Lumina Instruments
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
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Sections to complete：02 · 05
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Lumina Instruments was a California-based semiconductor inspection company. It developed laser-scattering optical inspection systems that mapped surface and subsurface defects on wafers and panels, extending defect sensitivity below 100 nm at high throughput for applications including wafer manufacturing, panel-level packaging and silicon carbide and gallium nitride power semiconductors. Backed by investors including the National Science Foundation and Blue Sky VC, the company was acquired by process-control supplier Onto Innovation in 2024 to strengthen its inspection portfolio.
02 / FAILURE REASONS
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03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Company founded
Lumina Instruments was founded in San Jose, California, to commercialize laser-scattering inspection technology for semiconductor, glass and biotechnology manufacturing.
- Acquisition
Onto Innovation acquired Lumina Instruments as a tuck-in acquisition, adding its laser-scattering defect-inspection technology to Onto's portfolio alongside the Firefly inspection system for panel packaging.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
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Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN / AFTERMATH
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