TRUMPF has acquired an 85-percent stake in Access Laser Co. Headquartered near Seattle – in Everett, Washington – the company produces high-precision, low-power CO2 lasers that are notably used to fabricate microchips in EUV lithography. In this application, the light generated by the low-power CO2 laser serves as a beam source that is deployed together with TRUMPF laser amplifiers in EUV systems. With this acquisition, TRUMPF has successfully integrated a key player in the supply chain for EUV technology.

Peter Leibinger, Managing Partner and CTO of TRUMPF, welcomes Access Laser in the group: “Access Laser is a core partner in our EUV business and a highly innovative laser company. Together, we will be working even closer to further improve the EUV performance as well as serving more applications and customers looking for innovative low-power CO2 lasers.”

Following several years in the development pipeline, EUV technology has now reached industrial maturity – providing the company with a considerable boost in sales this past fiscal year. Yong Zhang, founder and President of Access Laser  comments: "Access Laser has been a force of innovation since its inception. The successful partnership of technologies of TRUMPF and Access Laser in EUV shows the inherent synergy of the two companies. We look forward to enhancing this synegry as a member of the TRUMPF Group.”

Founded in 1999, Access Laser Co. employs some 60 people in the U.S. and China. Its product portfolio includes precision lasers with low output powers between 100 milliwatts and 50 watts as well as lasers with peak powers as high as 1 kilowatt. The company also caters to applications in the medical, electronics and scientific markets. TRUMPF and Access Laser Co. have agreed to not disclose the purchase price.