KLA-Tencor enters photovoltaic market with ICOS Vision Systems acquisition

February 21, 2008
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

KLA-Tencor Corporation has made a friendly acquire all shares in ICOS Vision Systems for approximately $465.8 million. ICOS’s primary business is inspection equipment for semiconductor packaging but has been successful in the more cost-conscious solar wafer inspection market at key processing steps.

In December 2007, ICOS received its largest single order to date for solar cell inspection equipment valued at €2.3 million with a Taiwanese PV cell manufacturer. ICOS stated at the time that it expected revenues within the PV market to grow rapidly in 2008 and expected revenues of between €16-20 million.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Anton De Proft, ICOS’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “I believe that combining the strengths of KLA-Tencor and ICOS would significantly increase our growth potential and provide remarkable resources for advanced technical development of our existing products and technologies. Both companies have highly complementary market positions, with no overlap in product lines.”

ICOS had revenues of €57.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007.

Read Next

April 24, 2026
Indian module manufacturer Saatvik Green Energy has acquired an 80% equity stake in Melcon Transformers and Electricals.
Sponsored
April 24, 2026
PV Tech spoke to Ricky Chen, President of Huawei Asia Pacific Smart PV & ESS Business, about FusionSolar9.0's role in enabling higher-quality solar deployment
Premium
April 24, 2026
US solar permitting delays are raising costs and slowing deployment, with PV Tech speaking to Crux experts on implications for developers and the wider PV industry.
April 24, 2026
Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) have developed coloured films for solar PV modules that can imitate roof tiles or building facades.
Premium
April 24, 2026
Reforms to the UK’s grid connection process for renewable energy projects are underway, aimed at easing the logjam of applications.
April 24, 2026
The US DoC has issued preliminary affirmative determinations in antidumping duty investigations, setting preliminary dumping margins of 123.04% for India, 35.15% for Indonesia and 22.46% for Laos.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
May 27, 2026
9am BST / 10am CEST
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
June 3, 2026
National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai)
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA
Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain