Etec Systems was an American producer of scanning electron microscopes,

electron beam lithography Electron-beam lithography (often abbreviated as e-beam lithography, EBL) is the practice of scanning a focused beam of electrons to draw custom shapes on a surface covered with an electron-sensitive film called a resist (exposing). The electron b ...

tools, and laser beam lithography tools from 1970 until 2005. It was located in

Hayward, California Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda Coun ...

, and

Hillsboro, Oregon Hillsboro ( ) is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many high-technology companies, ...

Company history

Former Etec Systems headquarters plaza - Hillsboro, Oregon

Etec Corporation of Hayward, California, was formed in 1970 as a producer of scanning electron microscopes (SEMs), but later became a producer of

tools, and SEM manufacture was discontinued. Etec later merged with ATEQ of

Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton is a city in Washington County, in the U.S. state of Oregon with a small portion bordering Portland in the Tualatin Valley. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was 97,494 at the ...

(Portland area), which manufactured laser beam lithography tools. The combined company was named "Etec Systems" and offered a portfolio of lithography relying on both electron and laser beams. These products targeted the photomasks and reticles used in integrated circuit manufacturing. In 1999 the Beaverton, Oregon portion of the company was moved to Hillsboro, Oregon. Etec was purchased by Applied Materials in 2000, and organized within the Applied Materials corporation as an autonomous business group. In 2000, Etec employed 600 workers in Hayward. In 2002, Applied Materials announced it was reviewing a plan to shut down Etec. Etec Systems was absorbed into its parent company Applied Materials in October 2005.

Products

Scanning electron microscopes

Originally formed in 1970, Etec produced scanning electron microscopes of very high quality; many instruments are still working well 30 years later. Designed by Nelson Yew, the Autoscan has produced excellent images, outperforming modern instruments subject to digital noise and other problems. As the MEBES became the major product, the company was bought by Perkin Elmer, and the SEM manufacture was discontinued.

Electron beam lithography tools

Some time after 2002 the product line that constituted the original Etec offering (MEBES – Manufacturing Electron Beam Exposure System) was discontinued. Most MEBES III tools have been decommissioned in favour of Etec CORE and ALTA laser lithography tools, which have a faster throughput and use a more environmentally friendly IP3500 type resist which does not require a solvent-based development process. However, there continue to be a number of MEBES III and IV in use throughout the world currently.

Laser beam lithography tools

With the purchase of Etec in 2005, the Etec line of laser-based lithography tools continues to be developed and produced by Applied Materials. A Swedish firm Micronic AB and a German firm Heidelberg Instruments is a competitor in laser-based mask-making solutions. However, the demand for Applied Material's laser lithography tool has allowed it to be still be the most widely available and used tool in the photomask industry.

References

External links

A picture of a presently used Autoscan (on the left)
{{coord, 45.5474, -122.898, type:landmark_scale:2000, display=title Defunct manufacturing companies based in Oregon Economy of Hillsboro, Oregon Technology companies established in 1970 Companies based in Hayward, California Defunct manufacturing companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area 1970 establishments in California Technology companies disestablished in 2005 2000 mergers and acquisitions 2005 disestablishments in California