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Did you know that 4D Technology is a part of Onto Innovation? Our subsidiary, located in Tucson, Arizona, has been with Onto, since its acquisition in 2018. 4D pioneered “dynamic” measurement technology, paving the way for entirely new classes of instruments that change how manufacturers and scientists think about measurement. From the world’s premiere astronomical observatories, to optical manufacturing shops, to aircraft flight lines, 4D gages and instruments provide 3D measurements accurately, despite vibration and noise that stop other instruments in their tracks. Recently, 4D’s long-time project with NASA came to fruition. 4D contributed in-part to the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope by developing novel interferometers to measure the surfaces of mirrors. This partnership began over 20 years ago, making the successful launch and recent image releases exceptionally rewarding for 4D. The instruments created uniquely for the telescope are being used across other NASA projects, expanding 4D’s reach. Lately, 4D continues to strengthen their commitment to metrology systems for space-based optical communications. They are pleased to announce the receival of multiple orders for instruments operating in the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) band which will support the current drive for expansion. If you’re interested in 4D Technology, be sure to attend a workshop or stop by their booth at an upcoming conference. Latest updates can be found on LinkedIn. Check them out!
The changing of seasons, anticipation of warmer months and an eagerness to get outside has been the perfect combination for our latest global volunteer initiatives. Across our offices, our Onto Innovators have recently embarked on springtime events, making lasting impressions on our communities in the weeks leading up to Earth Day. In Taiwan, our Onto Innovators and their families had the opportunity to plant trees at the end of March. The event was hosted by the Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to promote a healthy environment. To start the day, the foundation educated the group on the importance of coastal reforestation and explained how their unique planters promote the successful growth of a healthy sapling. After the lesson, the Onto group got to work digging holes, carrying water and putting down fertilizer. The event quickly turned our Onto Innovators into experienced volunteers, getting the job finished in less than two hours, with around 50 trees planted! The team is pleased that they were able to help their community.
The hiring process at Onto Innovation seeks to create job opportunities for all individuals and their varying backgrounds. One of our focus areas aims to provide veteran support and a workplace that accommodates the transition of military service members, military veterans and military spouses back into civilian life. Recently, veteran and Onto Innovator, Mark Carr was featured in Search & Employ magazine from RecruitMilitary and described how Onto Innovation was foundational in setting up his career and life post-military. “I have been able to grow my career exponentially over the last decade and secured a position that suits my interests and goals. Our organization [Onto Innovation] has made strides in terms of growth, and I was happy to be a part of the work taking place to make it happen. The people are wonderful, and the work is rewarding,” stated Mike. Carr joined Nanometrics, preceding our merger into Onto Innovation, and has now been with us for over a decade. We are proud to have Mark on our team and will continue to welcome and empower veterans like him into our workplace.
Onto Innovation is proud to announce the receival of the Novel Technology Collaboration Award from TSMC as part of their initiative recognizing the outstanding contributions of their global suppliers. This award was presented to Onto by TSMC leadership during a ceremony on March 16, 2023. “We are honored to receive this award from an industry leader like TSMC acknowledging our collaborative development to address their high-value process challenges through the deployment of Onto’s unique product capabilities,” said Mike Plisinski, chief executive officer of Onto Innovation. “It has been a privilege to collaborate with the talented team at TSMC to create innovative solutions that enable their product roadmap for advanced nodes and advanced packaging.” “Working together, TSMC and Onto have developed unique process control solutions for advanced logic applications using our Atlas® platform and next-generation advanced packaging applications using our Dragonfly® platform,” added Plisinski. Onto looks forward to continuing its relationship with TSMC.
Michael North Morris of 4D Technology, a subsidiary of Onto Innovation, has recently been named a fellow at SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. This honor is thanks to his extensive metrology career and numerous industry accolades, but most recently for his work on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. His work, alongside many others, has proven invaluable to the success of the telescope in capturing the illustrious deep space images. Specifically, Michael designed an electronic speckled pattern interferometer that was used to measure the stability of the back plane of the telescope, an interferometer that used multiple wavelengths of light, and an interferometer that was capable of capturing measurements at a rate of 5,000 frames per second for evaluating the vibration dynamics of the mounted JWST mirror segments. Michael’s impact spans far across the optics field with countless colleagues vouching for his ingenuity. Although Michael humbly commented that “it’s just a day at the office,” he is ready to continue tackling projects as exciting as this.
Onto Innovation is proud to announce Stephen D. Kelly as the latest addition to our Board of Directors. Steve joins us with over 30 years of leadership experience within the semiconductor industry with a strong background in executive management and first-hand knowledge of Onto’s customer base across the entire value chain. He currently serves as president and chief executive officer of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc., and prior to that, he held executive leadership roles at leading semiconductor companies like Amkor Technology, Texas Instruments, Philips Semiconductors, and Cree. “Onto Innovation has become an important global partner for many of the leading semiconductor companies. I respect their focus on collaborative partnerships and their ability to deliver innovations that help improve yields and reduce cost,” stated Mr. Kelly. “I am looking forward to bringing my expertise to this talented team.” We are ready to begin this chapter with Steve and are certain he will provide tremendous value and knowledge alongside our current board of directors.
Onto Innovation strives to make an impact within every facet of our industry, including the facilitation of educational opportunities. With this in mind, we are delighted to announce our latest partnership with the SUNY Polytechnic Institute. The funding announced in the press release linked below will enable Professor of Nanoscale Science Dr. Alain Diebold’s research to advance optical scatterometry as well as increase the capability of computer chip memory. He will utilize Onto’s Ai Diffract™ software along with other unique measurement techniques in his research. “I am grateful to Onto Innovation for this support and for our partnership to facilitate mass production of next-gen memory chips,” said Diebold. “I also look forward to enabling this student research opportunity which showcases the ways in which SUNY Poly prepares students for the advanced careers that improve the technologies on which we rely.” Onto Innovation is excited to see the progression of his research for not only the advancement of the industry but for the growth of SUNY Poly’s students and future innovators.
The Onto Bloomington office is pleased to announce the completion of a newly constructed cleanroom manufacturing area on site. In celebration, key employees gathered last week to mark the official opening of the manufacturing floor with a ribbon cutting ceremony. This was a result of efforts almost a year in the making by the Bloomington operations and facilities teams. Planning stages began in early January 2022, and construction broke ground a few months later in April. Due to the increasing tool volume the site has seen recently, the space was necessary to keep up with demand and maintain efficiency. Equipped with 20 new bays, the manufacturing floor will initially be used to build Onto’s edge and backside inspection modules, its probe card test and analysis systems, and its wafer handling modules. Investing in Onto’s facilities is a necessary steppingstone for the growth of the company and its expanding needs. Bloomington has been eagerly awaiting the completion of this project, and the manufacturing team is more than ready to begin utilizing the space in the coming weeks.
Knee deep amongst the fish in the Upper Deschutes River was a day well spent for our Onto Innovation volunteers. A part of Onto’s continuing community initiatives, employees from our Bend, Oregon office assisted the local river conservancy in relocating stranded fish mid-October. As volunteers strapped on their waders and flung large nets to corral the fish, others transferred them into buckets to be transported, counted and then released into the main river channel. This annual rescue is a result of the reduced river flow needed to conserve water for the following irrigation season. As water levels dwindle, fish within the side channels are then left stranded. Joined with other volunteers, the Onto group rescued over 1,000 rainbow trout along with a handful of other fish. By the end of the sunny weekend, the collective count totaled almost 7,000 fish saved and released back into the main river channel. Our Onto Bend office is pleased to report this successful volunteer event and has plans for many more initiates to support their local communities and environmental ecosystems.
We are pleased to share that our training center in Korea has been open for just over a month and proving a great resource in supporting our customers! On August 24, we celebrated the opening day with a ribbon cutting ceremony joined by our employees and key customers. Our new center is located in Gyeonggi-do Province and is available to all our customers across Asia. This training, demonstration and solutions development center is focused on our broad line of inspection, metrology and lithography solutions. It enables customers to learn how to leverage Onto’s breadth of connected product technologies to develop solutions for future manufacturing challenges. The center is initially designed to support basic to advanced training with course materials and trainers on site. Along with the Korea center, during the latter half of 2022, we will be opening another facility in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Together, the two centers will mark a continued drive in Onto’s commitment to working closer with customers globally to accelerate the qualification of the latest semiconductor device technologies.
