Herve Stampfli, Head of Product Management

That is where ETEL gains its edge.

With its Full Forward Integration (FFI) motion system—featuring optimized direct drive motors and advanced metrology—and motion control. The FFI approach ensures that every element is optimized to work together. The result is motion systems that are faster, more precise, ultra-stable and consistently reliable under real-world production pressures.

This eliminates fragmentation and accountability issues that once plagued manufacturers relying on multiple component suppliers. By unifying every part under one roof, the company enables customers to focus on their core competencies with confidence in flawless motion performance.

“The performance we deliver has a direct impact on our customers’ process yield and accuracy,” says Hervé Stämpfli, Head of Product Management. “And since we control every layer of the motion stack, we are able to meet those performance requirements very reliably.”

Motion Solutions And Advanced Control Technologies

ETEL offers a diverse portfolio of motion technologies and systems for equipment manufacturers in the semiconductor and advanced electronics industries. Under its FFI approach, every solution supports a wide range of applications, from Front-end to Back-end segments, including lithography, process control, annealing, probing, dicing, wire, die and flip-chip bonding, test handlers, and more.

“Today, the majority of our high-end motion system applications are propelled by the demands in Advanced Packaging, with heterogeneous integration playing a central role. This evolution is reshaping traditional semiconductor segmentation. Where the back-end once prioritized high throughput with moderate precision, and the front-end focused on ultra-high accuracy and cleanliness, Advanced Packaging is forging a new “mid-end” segment — one that requires all these attributes to coexist and perform together seamlessly,” says Hervé.

These applications rely on advanced motion controllers that ETEL has been developing since the 1990s. Originally focused on direct-drive motors, the company engineered its own controllers after facing a lack of suitable options on the market, ensuring precise, high-speed, and stable performance.

Today, ETEL is introducing the fourth generation of its position controllers, ACCURET+, set to launch by the end of this year. ACCURET+ belongs to a decentralized control architecture philosophy, in which computation and processing are handled directly at the axis controller level, maximizing the amount of control tasks that can be executed locally, without the need for communication with a central motion controller.

However, as motion systems become increasingly sophisticated, control tasks involving multiple axes are becoming more common—making data sharing essential. In this context, the key priority is ensuring precise synchronization of all data exchanged across the various axes.

The ACCURET+ position controller delivers high control bandwidth, ultra-low latency, and an outstanding signal-to-noise ratio—enabling both high throughput and nanometer-level position jitter. Its advanced architecture ensures exceptional accuracy through multiple position feedback inputs, while features such as encoder mapping and stage mapping provide ultra-precise control and system-wide compensation.

ACCURET+ supports a wide range of motors—including brushless, stepper, and voice coil actuators—pushing performance to its optimal limits. ACCURET+ is the world’s first controller compatible with the ENDAT3 serial interface from HEIDENHAIN, reducing cabling and interference while improving overall system performance and enabling multiple degree-of-freedom metrologies. For additional assurance, it includes STO-SIL3 functional safety certification. It provides reaction times four times faster than before and supports advanced capabilities such as precise position or time-based triggering on compensated position data, advanced filters, fifth order motion profile parameters (snap), decoupled gantry control, dynamic yaw control, flight recording, and intuitive diagnostic tools.

In parallel, ETEL has developed UltimET+, a high-performance motion controller optimized for synchronization and interpolation tasks. Featuring enhanced processing power and available in both PCIe and standalone box formats, UltimET+ is designed to meet the demands of highly dynamic and complex motion applications. Its architecture ensures precise coordination across multiple axes, making it ideal for the most demanding industrial environments.

The Innovation Legacy

Innovation has been at the core of the company from day one. Over the years, ETEL has introduced technologies such as mechanical, air, flexure and magnetic bearings combined with multi-degree-of-freedom (DOF) metrology systems. These advancements have enabled ETEL to address challenges in advanced packaging, such as the continuous reduction in interconnect dimensions and the need for sub-100 nm accuracy. For example, a one-micron interconnect pitch requires a system positioning accuracy of around 50 nanometers—previously unachievable without sacrificing throughput.

Building on this progress, a standout innovation is ETEL’s High Dynamic Range (HDR) option on its ACCURET+, which delivers ultra-low jitter (105 dB SNR) together with high power. Its long-term R&D vision is further reflected in the TELICA HP platform, which features a specific and innovative Moving Metrology Frame (MMF) specifically dedicated to the high accuracy requirements of Hybrid Bonding.

As part of the HEIDENHAIN Group, the company also leverages high-end metrology directly within its motion systems to ensure accuracy, unlike competitors who rely mainly on precision mechanical parts. By placing MultiDOF encoders close to the tool point, ETEL not only ensures superior system accuracy but also maintains this accuracy consistently over time.

Following the ongoing industry trend to move to larger substrates as a way to reduce Total Cost of Ownership, ETEL’s motion system platforms can all be stretched-out without compromising on performances: RDL lithography, Process control applications - such as Overlay, Critical Dimension, Defect Inspections-, Automated Optical Inspection, hybrid bonding and many more applications can all benefit from this sub-100 nanometer accuracy over time on panel format.

Enabling Consistent Nanometer-Level Performance Worldwide

Such precision and reliability are essential in the semiconductor industry, where downtime incurs significant costs. To support this, the company leverages HEIDENHAIN’s global sales network and local presence for responsive, on-site support. It has established Electronics Technical Competence Centers (ETCC) in key regions such as in Europe (France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands), in Asia (China, Singapour, Japan, Taiwan, Korea), and in America (the U.S). While core development remains in Switzerland, ETEL is expanding its supply chain with an Asian manufacturing hub to accelerate system delivery, optimize operations, and further strengthen its market position.

By uniting advanced technology, global support, and seamless performance, the company drives the future of nanoscale manufacturing. In an industry where precision is measured in nanometers and TAKT time in sub-milliseconds, ETEL stands as a trusted partner in delivering high-performance motion solutions.