FREMONT, Calif.--One of the biggest mergers announced last year in the semiconductor equipment business has been completed. Mattson Technology Inc. today said it has wrapped up a three-way merger with Steag Electronic Systems AG of Essen, Germany, and CFM Technologies Inc. of Exton, Pa.
Last summer, Mattson Technology announced plans to greatly expand its wafer-fab equipment portfolio by acquiring Steag and CFM for stock valued at about $630 million (see June 28 story). Steag supplies rapid thermal processing (RTP) systems in addition to other tools, and CFM is a leading supplier of wet-wafer cleaning systems.
Mattson Technology--a supplier of strip, etch, deposition, RTP, and epitaxial systems--figures the merger has turned itself into the world's 14th largest supplier of chip-production tools. Fremont-based Mattson today estimated that the merged company had pro-forma 2000 revenues of more than $500 million, and it now employs over 1,800 workers worldwide.
"The key to survival in the semiconductor equipment market is to become a leader in a number of product areas and achieve enough critical mass so that customers feel comfortable about the company's ability to survive market downturns and technology changes," said Brad Mattson, chief executive officer of 11-year-old Mattson Technology.
"We now can offer thermal, plasma and wet solutions on several different platforms, maximizing specific aspects of each process. Since all three companies had strong 300-mm programs, Mattson will be well positioned to become a leader in the 300-mm market," the CEO added.
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