According to CEO Hamed Sadeghian, Nearfield Instruments finds itself in a “perfect storm” as the rise of AI, advanced chip nodes and heterogeneous integration is driving an explosion in demand for metrology.
Chipmakers are increasingly combining chips using technologies such as hybrid bonding. This creates new opportunities for Nearfield. CEO Hamed Sadeghian explains why metrology is no longer merely a supporting function, but has become a critical factor for yield, productivity and the economic viability of the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes.
In this first of two interviews with Bits&Chips, Sadeghian also explores Nearfield’s growth strategy in depth. He discusses the company’s new assembly cleanroom for scaling production capacity. He addresses the challenges of rapid growth, the pressure from customers to deliver more systems at a faster pace and the choices Nearfield is making within its global supply chain.
Sadeghian goes on to explain why his company is committed to a single, broadly deployable metrology platform that can support lithography, etch and packaging applications alike. He touches on the role of AFM metrology and the ways in which Nearfield differentiates itself from traditional optical and e-beam solutions.
The interview also provides a personal perspective on Sadeghian’s approach to entrepreneurship. He speaks candidly about international competition, European innovation policy, the importance of investment and the necessity for technology companies to be globally available to their customers. Sadeghian explains why he believes that, in the semiconductor industry, only a limited number of winners will ultimately remain.
This interview can be watched on Youtube.
