Carl Zeiss SMT to Acquire Israeli Start-Up Pixer Technology
Carl Zeiss SMT is acquiring Pixer Technology Ltd., a 30-person company that offers photomask yield enhancement systems. Pixer uses short-pulse lasers to insert pixels into the reticle substrate to improve the uniformity of CDs on the mask.
Staff -- Semiconductor International, 8/7/2008 9:20:00 AM
Carl Zeiss SMT (Jena, Germany) announced that it is acquiring Pixer Technology Ltd. (Karmiel, Israel), a company that offers photomask yield enhancement systems. Pixer’s tool incorporates femtolasers to insert pixels into the reticle substrate, controlling attenuation to optimize CDs on the mask
The binding agreement will add Pixer to Carl Zeiss SMT’s Semiconductor Metrology Systems (SMS) division. Frank Averdung, managing director of the SMS division, said, “Pixer’s contribution of new technical capabilities like the short-pulse laser processing of mask blanks to improve the CD uniformity of photomasks and established products like CDC and Galileo perfectly complement the Carl Zeiss product portfolio of mask qualification, repair and metrology systems.”
Pixer CEO Hagay Sitry said, “Being part of a leading global company with the worldwide sales and service capabilities of Carl Zeiss SMT will open up new opportunities for Pixer and its customers.”
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| Oliver Kienzle (left) and Frank Averdung (right), members of the board of the Carl Zeiss SMT Metrology Systems Division (SMS), with Hagay Sitry, CEO of Pixer Technology (center). |
The SMS division employs light and electron optics as the foundation technology for a product portfolio spanning photomask metrology, photomask defect verification and repair. The division employs ~150 people and is headquartered in Jena, with a further site in Rossdorf near Darmstadt, Germany.
Pixer Technology was founded in 2003 and employs ~30 people.
