Darmstadt, Germany, October 31, 2024 – October 31, 2024
The Electronics Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Completes Acquisition of Unity-SC and Strengthens Optronics Offering to Better Serve the Semiconductor Industry
• Leveraging existing capabilities and the convergence of semiconductor and display to deliver new product offerings in optoelectronics
• Strengthening competencies in optical technologies within Display business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, with strategic intent to rename business unit to “Optronics”
• Completion of acquisition of Unity-SC, a provider of metrology and inspection instrumentation, expands portfolio in key technologies for AI applications, such as Heterogeneous Integration
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, intensifies the strategic focus of its Electronics business, which operates its Electronics business in the United States and Canada as EMD Electronics, on solutions for the semiconductor industry. This is ensured by the strategic convergence of the display and semiconductor business units, as well as by the expansion of the portfolio through the now completed acquisition of Unity-SC for €155 million plus additional milestone-based payments.
“As the industry moves towards more complex and integrated systems, the need for comprehensive solutions and precise metrology and inspection tools has become increasingly important. With our Optronics business and the acquisition of Unity-SC, we have significantly expanded our portfolio to include metrology solutions for semiconductor and opto-electronic manufacturing. This convergence signals an extension of our relevance in the electronics ecosystem; where materials science, delivery, metrology and inspection, work hand-in-hand to enable better, faster, more efficient and more reliable production of next-generation chips and devices,” said Kai Beckmann, Member of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and CEO Electronics.
The acquisition of Unity-SC marks a significant step in enhancing and complementing the optical expertise of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The Display Solutions business unit will operate under the name “Optronics” as of 2025 to signify the business unit’s expanded focus on harnessing the transformative power of light to reshape electronic devices and systems. Optronics marks the evolution from a display-focused business to cutting-edge optical technologies for electronics. Having developed deep expertise in optical physics and materials through the work with LCD and OLED displays, the Electronics business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is now driving the convergence of optics and semiconductors to meet the demands of next-generation technologies.
With strong capabilities from specialist knowledge with optical material systems through to semiconductor device knowledge, the Electronics business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, aims at leveraging Optronics and driving business opportunities, such as optics on chips, to enable next-generation computing technologies whose high data transfer rates on the chip will only be possible by using light-based data lines. Further developments of advanced Liquid Crystal (LC) and OLED materials remain an important part of the portfolio, enhanced by optoelectronic solutions in the future field of Advanced Reality (Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality/Mixed Reality). By combining specialized optronics and semiconductor knowledge with cutting-edge metrology, the Electronics business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, seeks to address essential future key technologies in electronics and create unique synergies. Unity-SC is a provider of metrology and inspection solutions to improve the quality, yield, and manufacturing costs of heterogeneously integrated chip systems used in applications related to Artificial Intelligence (AI), High-Performance Computing (HPC), and High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM). Thus, the highly precise metrology and inspection devices of Unity-SC will enable the manufacturing of high-performance chips for the most demanding fields of application, such as AI data centers, autonomous vehicles, and electronics devices, such as smartphones.
The closing of the transaction of Unity-SC followed regulatory clearance and the fulfilment of other customary closing conditions. Unity-SC is based in Montbonnot-Saint-Martin near Grenoble, France, and employs approximately 160 people, of whom 70 work in research & development. They will join the approximately 8,000 employees of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s Electronics business sector, to share the same values and complement the broad portfolio for the semiconductor industry.
About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. Around 63,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2023, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 21 billion in 65 countries.
The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare and EMD Electronics in electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company.
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