $21 million. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2024, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

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