Nova

Nova Ltd. (formerly Nova Measuring Instruments) was founded in Rehovot in 1993 by Dr. Giora Dishon and Dr. Moshe Finarov. The company develops and manufactures metrology (measurement) solutions for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Nova went public on the Nasdaq in 2000 under the ticker NVMI, and its shares are dual-listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Gaby Fisman assumed the role of President and CEO in 2023, succeeding Eitan Oppenhaim who transitioned to Chairman of the Board. The company employs roughly 1,200 people globally. In 2022, Nova expanded its chemical metrology capabilities by acquiring the German company ancosys GmbH for approximately $90M.

Nova's core business revolves around process control systems for semiconductor fabrication plants (fabs). The systems combine high-precision optical and X-ray hardware with machine learning software to measure the physical dimensions, material properties, and chemical composition of silicon wafers during production. These precise measurements are critical for identifying process deviations and optimizing yields in complex 3D semiconductor architectures like FinFET, Gate-All-Around (GAA), and 3D NAND. Nova sells directly to global tier-one semiconductor manufacturers, providing both integrated metrology (modules built directly into chemical mechanical polishing or etch equipment) and stand-alone metrology systems.

Nova's product portfolio is divided into optical, X-ray, and chemical metrology platforms. The optical CD (Critical Dimension) systems, such as the Nova PRISM family, use physics-based algorithms to model complex 3D structures. Through its 2015 acquisition of ReVera, Nova incorporated X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technologies to measure ultra-thin films and atomic material composition. The company's software suite includes the Nova MARS modeling engine and the Nova FIT machine learning platform, which aggregate measurement data from multiple sensors to accelerate recipe development times for fab engineers.

Nova operates in the consolidated semiconductor process control market. Its primary direct competitors are KLA, which holds the largest market share in process control, Onto Innovation (formed by the merger of Nanometrics and Rudolph Technologies), and Applied Materials. Historically, Nova established a dominant niche in integrated metrology for CMP processes, and has successfully expanded into stand-alone dimensional and materials metrology, capturing market share among top logic and memory foundries. The company benefits from macro sector tailwinds driven by the growing complexity of semiconductor architectures and the global push to construct new fabrication facilities.

Nova's global headquarters, principal R&D center, and main manufacturing operations are located in the Kiryat Weizmann Science Park in Rehovot, Israel. Out of its approximately 1,200 global employees, a significant portion is based in the Rehovot campus, encompassing mechanical, optical, and software engineering, as well as physics research. In Israel, the company frequently hires algorithm developers, physicists, computer vision experts, and hardware engineers, heavily recruiting from local universities and IDF technology units.