September 22, 2017: Hamamatsu Photonics KK announces an agreement to acquire Energetiq Technology Inc. (EQ) a manufacturer of Laser Driven Light Sources (LDLS™), and Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) light sources. The agreement, if consummated, will bring Energetiq into the consolidated group of companies that are owned by Photonics Management Corp(PMC), of Bridgewater, NJ (USA). Hamamatsu Photonics KK owns 100% of the shares of PMC. The consideration for the deal is $42M plus company cash.
There has been a growing demand for light sources with high brightness in the Ultraviolet region. With high brightness sources, semiconductor wafers can be quickly and more accurately inspected for properties such as thickness and pattern accuracy. With the advent of thinner design rules for semiconductors, there is anticipated to be a significant demand for ultra-short wavelength EUV light sources for inspection and metrology in support of EUV photolithography.
EQ’s LDLS have the required high brightness for semiconductor metrology applications. In addition, EQ’s EUV light source have become the workhorse of the EUV community.
Hamamatsu has a long history of developing and marketing light sources such as the Xenon lamp and Mercury Xenon lamp for semiconductor inspection. The addition of EQ’s technology and production ability will help to expand Hamamatsu’s capabilities and product offerings.
Hamamatsu, one of the only companies in the world that offers light sources, solid state and electron tube based detectors and systems, plans to utilize the combined technologies of both companies to speed development of new, value added products. These products may have value in diverse areas, including environmental analysis. Hamamatsu envisions a future where the combined technologies of the companies will result in new and exciting product offerings.
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