Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany intends to acquire Unity-SC, a France-based provider of metrology and defect inspection equipment for the semiconductor industry for a payment of € 155 million plus further performance-based milestones. The combined technologies of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Unity-SC will create high value solutions for the manufacturing of semiconductor devices globally.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), High-Performance Computing (HPC), High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and compound semiconductors require metrology and inspection solutions to improve reliability, quality and cost, and increase manufacturing yields. Metrology is the science of precise measurements needed to evaluate physical properties accurately. Metrology and inspection solutions are critical steps in semiconductor manufacturing and are particularly crucial for the manufacturing of heterogeneous 3D Advanced Packaging devices. Based in Montbonnot-Saint-Martin near Grenoble, France, Unity-SC comprises approximately 160 employees, thereof 70 working in research & development.
“The acquisition of Unity-SC complements our science and technology-driven portfolio for the semiconductor industry. It strengthens our ability to benefit from the growth opportunities of Artificial Intelligence as an integrated solutions provider for our customers in developing next-generation chips,” said Belén Garijo, Chair of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
“Just as tooling and instrumentation drove the Life Science industry, we expect 3D metrology tools to drive the Semiconductor Materials industry. Adding metrology to our portfolio allows us to provide more materials and more solutions that effectively solve our customers’ challenges. This combination allows us to help our customers drive forward Moore’s law through both advanced nodes and Heterogeneous Integration,” said Kai Beckmann, Member of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and CEO Electronics.
“We can benefit from the broad knowledge Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has in semiconductor materials manufacturing and their extensive optical expertise in light manipulation combined with their Life Science instrumentation capabilities. Together with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, we can create high value solutions to serve our common customers. We are looking forward to becoming an integral part of a global company with close customer relationships and an extensive offering to the semiconductor industry,” said Dan Lee, CEO Unity-SC.
Tomorrow’s chips need to be faster, more powerful and more energy-efficient to cope with the constantly increasing data volumes generated by AI applications. AI requires increased transistor and interconnect density as well as low latency, which drives unprecedented levels of material and architectural innovation. Unity-SC is an innovator in Advanced Packaging, Heterogeneous Integration, Hybrid Bonding and compound semiconductor applications and is one of few companies that can offer 3D optical metrology solutions for interconnect inspection and metrology for high volume manufacturing. To improve yield at high volume it is critical to measure and inspect each and every component, chiplet and device, at speed.
The intended acquisition requires the French works council’s consultation and would remain subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions. Subject to meeting the relevant requirements, it is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.