PE-Backed EAG Buys NanoISI

EAG Inc, a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based provider of surface analysis and materials characterization services, has agreed to acquire Nano Integrated Solutions for an undisclosed amount. EAG is backed by Odyssey Investment Partners, a deal struck in September 2008.

Press Release:
EAG, Inc. (“EAG”), the leading global provider of surface analysis and materials characterization services, and microelectronic “release to production” (“RTP”) and failure analysis (“FA”) services, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Nano Integrated Solutions, Inc. (“NanoISI”). NanoISI is one of the world’s leading providers of RTP and FA services, with approximately 85 employees and locations in Santa Clara, California, Phoenix, Arizona and Austin, Texas. EAG and NanoISI expect to close the acquisition in January 2009. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in July 2007 through the merger of three leading integrated circuit (“IC”) design support service providers – Berkeley Consulting, FIB International and Nano Measurements – NanoISI provides a comprehensive range of RTP services, including turnkey ATE test solutions, test program development, ATE training, failure analysis and IC debug services, and reliability and qualification testing:
• Turnkey ATE test solutions: RTL design and synthesis, DFT insertion and vector generation, initial proto debug and production test program development, characterization program development, yield analysis, yield ramp, test time reduction.
• ATE testing and training: ATE test development and consulting, including test program development, design for test, design for manufacture and yield enhancement. Leading provider of ATE training, with over 6,500 students trained over the last ten years. Wide range of ESD and latch-up testing capabilities. Complete PCB design services, including complex ATE, ESD and burn-in boards.
• Failure analysis, debug and microscopy: complete line of failure analysis and debug services for IC devices, packaged devices and printed circuit boards, including electrical test, electrical and physical failure isolation, sample prep and analysis, and FIB circuit modifications. Full range of microscopy services, including SEM, FE-SEM, TEM, and FE-TEM.
• Reliability and qualification testing: leading burn-in and reliability qualification lab, with over 75 chambers and ovens, tight ESD safety controls, and engineering staff to provide all burn-in, package qualification, process qualification, and reliability data required.
The acquisition of NanoISI, EAG’s first since being acquired by Odyssey Investment Partners, LLC in September 2008, further advances the Company’s strategy of becoming the leading supplier of a turn-key, integrated package of RTP services, including ATE test solutions and services, electronic failure analysis and reliability/qualification testing services.
David Lahar, Chief Executive Officer of EAG said, “The NanoISI acquisition represents EAG’s single most important step in creating a complete turn-key service offering for our RTP customers. Fabless semiconductor companies, IDMs and leading IC foundries have been aggressively seeking a partner to whom they can outsource an increasing range of their IC design support requirements, including ATE test solutions, packaging design and testing, failure analysis and debug, and reliability and qualification testing. The combination of EAG and NanoISI offers semiconductor customers a large, well-capitalized company that can provide the complete range of these RTP services. We are also excited by the opportunity to welcome Majid Ghafghaichi, Vijay Israni and Raymond Lee, all highly experienced, senior managers who have had long and distinguished careers providing IC design and testing support services.”
NanoISI’s Chief Executive Officer, Majid Ghafghaichi added: “EAG’s commitment to building the leader in RTP services directly matches NanoISI’s vision and strategy. Rapidly growing interest among our customers in having a turn-key, integrated solution to their IC design and test outsourcing requirements reflects a critical need that the EAG/NanoISI combination directly addresses. Our fabless, IDM and foundry customers have clearly indicated that they are seeking a single supplier that provides the full range of testing, failure analysis and reliability/qualification services, including excellence in the areas of ATE test solutions, packaging design, failure analysis and debug, yield analysis and yield ramp. We hope to continue to expand rapidly as we leverage the capabilities of the other EAG operations as well as EAG’s worldwide network of labs.”
Note to editors:
EAG is a leading international materials science company, providing inorganic and organic surface analysis and materials characterization testing, as well as microelectronic “release to production” and failure analysis services. The Group offers its customers highly sophisticated testing services broadly used in developing new processes or materials, transferring those processes to production, developing and qualifying new production tools, performing failure analysis, solving process problems in manufacturing, and providing third-party product validation. EAG has an international network of laboratories and serves more than 3,500 customers worldwide, primarily the research and development departments of companies developing products where properties of materials are critical to product performance. EAG provides its testing services to a broad range of end-user market segments, including semiconductor capital equipment, electronic materials, specialty metals and alloys, semiconductor fabrication, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and aerospace and defense. EAG is majority owned by Odyssey Investment Partners, LLC, a leading private equity firm with more than $1.2 billion in capital under management. Odyssey makes majority, control investments primarily in established middle-market industrial manufacturing and business services companies in a variety of industries. Further information regarding EAG can be found at www.eaglabs.com. Further information regarding Odyssey Investment Partners can be found at www.odysseyinvestment.com.
NanoISI is a leading provider of IC design and testing support services whose mission is to provide a strong vertical outsource model for semiconductor companies to streamline their flow from conception to volume production in the areas of design for test (DFT), design for manufacturing (DFM), ATE testing and test program development, failure analysis and debug, and reliability and qualification testing. Founded in July 2007 through the merger of three leading IC design support services providers – Berkeley Consulting, FIB International and Nano Measurements – NanoISI provides a comprehensive range of “release to production” support services critical to fabless semiconductor companies, IDMs and IC foundries,. NanoISI has 85 employees and operates from five locations in California, Arizona and Texas. Further information can be found at www.nanoisi.com.