MD&A Tone Analysis
Only the Management's Discussion and Analysis section is evaluated. Green and red highlights are rule-based dictionary matches. Score = (positive − negative) ÷ matched terms × 100. Dictionary version 1.1. This lexical measure does not assess the company's financial health and may not fully capture context or negation.
Business overview
Business. General Onto Innovation ® is a worldwide leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of metrology and inspection tools for the semiconductor industry, including process control tools that perform optical metrology and inspection on patterned and unpatterned wafers, including macro defect inspection of both 2D and 3D wafer features, wafer substrate and panel substrate lithography systems, and process control analytical software. Our products are primarily used by silicon wafer manufacturers, semiconductor integrated circuit (“IC”) fabricators, and advanced packaging manufacturers operating in the semiconductor market. Our products are also used for process control in a number of other specialty device manufacturing markets, including light emitting diodes (“LED”), vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (“VCSEL”), micro-electromechanical systems (“MEMS”), CMOS image sensors (“CIS”), silicon and compound semiconductor (SiC and GaN) power devices, analog devices, RF filters, data storage, and certain industrial and scientific applications.
We provide process and yield management solutions used in bare silicon wafer production and wafer processing facilities, often referred to as “front-end” manufacturing, and advanced packaging of chips and test facilities, or “back-end” manufacturing, through a portfolio of standalone systems for optical metrology, macro-defect inspection, packaging lithography, as well as transparent and opaque thin film measurements. Our automated and integrated metrology systems measure critical dimensions, device structures, topography, shape, and various thin film compositions, including three-dimensional features and film thickness, as well as optical and material properties. Our primary areas of focus include products that provide critical yield-enhancing and actionable information, which is used by microelectronic device manufacturers to improve yield and time to market of their next-generation devices.
Our systems feature sophisticated software and production-worthy automation. In addition, our advanced process control software portfolio includes powerful solutions for standalone tools, groups of tools, and factory-wide and enterprise-wide suites to enhance productivity and achieve significant cost savings. Our systems are backed by worldwide customer service and applications support. Semilab USA Acquisition In the fourth quarter of 2025, the Company acquired Semilab USA, which was a subsidiary of Semilab International Zrt. , which added three advanced product lines—FAaST ® , CnCV ® and MBIR—to Onto Innovation’s portfolio, enhancing the Company’s capabilities in inline wafer contamination monitoring, materials characterization and unique surface charge metrology. For more information regarding these product lines, please see “Onto Innovation’s Products” below.
Industry Background We participate in the sale, design, manufacture, marketing and support of process control systems across all major segments of the semiconductor industry for optical critical dimension (“OCD”) metrology, thin film metrology, silicon wafer inspection, including 2D and 3D macro inspection and lithography tools for advanced packaging and advanced analytical software for semiconductor manufacturing as well as inspection systems for certain industrial applications and scientific research. Our principal market is semiconductor capital equipment. Semiconductors packaged as ICs, or “chips”, are used in consumer electronics, server and enterprise systems, mobile computing (including smart phones and tablets), data storage devices, and embedded automotive and control systems. Our core focus is the measurement and control of the structure, composition, and geometry of semiconductor devices as they are fabricated on silicon wafers to improve device performance and manufacturing yields.
Our end customers manufacture many types of ICs for a multitude of applications, each having unique manufacturing challenges. This includes ICs to enable information processing and management (logic ICs), memory storage (NAND, 3D-NAND, and DRAM), analog devices (e. g. , Wi-Fi and 5G radio ICs, power devices), MEMS sensor devices (accelerometers, pressure sensors, microphones), CMOS image sensors, and other specialty end markets including components for hard disk drives, LEDs, and power management devices. Markets Advanced Nodes. “Advanced nodes” refers to leading-edge ICs where the sizes of transistors and other features continue to shrink.
Advanced nodes are associated with transistor dimensions less than 10 nanometers (nm), with the most advanced logic devices now in production using 3nm and 2nm transistor dimensions. Our metrology systems used to measure and characterize these small features are generally purchased when a customer is beginning development at a new, smaller node, in order to set up and test new manufacturing equipment being installed for production at the new node. Our process control/metrology equipment is generally installed prior to the installation of the actual process equipment for that reason. Additional process control equipment is normally purchased when the initial process yields have been stabilized and more 2 manufacturing capacity is required to meet production demands. […]
Management discussion and analysis
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. Executive Summary We are a worldwide leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of process control tools that perform macro-defect inspection and metrology, lithography systems, and process control analytical software used by semiconductor and advanced packaging device manufacturers. We deliver comprehensive solutions throughout the semiconductor fabrication process with our families of proprietary products that provide critical yield-enhancing information, enabling microelectronic device manufacturers to drive down costs and time to market of their devices. We provide process and yield management solutions used in both wafer processing facilities, often referred to as “front-end” manufacturing, and in device packaging and test facilities, commonly referred to as “back-end” manufacturing.
Our advanced process control software portfolio includes powerful solutions for standalone tools, groups of tools, or factory-wide suites to enhance productivity and achieve significant cost savings. Our principal market is semiconductor capital equipment. Semiconductors packaged as ICs, or “chips,” are used in consumer electronics, server and enterprise systems, mobile computing (including smart phones and tablets), data storage devices, and embedded automotive and control systems. Our core focus is the measurement and control of the structure, composition, and geometry of semiconductor devices as they are fabricated on silicon wafers to improve device performance and manufacturing yields. Our products and services are used by our customers who manufacture many types of ICs for a multitude of applications, each having unique manufacturing challenges.
This includes ICs to enable information processing and management (logic ICs), memory storage (NAND, 3D-NAND, NOR, and DRAM), analog devices (e. g. , Wi-Fi and 5G radio ICs, power devices), MEMS sensor devices (accelerometers, pressure sensors, microphones), image sensors, and other end markets including components for AI, hard disk drives, LEDs, and power management. The semiconductor and electronics industries have also been characterized by constant technological innovation. We believe that, over the long term, our customers will continue to invest in advanced technologies and new materials to enable smaller design rules and higher density applications that fuel demand for process control equipment. The following table summarizes certain key financial information for the periods indicated below: Year Ended January 3, 2026 December 28, 2024 (in thousands, except for percentages and per share data) Revenue $ 1,005,263 $ 987,321 Gross profit $ 499,770 $ 515,308 Gross profit as a percent of revenue 49.
7 % 52. 2 % Total operating expenses $ 366,843 $ 328,205 Net income $ 136,759 $ 201,670 Diluted earnings per share $ 2. 78 $ 4. 06 • In fiscal 2025, revenue increased 2% compared to fiscal 2024, primarily due to higher sales to NAND and OSAT customers as well as revenue attributed to the acquired Semilab USA business, partially offset by lower sales to Foundry and DRAM customers. • Gross profit as a percentage of revenue decreased to 49. 7% for fiscal 2025 compared to 52.
2% for fiscal 2024. This was primarily driven by write-downs of excess and obsolete inventory, restructuring costs related to infrastructure transition and costs related to contract manufacturing set-up in fiscal 2025. • The increase in operating expenses in fiscal 2025 compared to fiscal 2024 was primarily due to increased restructuring expenses, transaction and amortization costs related to the acquisition of Semilab USA, research and development project costs and compensation cost. Our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities balance decreased to $639. 6 million at the end of fiscal 2025 from $852. 3 million at the end of fiscal 2024.
This decrease was primarily the result of cash used for acquisitions of $436. 1 million, purchases of common stock of $75. 0 million, capital expenditures of $28. 5 million, $13. 5 million for tax payments related to net share settlement of employee stock-based compensation plans and purchase of non-marketable equity securities of $8. 0 million, partially offset by $328.
3 million of cash generated from operating activities and $13. 4 million of cash from issuance of shares through share-based compensation plans. 35 In recent years, the U. S. government implemented additional export regulations for U. S.
semiconductor technology sold in China. We have applied for export licenses to continue doing business with our customers that are affected by the new export rules. However, the new export controls have resulted in lower net sales in China for fiscal 2025 compared to the prior fiscal years. For a discussion of the risks related to our business and operations, see Part I, Item 1A – Risk Factors of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Results of Operations The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our results of operations as percentages of our revenue. […]
Key risk disclosures
“Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-K. Actual results may differ materially and adversely from those included in such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect our position as of the date of this report and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. 1 PART I Item 1. Business. General Onto Innovation ® is a worldwide leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of metrology and inspection tools for the semiconductor industry, including process control tools that perform optical metrology and inspection on patterned and unpatterned wafers, including macro defect inspection of both 2D and 3D wafer features, wafer substrate and panel substrate lithography systems, and process control analytical software.
Our products are primarily used by silicon wafer manufacturers, semiconductor integrated circuit (“IC”) fabricators, and advanced packaging manufacturers operating in the semiconductor market. Our products are also used for process control in a number of other specialty device manufacturing markets, including light emitting diodes (“LED”), vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (“VCSEL”), micro-electromechanical systems (“MEMS”), CMOS image sensors (“CIS”), silicon and compound semiconductor (SiC and GaN) power devices, analog devices, RF filters, data storage, and certain industrial and scientific applications. We provide process and yield management solutions used in bare silicon wafer production and wafer processing facilities, often referred to as “front-end” manufacturing, and advanced packaging of chips and test facilities, or “back-end” manufacturing, through a portfolio of standalone systems for optical metrology, macro-defect inspection, packaging lithography, as well as transparent and opaque thin film measurements.
Our automated and integrated metrology systems measure critical dimensions, device structures, topography, shape, and various thin film compositions, including three-dimensional features and film thickness, as well as optical and material properties. Our primary areas of focus include products that provide critical yield-enhancing and actionable information, which is used by microelectronic device manufacturers to improve yield and time to market of their next-generation devices. Our systems feature sophisticated software and production-worthy automation. In addition, our advanced process control software portfolio includes powerful solutions for standalone tools, groups of tools, and factory-wide and enterprise-wide suites to enhance productivity and achieve significant cost savings. Our systems are backed by worldwide customer service and applications support.
Semilab USA Acquisition In the fourth quarter of 2025, the Company acquired Semilab USA, which was a subsidiary of Semilab International Zrt. , which added three advanced product lines—FAaST ® , CnCV ® and MBIR—to Onto Innovation’s portfolio, enhancing the Company’s capabilities in inline wafer contamination monitoring, materials characterization and unique surface charge metrology. For more information regarding these product lines, please see “Onto Innovation’s Products” below. Industry Background We participate in the sale, design, manufacture, marketing and support of process control systems across all major segments of the semiconductor industry for optical critical dimension (“OCD”) metrology, thin film metrology, silicon wafer inspection, including 2D and 3D macro inspection and lithography tools for advanced packaging and advanced analytical software for semiconductor manufacturing as well as inspection systems for certain industrial applications and scientific research.
Our principal market is semiconductor capital equipment. Semiconductors packaged as ICs, or “chips”, are used in consumer electronics, server and enterprise systems, mobile computing (including smart phones and tablets), data storage devices, and embedded automotive and control systems. Our core focus is the measurement and control of the structure, composition, and geometry of semiconductor devices as they are fabricated on silicon wafers to improve device performance and manufacturing yields. Our end customers manufacture many types of ICs for a multitude of applications, each having unique manufacturing challenges. This includes ICs to enable information processing and management (logic ICs), memory storage (NAND, 3D-NAND, and DRAM), analog devices (e. g.
, Wi-Fi and 5G radio ICs, power devices), MEMS sensor devices (accelerometers, pressure sensors, microphones), CMOS image sensors, and other specialty end markets including components for hard disk drives, LEDs, and power management devices. Markets Advanced Nodes. “Advanced nodes” refers to leading-edge ICs where the sizes of transistors and other features continue to shrink. Advanced nodes are associated with transistor dimensions less than 10 nanometers (nm), with the most advanced logic devices now in production using 3nm and 2nm transistor dimensions. Our metrology systems used to measure and characterize these small features are generally purchased when a customer is beginning development at a new, smaller node, in order to set up and test new manufacturing equipment being installed for production at the new node. […]
Source and methodology
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