MicroSense Acquires MEMS Metrology Innovator SigmaTech
MicroSense, LLC, a provider of high resolution capacitive position sensors used in lithography systems has acquired SigmaTech, Inc. of Tempe, Arizona.
SigmaTech develops high-sensitivity metrology tools for LED, MEMS and semiconductor manufacturing.
With this acquisition, MicroSense adds wafer inspection tools to its portfolio of innovative metrology solutions. SigmaTech systems integrate multiple sensing technologies such as optical spectrometry, interferometry and the firm's patented auto-positioning back pressure (APBP) technology. MicroSense will integrate its capacitance sensors into SigmaTech's metrology platforms.
"This acquisition makes excellent sense as it marries our leading
capacitance sensing technology with SigmaTech's field-proven, highly reliable
metrology platform to provide highly stable and repeatable wafer metrology
systems for targeted applications", according to James Pelusi, Chairman and CEO
of MicroSense.
"SigmaTech's customers and prospects will continue to be supported by the existing SigmaTech employees, all of whom will stay with the combined business, and will also benefit from the additional resources, infrastructure and the decades of metrology experience that MicroSense will bring to the business."
"We are excited to join the MicroSense team as their high resolution capacitive sensor technology provides an ideal path to increasing throughput of our metrology systems and expanding the field of applications," said Jacques Fauque, semiconductor industry veteran and founder of SigmaTech who will remain with the business and continue to lead its development.
MicroSense's patented capacitive sensors are used to make very precise, high bandwidth measurements of precision products such as solar wafers, hard disk drive motors, air bearing spindles, precision X-Y stages, optical disks, automotive parts and machine tools. Equipment manufacturers use MicroSense capacitive sensors in wafer lithography systems, solar wafer sorters, autofocus mechanisms, nanopositioning stages, metrology tools and flat panel display manufacturing equipment. The firm also produces magnetic metrology tools to meet the stringent demands of manufacturing today's rapidly advancing hard disk storage systems and MRAM devices.
SigmaTech offers automated metrology solutions for a broad range of standard and specific applications in the field of semiconductor wafers, materials and optics.
