Tegal establishes European R&D hub in France

The move completes the transition associated with Tegal’s acquisition of the Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) products and related intellectual property for 3D packaging and MEMS devices from France-based Alcatel Micro Machining Systems (AMMS) and Alcatel Lucent. The deal was first announced in September 2008 and completed later that month. Leading the Tegal France operation is General Manager/R&D Director, Nicolas Launay. Launay previously served as R&D Director at AMMS in Annecy. He reports to Tegal’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Thomas Mika. Tegal’s CEO, Thomas Mika, paid tribute to the Tegal France team for the smooth transition, and commented on his company’s decision to plant its DRIE R&D roots in France. “It makes excellent business sense to focus our development activities in this European location. Here, through the former AMMS team, we already enjoy an entrenched position with close proximity to key customers and access to technology talent from premier universities. We are very pleased to formalize the new R&D infrastructure where we will continue to innovate advanced DRIE solutions that bring value to customers.” According to Nicolas Launay, General Manager/R&D Director for the Tegal France operation, the new R&D infrastructure provides the resources to broaden the application reach of the company’s DRIE technology and expand its served markets. “With our many combined years of etch technology development and process expertise within both the Tegal and the AMMS product families, we believe we can offer powerful new solutions to leading semiconductor manufacturers, especially those working on new-generation 3D packaging applications,” added Launay.