Semilab expands its metrology portfolio with the acquisition of AMS and QC Solutions

03.31.2009

Companies bring new capabilities and client base to expand the Semilab leadership in the semiconductor and solar metrology industries.

NATICK, Massachusetts and BUDAPEST, Hungary. March 31st, 2009 – Semilab, one of the world’s largest metrology companies, today announced that it has acquired Advanced Metrology Systems (AMS) and QC Solutions. The two Massachusetts-based metrology companies expand Semilab’s family of scalable, flexible solutions to help semiconductor and solar researchers and manufacturers characterize materials to reduce costs and increase yields. Semilab was founded in 1989 and has over 3000 metrology systems installed worldwide.

“With these acquisitions, we are expanding our ability to provide a full set of metrology solutions to support basic material characterization in everything from R&D settings to fully automated production lines,” said Dr. Tibor Pavelka, co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Semilab. “Semilab receives the benefit of their technologies and intellectual property (IP), and can combine product lines to better meet the needs of the customers. We believe investing in the semiconductor market, even in these tough times will enable us to continue our nearly 20 years of growth and profitability, and meet the metrology needs of the market presented by the drive to smaller nodes and new materials.”

AMS offers extendable, scalable metrology platforms and solutions for fast and detailed characterization of 3D-etched structures, including high aspect ratio contacts and trenches; metal film thickness on product wafers and high speed online mapping of low-k material properties. AMS’ award-winning products are installed in the fabs of top tier semiconductor manufacturers such as IBM and AMD. AMS will now become part of the Massachusetts division of Semilab, known as Semilab AMS.

QC Solutions offers patented, non-contact and non-destructive systems for the fast, accurate and repeatable measurement of the electrical properties of epitaxial and implanted silicon wafers. QC Solutions will also become a part of Semilab AMS.

“Semilab and AMS are well-matched in terms of products and approach to customer engagement,” said Chris Moore, President and CEO of Semilab AMS. “AMS’ success has come from delivering not products, but solutions designed to solve the specific metrology challenges of costumers. I look forward to extending our success as part of Semilab and continuing to grow Semilab’s leadership in material metrology.”

Both acquisitions were all cash transactions. QC Solutions and AMS are the latest metrology companies to be acquired by Semilab. In 2008, the company purchased the assets of French metrology equipment specialist SOPRA, SA. In 2008, Semilab acquired the majority in SSM of Pittsburgh, PA, a provider of precision contact metrology and the boxes cross metrology technology from Applied Materials.

Shasta Partners, LLC advised Advanced Metrology Systems.