Merck Korea (CEO Dr. Woo-Kyu Kim), a leading science and technology company, is expected to strengthen its optical technology capabilities within its existing display business unit by developing new products in the field of optoelectronics as it completes the acquisition of UnitySC.

Merck recently announced that it has completed the acquisition of UnitySC for a total acquisition price of €155 million, including additional milestone-based payments.

With this acquisition, Merck intends to solidify the strategic integration between its Display and Semiconductor business units and strengthen the strategic focus of its Electronics business on semiconductor industry solutions.

Kai Beckmann, Member of the Merck Executive Board and CEO Electronics, said: “As the industry moves towards increasingly complex and integrated systems, the need for comprehensive end-to-end solutions and precise measurement and inspection tools has become increasingly important. With the acquisition of the Optronics business and UnitySC, Merck has significantly expanded its portfolio by adding measurement solutions for semiconductor and optoelectronic manufacturing. “This convergence expands Merck’s capabilities in the electronics ecosystem, where materials science, supply, measurement and inspection work organically together to drive efficiency and reliability in the production of next-generation chips and devices,” he emphasized.

The acquisition of UnitySC is a significant step forward for Merck to strengthen and complement its expertise in optical technologies.

Merck’s Display Solutions business unit will operate under the name “Optronics” from 2025, symbolizing the expansion of its core business capabilities by harnessing the transformative power of light to completely transform the ecosystem of electronic devices and systems.

The name Optronics signifies the evolution from the existing display-centered business to cutting-edge optical technology for the electronics field. In the future, Merck Electronics business plans to lead the convergence of optics and semiconductors based on its deep expertise in optical physics accumulated through its experience in LCD and OLED displays to meet next-generation technology demands.

Based on its strong capabilities and expertise ranging from expertise in optical material systems to semiconductor device components, Merck plans to explore business opportunities in optical technology-based semiconductor chips, which are the core of next-generation computing technology that can be implemented only with light-based data lines, through its Optronics division.

The development of advanced liquid crystal (LC) and OLED materials, which will play a key role in optoelectronic solutions in the future field of Augmented Reality (AR), remains an important part of Merck's portfolio.

Merck plans to create unique synergies by combining its specialized optoelectronics and semiconductor knowledge with cutting-edge measurement technology to address essential core technologies in the future electronics field.

UnitySC is a leading provider of high-performance computing (HPC) and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) applications.Provider of measurement and inspection solutions to improve the quality, yield, and manufacturing cost of heterogeneous integrated semiconductor systems used in the field.

In this regard, UnitySC's highly precise measurement and inspection equipment is expected to enable high-performance chip manufacturing in the most demanding applications such as AI data centers, autonomous vehicles, and electronic devices such as smartphones.

The acquisition of UnitySC has been completed following receipt of regulatory approvals and satisfaction of closing conditions.

UnitySC is headquartered in Montbonno-Saint-Martin, near Grenoble, France, and has around 160 employees, 70 of whom are in research and development.

With this acquisition, Unity SC employees will join Merck’s Electronics business unit, which has approximately 8,000 employees, sharing Merck’s values and completing the broad Merck portfolio for the semiconductor industry.