Nanometrics Inc., a leading supplier of advanced integrated and standalone metrology equipment to the semiconductor industry, today announced it has established Nanometrics’ South Korea facility as its global manufacturing center for overlay metrology.

Overlay metrology, or the measurement of the registration of sequential layers during the semiconductor manufacturing process, is a key enabler for next-generation lithography and represents one of four core market segments for Nanometrics, including optical critical dimension (CD) scatterometry, film thickness measurement and integrated metrology.

As part of Nanometrics’ growth strategy, the company is consolidating worldwide overlay manufacturing into one location in Asia. Nanometrics is transferring all manufacturing and product engineering out of its Concord, Mass., facility, attained when Nanometrics acquired Soluris in March 2006.

As a result, the IVS product line, including the recently introduced IVS 185, will join the Orion and Caliper systems already being manufactured in South Korea. Scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2007, the transfer will result in cost savings of more than $1 million annually.

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