New Echo^™ opaque film metrology system debuts with $20 million order backlog

Onto Innovation Inc. (NYSE: ONTO) (“Onto Innovation,” “Onto,” or the “Company”) today announced the next evolutionary step of innovative acoustic metrology products. The new Echo^™ system further expands the addressable market for in-line characterization of opaque films, which is estimated to be approximately $110 million, by leveraging the principle of picosecond ultrasonics to deliver critical thickness metrology and material characterization for key technology transitions in the leading-edge DRAM and high-stack NAND memory markets. For these advanced architectures, the Echo system provides critical metal film metrology enabling higher memory bandwidth and bit density. In specialty segments, the Echo system provides metal thickness and characterization for a variety of devices, including RF filters for 5G communications, and power devices for the rapidly growing electric vehicle (EV) and high-speed portable charger markets.

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Onto Innovation’s Echo opaque film acoustic metrology product. Capable of single or multilayer film measurements from 50Å to 35µm, handling 100-300mm wafer sizes. (Photo: Business Wire)

Operating at three times the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of existing products, the Echo system supports a wide range of film thicknesses, from very thin 50Å films up to 35µm opaque films and metal layers. Furthermore, the Echo system has materials characterization capabilities that include in-line time domain thermo-reflectance for implant monitoring and thermal conductivity characterization.

“By leveraging Onto’s tool-centric software, the Echo system offers a complete solution at HVM customer sites where on-wafer metrology measurements are used in a closed loop feedback approach to enact run-to-run process control on key enabling film deposition steps,” said Danielle Baptiste, vice president and general manager of Onto Innovation’s enterprise software business.

“As tier stacks in vertical NAND devices continue to grow, key deposition steps, such as the hard mask, are critical to the channel hole formation process. The accurate thickness and mechanical properties of these films are extremely critical to ensure that the film maintains integrity throughout the etch process,” said Priya Mukundhan, senior director of product management at Onto Innovation.

Early adoption of the Echo system has been quite strong at a variety of customers and is entering these new markets with an order backlog of $20 million.

About Onto Innovation Inc.

Onto Innovation is a leader in process control, combining global scale with an expanded portfolio of leading-edge technologies that include Un-patterned wafer quality; 3D metrology spanning chip features from nanometer scale transistors to large die interconnects; macro defect inspection of wafers and packages; metal interconnect composition; factory analytics; and lithography for advanced semiconductor packaging.

Our breadth of offerings across the entire semiconductor value chain helps our customers solve their most difficult yield, device performance, quality, and reliability issues. Onto Innovation strives to optimize customers’ critical path of progress by making them smarter, faster and more efficient.

Headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Onto Innovation supports customers with a worldwide sales and service organization.

Additional information can be found at www.ontoinnovation.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”) which include statements relating to Onto Innovation’s business momentum and future growth; the benefit to customers and the capabilities of Onto Innovation’s products and customer service; Onto Innovation’s ability to both deliver products and services consistent with our customers’ demands and expectations and strengthen its market position, Onto Innovation’s beliefs about market opportunities as well as other matters that are not purely historical data. Onto Innovation wishes to take advantage of the “safe harbor” provided for by the Act and cautions that actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of various factors, including risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Onto Innovation’s control. Such factors include, but are not limited to, length, severity and potential business impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company’s ability to leverage its resources to improve its position in its core markets; its ability to weather difficult economic environments; its ability to open new market opportunities and target high-margin markets; the strength/weakness of the back-end and/or front-end semiconductor market segments; fluctuations in customer capital spending and any potential impact as a result of the novel coronavirus situation; the Company’s ability to effectively manage its supply chain and adequately source components from suppliers to meet customer demand; its ability to adequately protect its intellectual property rights and maintain data security; its ability to effectively maneuver global trade issues and changes in trade and export license policies; the Company’s ability to maintain relationships with its customers and manage appropriate levels of inventory to meet customer demands; and the Company’s ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses and technologies. Additional information and considerations regarding the risks faced by Onto Innovation are available in Onto Innovation’s Form 10-K report for the year ended January 1, 2022 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As the forward-looking statements are based on Onto Innovation’s current expectations, the Company cannot guarantee any related future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Onto Innovation does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.

Source: Onto Innovation Inc.

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