Canon Inc. will acquire the semiconductor imprint lithography equipment business of Molecular Imprints Inc. of Austin, Texas. MII will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon. Through the acquisition, Canon aims to firmly establish a position within the industry for its next-generation semiconductor lithography systems supporting the miniaturization of electronic features.
Under Phase IV of its Excellent Global Corporation Plan, a five-year initiative launched in 2011, Canon aims to continue achieving growth through the pursuit of change. As a key strategy toward this goal, the company is working to develop new business through globalized diversification and further establish its Three Regional Headquarters management system.
Canon currently manufactures and markets seven models of semiconductor lithography systems that employ KrF excimer laser and i-line illumination sources.
In 2004, Canon began conducting research into nanoimprint technology to realize sub-20nm high-resolution processes toward the development of next-generation semiconductor lithography systems. Since 2009, targeting the mass production of such systems, the company has been carrying out joint development with MII and a major semiconductor manufacturer.
Molecular Imprints Inc. provides high-resolution nanopatterning systems and solutions in the semiconductor, display, and hard disk drive industries. Unlike conventional optical lithographic approaches, nanoimprint lithography fabricates nanometer-scale patterns by bringing the nano-pattern mold into direct contact with the resist material on the substrate surface.
Release Date: February 14, 2014
Source: Canon Inc.