KLA-Tencor announced its plan to acquire FINLE Technologies in February 2000 and completed the acquisition on February 1, 2000, according to company filings. The Austin-based software supplier brought lithography modeling and analysis capabilities into KLA-Tencor’s process-control portfolio; a later filing reported an aggregate purchase price of $5 million.
What FINLE Technologies did
FINLE Technologies supplied software for lithography modeling and analysis. It was not a wafer-fabrication equipment maker. KLA-Tencor said the tools helped semiconductor manufacturers develop advanced lithography processes for smaller integrated-circuit geometries.
The technical thresholds vary across KLA-Tencor’s filings: its fiscal 2000 annual report refers to 0.13-micron and smaller geometries, while its 2001 annual report describes 0.12-micron and smaller geometries. These are historical descriptions, not current process-node terminology.
Why KLA-Tencor wanted the software
KLA-Tencor planned to combine FINLE’s modeling and analysis with its own inspection and measurement technologies. The company said this would connect in-line process information with lithography modeling and device performance, and add capabilities to its PMC-Net yield-information network.
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In announcing the deal, KLA-Tencor chief operating officer Gary Dickerson called the 0.13-micron node a critical industry inflection point. He argued that when design rules fell well below the wavelength of light used for imaging, modeling and controlling lithography became as important as imaging itself. His accompanying claims that the combination would speed technology transitions, improve parametric control, reduce time to market, maximize yields and increase capital utilization were expectations stated at announcement—not independently measured outcomes.
Deal timeline and reported price
| Milestone | What the records say |
|---|---|
| Announcement | EE Times reported KLA-Tencor’s plan to acquire FINLE Technologies on February 1, 2000. |
| Completion | KLA-Tencor filings record completion on February 1, 2000. |
| Aggregate purchase price | $5 million, as reported in KLA-Tencor’s 2001 annual report. |
The available contemporary announcement does not give the agreement’s full terms. The $5 million figure is the aggregate price stated in the later company filing.
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What followed in the product portfolio
A later KLA-Tencor filing associated the FINLE acquisition with Klarity ProDATA, lithography data-analysis software, and discussed it alongside PROLITH lithography and etch simulation software. The filing supports a product-line connection, but it does not establish that the legacy products remain available or supported today.
KLA’s fiscal 2026 filing describes its Semiconductor Process Control segment as including inspection, metrology, software and related services for semiconductor manufacturers. That current portfolio description provides context for the acquisition’s strategic fit; it does not confirm the present licensing, sales or support status of Klarity ProDATA or PROLITH.
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