UNISERS sells first factory tool for uncontaminated chips

(CONNECT) UNISERS AG has sold its first factory tool for contamination control in semiconductor production to a "leading semiconductor manufacturer", according to the company. As the spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, which was founded in 2019, explains in its press release, this is a fully automated, production-ready system that is set to revolutionize contamination control for optimized chip production yields. UNISERS uses its two proprietary technologies Surface Enhances Particle Sizing and Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy. They are designed to avoid the costly fluctuations in yield caused by contamination on wafers and in process liquids.

This milestone "reflects years of work on a fundamentally new approach to detecting and classifying impurities at the molecular level and builds on the success of our laboratory tools already in use with customers," co-founder and CTO Ali Altun is quoted as saying. "With this system, which is now being used in the factory, we are taking a decisive step towards mass production."

At the same time, UNISERS has strengthened its management team. Chuck Milligan has been appointed CEO and long-time KLA manager Oresta Donzella has been appointed strategic advisor. With the first system in use at a customer's plant, "UNISERS is moving from validation to scale-up," says Milligan, and thus from laboratory and pilot environments to continuous, automated use in production. Accordingly, in 2026 UNISERS will focus on scaling its factory platform and increasing its use in customers' production environments. ce/mm