About us

We design, produce, and sell metrology equipment for the characterization of semiconductor and photovoltaic materials, for monitoring the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, flat panel displays and solar cells, as well as for R&D purposes in these areas. We cover the entire R&D lifecycle of product innovation, ranging from innovative research, measurement development, product design and manufacturing to implementation, integration, and maintenance.

With our 47 product lines and our 214 unique products, our growing portfolio offers a variety of metrology solutions based on optical and electrical measurement technologies, thin film applications, and automation developments based on customer requirements, from manual operation to complete and factory scale automation.

Our strategy is to continuously improve our products, and to offer flexible solutions for our customers’ needs with high-value products for a reasonable price. To accomplish this, we employ 1300+ people worldwide, including 191 physicists, 408 engineers and 77 software developers. We participate in the entire manufacturing process of the measuring instruments from the first spark of idea to the last test-run before delivering the product over to the customer. To guarantee the highest-level user experience possible, we also provide continuous support for all our installed machines. 

Our history

Our company was founded by a team of scientists in 1989 as a spin-off company from the Research Institute for Technical Physics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Historically, our first product was the DLTS, and the first carrier lifetime mapper was shipped in 1991. Since then, we have expanded our portfolio with electrical and optical measurement technologies, and our company has grown substantially: we have significant global market share in the area of semiconductor metrology equipment, electrical metrology for solar cell manufacturing and in the display industry.

We accomplished this through an extensive amount of own R&D work and by acquiring suitable assets and technologies. Semitest Inc. and its technologies for dielectric metrology and epi layer testing were acquired first in 2004, and we have continued to develop and sell the products ever since. In 2008, assets of Sopra were purchased. Sopra produced the first commercially available spectroscopic ellipsometers in the world and had an exclusive license covering the technique of ellipsometry-porosimetry. These products are now supplied by Semilab, with a strong R&D base using the existing Sopra expertise. The company, well-known for its contact and non-contact methods for epi layer, dielectric and implant characterization, SSM Inc. also joined the Semilab Group in 2008. In that year, QC Solutions was also acquired, with the high-frequency ac-SPV metrology for epi layers and implants. Expansion continued in 2009. Advanced Metrology Systems (AMS) joined and with that, brought high-end technologies such as model-based infrared reflectometry for 3D structure characterization and surface acoustic wave measurements for metal and low-k layers. Semiconductor Diagnostics Inc. (SDI) also merged with Semilab, bringing the cutting-edge SPV measurements for diffusion length determination and contamination monitoring down to levels as low as 1E8 iron atoms per cubic centimeter, as well as allowing for micro-sized corona charging and Kelvin probe for on-product dielectric characterization. Technology licensing and acquisitions include ion implant monitoring methods from IBM and Applied Materials, solar cell inspection methods from Basler and more. In 2015, the assets of the Danish maker of atomic force microscopy equipment and related products, DME were acquired with key employees joining Semilab. Semilab has continued to supply AFM technology and is currently working on integrating it into other metrologies. In 2017, Nanoindentation business was acquired from Fischer-Cripps Laboratories.

We are proud of the fact that through uniting the expertise listed above, Semilab now delivers essential technologies, continuous progress, and shows excellence in semiconductor metrology through its high-quality, versatile product portfolio.

Our global presence

Semilab is one of the key manufacturers of metrology and inspection equipment for the semiconductor industry, based in Budapest, Hungary.  The company also has R&D and product centers around the world, including the USA (Tampa, FL and Billerica, MA), Germany and China. It also has direct sales and service offices in all the major markets, including the USA, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore, as well as a network of representatives.