Accent buys Philips Analytical product lines
The price of the acquisition, which included intellectual property, know-how and 53 employees worldwide, was not disclosed.
“This acquisition puts Accent in an even stronger position to provide a full suite of tools for our customers,” said Bruce Rhine, Chairman and CEO of Accent. “We anticipate significant growth in the coming years in the process control market serving the optoelectronics and wireless industries.”
In a separate announcement, Philips revealed that it plans to sell the bulk of its X-ray analytical business to Spectris, a UK company, for a total of EUR 150 million. According to a Philips spokesperson, Philips Analytical is one of twenty-seven businesses that are being prepared for divestment or merger to generate an estimated EUR 1 billion.
The product lines acquired from Philips Analytical – the DCD Pro and the PLM-100/150 - will further expand Accent’s product line. The DCD Pro X-ray diffractometer accurately measures thickness and composition of epitaxial layers only a few atoms thick and brings ultra-fast semiconductor wafer mapping to the process line. It is widely used by manufacturers of III-V and SiGe devices. The PLM-100 is a PL mapping tool for compound-semiconductor manufacturers and the PLM-150 is a third-generation solution for manufacturers requiring high-throughput yield-management.
“This technology is a great fit for Accent’s product line,” stated Steve Blight, VP and general manager of Accent s optoelectronics division. “This acquisition brings together two groups that have consistently introduced innovative tools for semiconductor characterization. Coupled with its world-wide sales and customer service network and proven commitment to ongoing product development, Accent is now in a position to provide its customers with a more complete range of best-in-class solutions than ever before.”
