KLA Instruments was founded in 1975 by Ken Levy and Bob Anderson, and focused on
photomask detection to identify chip defects. KLA later broadened its product line to include wafer inspection, wafer
metrology and integrated inspection and analysis software. Tencor was founded in 1976 by Czechoslovak scientist and US immigrant Karel Urbanek, along with colleague John Schwabacher. The company initially focused on making precise measurements of semiconductor film layer thickness, and in 1984, developed laser-scanning technology to detect particle and other contamination. The company also developed defect review and data analysis equipment. The merger was intended to create a single source for chip process and diagnostics equipment. In April, the company acquired Amray, Inc., a
Bedford, Massachusetts-based provider of
scanning electron microscope (SEM) systems for applications including semiconductor manufacturing. In June, the company acquired
San Jose, CA-based VARS, a developer of image archiving and retrieval systems. In December, the company acquired the Ultrapointe subsidiary of
Uniphase Corporation. In December 1999, the company acquired Taiwan-based yield analysis software maker ACME Systems. In February 2000, KLA-Tencor acquired
Austin, Texas-based Finle Technologies, Inc., a developer of lithography modeling and analysis software. In March, the company acquired
Austin, Texas-based advanced process control (APC) software developer Fab Solutions, from parent ObjectSpace. In 2001, the company acquired yield management and process control company Phase Metrics, Inc. In 2004, KLA-Tencor acquired surface inspection system manufacturer Candela Instruments, Inc. and the Wafer Inspection Systems business of Inspex, Inc. In 2006, the company acquired ADE Corporation, a supplier of silicon wafer
metrology and related gear. In 2007, KLA-Tencor acquired lithography and plasma etch products manufacturer OnWafer Technologies, temperature monitoring firm SensArray Corporation In 2008, the company acquired test and measurement company ICOS Vision Systems Corporation NV, and the Microelectronic Inspection Equipment (MIE) business unit of Vistec Semiconductor Systems, Inc. In 2010, KLA-Tencor acquired technology hardware company Ambios Technology, Inc. Orbotech also owned
Newport, Wales, UK-based SPTS Technologies Ltd, a manufacturer of etch, PVD and CVD wafer processing equipment for the
MEMS, advanced packaging, LED, high-speed RF, and power management devices. On January 10, 2019, KLA-Tencor announced that they were changing their name to
KLA Corporation. In February, the company announced that its acquisition of Orbotech was complete. In June, KLA announced plans to open a second US headquarters near
Ann Arbor, Michigan. The facility was scheduled to open in summer 2021, with plans to host 500-600 new hires, around 50% of whom were to be engineers. The facility would reportedly have a relationship with the
University of Michigan and support automotive industry partnerships. In August 2019, KLA-Tencor acquired the company Qoniac GmbH, a German software company specializing on process control software for the semiconductor industry. In July 2021, the company introduced new inspection products for automotive chips. In November, KLA's new North American headquarters opened near Ann Arbor, Michigan. The facility is 230,000 square feet, and is designed to support 1,000 employees. == Illegal stock options backdating ==