MICROWORLD

What MICROWORLD does

MICROWORLD is a privately-held French distributor, founded in 1991 and headquartered in Le Fontanil-Cornillon near Grenoble (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes). The firm specializes in semiconductor characterization and testing equipment, operating with 11 employees from a single French site while claiming a global direct-sales footprint. Its catalog aggregates more than 1,000 product references drawn from world-leading OEMs, organized into four product families: layer characterization (four-point probe systems and Hall effect measurement systems using the Van der Pauw method, including high-temperature and photonic variants), probe testing (manual and semi-automatic probe stations from 4" to 12" wafers, supporting DC, RF up to 110 GHz, HV up to 10 kV, and low-current fA measurements), back-end processing (UV curing systems, dicing blades, film mounters, die matrix expanders, and consumables), and component testing (thermal chucks from -65°C to 300°C+). Microworld configures these OEM systems to customer specification sheets, integrating Keithley source-measure units, Motic cameras, NIST-traceable calibration wafers, and ERS-Electronic thermal chucks into turn-key installations.

The company's revenue model is hardware-led: one-time sales of equipment and systems, recurring sales of accessories and consumables (over 1,000 references), and technical services covering installation, field service, and maintenance contracts. Pricing is fully quote-based with no public list prices; customers engage technical-commercial specialists via a request-for-quote workflow on the bilingual FR/EN website. The firm serves semiconductor device manufacturers working with silicon, SiC, GaN, and GaAs materials as the primary segment, with secondary exposure to academic and government research laboratories and aerospace/defense applications requiring high-reliability component characterization. Distribution is direct to enterprise buyers, with consultative selling rather than channel partners, and the firm operates without disclosed outside investors, M&A activity, or leadership transitions.

Name

MICROWORLD

Legal name

Microworld

Website

https://microworld.eu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MICROWORLD is a privately-held French distributor founded in 1991, supplying semiconductor characterization, probe testing, and back-end processing equipment from world-leading OEMs to device manufacturers, research labs, and aerospace/defense customers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor Test Equipment

NAICS

Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Metrology & Dimensional Measurement (CMMs, laser trackers, gauges, surface/roughness) (IMAGAFAD)

Keywords

• Semiconductor test equipment
• Hall effect measurement
• Four-point probe systems
• Wafer probe stations
• Semiconductor characterization

Headquarters

HQ city

Le Fontanil-Cornillon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Equipment and Systems Sales: Sale of characterization and test equipment including four-point probe systems, Hall effect measurement systems, probe stations, and back-end processing equipment. The company offers turn-key solutions configured to customer specifications.
2. Accessories and Consumables: Sales of complementary accessories including probe tips, micropositioners, microscopes, thermal controllers, as well as consumables such as dicing tapes, calibration wafers, and film frames. Catalog of more than 1000 references.
3. Technical Services: Turn-key installation, on-site field service, maintenance contracts, and technical follow-up services for delivered equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

MICROWORLD distributes and integrates semiconductor characterization and test equipment, supplying Hall effect measurement systems, four-point probe systems, manual and semi-automatic probe stations, and back-end processing equipment sourced from leading measurement-instrument manufacturers. The company offers these as a curated portfolio of 1,000+ catalog references, bundled with technical services, installation support, and turn-key configuration for semiconductor device makers, research laboratories, and universities.

Product overview

MICROWORLD is a distributor and supplier of semiconductor testing and characterization equipment, offering a comprehensive portfolio of hardware solutions for electrical materials characterization and testing in laboratory and production environments. The product portfolio spans four main categories: (1) Layer Characterization systems including four-point probe systems (QUADPRO2A, QUADPRO2M, MW-Pack4PP, S302, S303) and Hall effect measurement systems (HMS3000, HMS5000, HMS5300, HMS5500, HMS7000) along with calibration wafers (SRS3, SRS8, SRS12); (2) Probe Testing equipment including manual and semi-automatic probe stations (CM210, CM250, S1160B-8N, H150, WL250-LE, WL1160B-8N), accessories (micropositioners S725HT, SM40, probe holders UP/US/UxTB/UxGB, test probes PTG20), thermal controllers (S1080), microscopes (SMZ171), cameras (MOTICAM1080X), and dark boxes (D3); (3) Back-end Processing equipment including UV curing systems (UH104), die matrix expanders (UH130), film mounters (UH114, UH115), dicing blades (LR3), and consumables (UV tapes F20, standard tapes F07, film frames FF, grip rings AP); (4) Component Testing including thermal chucks (ERS-AC3). The company offers over 1000 catalog references and provides turn-key solutions with installation, testing, acceptance, field service, and maintenance contracts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hall Effect Measurement Systems

Quantifiable outcome

• Custom turn-key solutions configured to customer specifications with installation, test, and acceptance.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ERS-ElectroniccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMicroworld distributes ERS products including thermal chucks (AC3 series) for probe stations, offering temperature characterization from -65°C to 300°C with patented air cooling technology, triaxial chuck options for femtoamp measurements, high voltage and non-magnetic variants.
• MoticminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMicroworld distributes Motic digital cameras (MOTICAM1080X) compatible with trinocular microscopes for probe stations, featuring 2MP resolution, USB/HDMI/WIFI connectivity, and C-mount for direct vision on monitors.
• World-Leading Equipment ManufacturerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMicroworld represents a selection of products manufactured by world leaders in semiconductor characterization and testing equipment. The company serves as a distributor for major international manufacturers of probe stations, measurement systems, and related accessories.
• Keithley InstrumentscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMicroworld integrates Keithley measurement instruments (e.g., Keithley 2450, 2635B) into their four-point probe systems for V/I measurement, sheet resistance, resistivity, and mapping applications.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ERS Electronic: Manufacturer of thermal chucks (AC3 series) for probe stations that Microworld distributes in France. A direct upstream supplier and adjacent competitor on integrated temperature-controlled test platforms.
• Keysight Technologies: Broad test and measurement incumbent supplying source-measure units, oscilloscopes, and parametric test solutions. Microworld even integrates Keithley (now part of Keysight) instruments, illustrating direct overlap in customer workflows.
• Tektronix (Fortive): Major test-and-measurement brand offering oscilloscopes, source-measure units, and probes. Overlaps with Microworld's broader electrical-measurement toolkit for semiconductor labs.
• KLA Corporation: Semiconductor process control and yield-management giant offering inspection, metrology, and electrical test platforms that compete in the same customer environments as Microworld's distribution and integration portfolio.
• Accretech (Tokyo Seimitsu): Diversified semiconductor equipment manufacturer offering probe stations, dicing saws, and back-end tools — directly comparable to Microworld's combined probe-testing and back-end processing distribution portfolio.

Direct peers

• Lake Shore Cryotronics: Supplier of Hall effect measurement systems, cryogenic probe stations, and materials characterization instruments — directly comparable to Microworld's HMS series and variable-temperature electrical measurement offerings.
• FormFactor (Cascade Microtech): Global leader in semiconductor probe stations and electrical characterization, including the legacy Cascade Microtech portfolio (CM, Summit, PA series). Directly comparable as a supplier of wafer-level DC/RF probe stations and parametric test solutions to fabs and labs.
• Signatone: US-based manufacturer of manual and semi-automatic probe stations, including the WL, S, and CM product lines — extremely close overlap with Microworld's CM210, WL250, and H150 series.
• SUSS MicroTec: Manufacturer of manual and semi-automatic probe stations, UV curing systems, and back-end processing equipment (dicing, bonding) — overlapping with Microworld's full product portfolio across probe testing and back-end processes.

Emerging players

• SemiProbe: Specialty provider of probe systems for advanced applications including cryogenic, RF, and high-power testing — overlapping with Microworld's high-frequency and variable-temperature probe-station offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/microworld-france

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MICROWORLD