July 10, 2006 – OnWafer Technologies, Pleasanton, CA, has acquired the plasma management division of Advanced Energy Industries Inc., including IP and technology-related assets, in a move to extend its position in plasma process control and diagnostics wireless metrology technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The deal centers on AE’s plasma sensor system that can be built onto a wafer surface to measure critical plasma characteristics as the wafer is etched, such as ion saturation, current, DC bias, and surface voltage. OnWafer already sells a version of its SensorWafer wireless sensors for precise, in situ temperature monitoring of plasma etch chambers, to accurately characterize production wafer thermal processes, as well as software to track and display statistical process control parameters for each process segment or step of interest.

“By integrating Advanced Energy’s novel sensor technology with our broad line of SensorWafer technology, software analytical tools, and automated sensor wafer delivery systems, we believe we can offer a more comprehensive process control solution to our customers-enabling them to meet the continued demands associated with plasma semiconductor processing,” stated Rod Browning, OnWafer CEO.