Tokyo Electron reached agreement on August 10 to acquire the US firm FSI International, a producer of surface conditioning equipment for microelectronics manufacturing. The agreement involves acquiring all of the FSI issued stock, with a total value of $252.5 million at $6.20 a share.　Tokyo Electron will acquire the company through an indirect wholly-owned US subsidiary.

FSI recorded sales of $96.9 million for the term ended in August of 2011. It is a major US producer of cleaning and surface preparation equipment, with a work force of 400. Of the cryogenic aerosol systems which IBM developed in 1996 the company supplied a liquid nitrogen type cleaner under license, and recorded sales worldwide. In addition, it also has various types of advanced cleaning technology such as immersion and spray technology.

Cleaning technology is an indispensable process in semiconductor fabrication. As far as the Tokyo Electron is concerned it is a mainstay in the manufacturing equipment business along with dispersion, CVD, and etching facilities. With this acquisition, “Based on expansion of our portfolio, of cleaning equipment, I firmly believe we can expand our cleaning equipment business and bring about greater value for our shareholders, “ noted Tokyo Electron president Hiroshi Takenaka.
The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of this year.