Onto Acquires Materials Analysis Biz From Semilab
The move expands Onto’s metrology product portfolio
By Mark LaPedus
Onto Innovation has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the materials analysis business of Semilab International for approximately $545 million in cash and stock.
With the acquisition, Onto Innovation expands its product portfolio. The U.S.-based supplier of inspection, metrology and other tools adds four complementary product lines providing inline wafer contamination monitoring and materials interface characterization. These systems are designed for chips at advanced nodes, advanced packaging and compound semiconductors.
This product portfolio from Semilab has grown at a 20% compound annual growth rate since 2021 and is projected to generate approximately $130 million in annual revenue in 2025.
Mike Plisinski, chief executive of Onto Innovation, said: “This acquisition expands our portfolio of process control technologies, which work together to help customers achieve their yield targets. This portfolio is exciting as it has demonstrated broad customer appeal and we see additional technical synergies with our modeling and acoustic metrology technologies, which we expect to provide additional benefit to our customers.”
It’s unclear why Semilab sold these products. Based in Budapest, Hungary, Semilab is an equipment supplier that is under radar. In 1989, Semilab was founded by a team of scientists as a spin-off company from the Research Institute for Technical Physics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Semilab provides metrology equipment for semiconductor device manufacturers. It also provides metrology tools for solar cells and displays. The company offers 48 product lines.
Meanwhile, in 2019, Nanometrics and Rudolph Technologies merged. The combined entity became Onto Innovation. Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., Onto is a supplier of inspection, metrology, lithography and other systems.
In 2024, Onto posted sales of $987 million, up 21% over 2023. In the first quarter of 2025, the company reported record revenue of $266.6 million, up 1% from the previous quarter and up 16.5% year-over-year. Net income was $64.1 million for the quarter.
In the first quarter, the company experienced higher sales for its metrology systems in DRAM and NAND, partially offset by lower sales of inspection gear.