Lasers & Sources

Hamamatsu to acquire UV light-source maker Energetiq Technology

Sept. 22, 2017

The agreement will bring Energetiq into the consolidated group of companies that are owned by Photonics Management Corp., a subsidiary of Hamamatsu.

Conard Holton

Hamamatsu Photonics (Hamamatsu, Japan) is acquiring Energetiq Technology (Woburn, MA), a manufacturer of Laser Driven Light Sources (LDLS) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light sources, for $42 million. The agreement, when complete, will bring Energetiq into the consolidated group of companies that are owned by Photonics Management Corp. (PMC; Bridgewater, NJ), which is a subsidiary of Hamamatsu Photonics.

There has been a growing demand for light sources with high brightness in the ultraviolet (UV) region. With high brightness sources, semiconductor wafers can be quickly and more accurately inspected for properties such as thickness and pattern accuracy. As thinner design rules for semiconductors are implemented, there will be a significant demand for ultra-short wavelength EUV light sources for inspection and metrology in support of EUV photolithography. Energetiq's LDLS products and EUV light sources have the required brightness for these applications.

The acquision of Energetiq fits with Hamamatsu's long history of developing and marketing light sources such as the xenon lamps and mercury xenon lamps for semiconductor inspection. Hamamatsu plans to combine the technologies of both companies to speed development of new, value-added products for diverse applications, including environmental analysis.

Source: Hamamatsu Photonics

About the Author

Conard Holton | Editor at Large

Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.