ONTO INNOVATION INC. - Annual Report: 2022 (Form 10-K)

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the Fiscal Year Ended January 1, 2022 

OR

For the transition period from          to

Commission File No. 001-39110

ONTO INNOVATION INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

16 Jonspin Road, Wilmington, MA 01887

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (978) 253-6200

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT:

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT:

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes ☒     No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  Yes ☐     No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes ☒     No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).  Yes ☒     No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.:

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.   ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).  Yes ☐     No ☒

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $3,504,224,185 based on the closing price of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on June 25, 2021.

The number of shares of the registrant’s Common Stock outstanding as of February 8, 2022 was 49,359,739.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K incorporate by reference information from the definitive proxy statement for the registrant’s annual meeting of stockholders scheduled to be held on May 10, 2022.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Form 10-K”), or incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K, of Onto Innovation Inc. (referred to in this Form 10-K, together with its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise specified or suggested by the context, as the “Company,” “Onto Innovation,” “we,” “our” or “us”) may be considered “forward-looking statements” or may be based on “forward-looking statements,” including, but not limited to, those concerning:

Statements contained or incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and are subject to safe harbors created under Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as, but not limited to, “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “should,” “may,” “could,” “will,” “would,” “forecast,” “project” and words or phrases of similar meaning, as they relate to our management or us.

Forward-looking statements contained herein reflect our current expectations, assumptions and projections with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, such as those identified in Part I, Item 1A. “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

Table of Contents

PART I

General

Onto Innovation is a worldwide leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of process control tools that perform macro-defect inspection and 2D/3D optical metrology, lithography systems, and process control analytical software used by bare silicon wafer manufacturers, semiconductor wafer fabricators, and advanced packaging manufacturers. Our products are also used for process control in a number of other high technology markets, including manufacturing of light emitting diodes (“LED”), vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (“VCSEL”), micro-electromechanical systems (“MEMS”), CMOS image sensors (“CIS”), compound semiconductor (SiC and GaN) power devices, RF filters and modules, 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, probe card test and analysis, 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, electrical and material properties. Our primary area of focus are products that provide critical yield-enhancing and actionable information, which is used by microelectronic device manufacturers to drive down scrap costs and to decrease the 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, 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.

2019 Merger

On October 25, 2019, we became Onto Innovation Inc. upon the effectiveness of the merger (the “2019 Merger”) between Nanometrics Incorporated (“Nanometrics”) and Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (“Rudolph”).  We accounted for the 2019 Merger as a reverse acquisition using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). GAAP requires that either Nanometrics or Rudolph is designated as the acquirer for accounting and financial reporting purposes (“Accounting Acquirer”). Based on the evidence available, Rudolph was designated as the Accounting Acquirer while Nanometrics was the acquirer for legal purposes. Therefore, Rudolph’s historical results of operations replaced Nanometrics’ historical results of operations for all periods prior to the 2019 Merger. See Note 3 in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K for more details regarding the 2019 Merger. However, ONTO stock price and volumes prior to October 25, 2019 are Nanometrics (NANO) stock data.

Key Events in Fiscal 2021

Business Combination.  In the first quarter of 2021, the Company acquired Inspectrology, LLC, a supplier of overlay metrology for controlling lithography and etch processes in the compound semiconductor market.  The purchase consideration consisted of $24.0 million in cash paid at closing and an earnout subject to achievement of certain revenue targets earned for fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2022.  As of January 1, 2022, $2.3 million of the earnout has been achieved with potential for up to an additional payment of $5.0 million based on fiscal 2022 results.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Our Business. To date, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the way that we conduct business but has not had a material adverse impact on our operations.  We have not experienced significant delays in customer deliveries, but we are impacted by the global shortage in electronic components and our supply chain is strained in some cases as the availability of materials, logistics and freight options are challenging in many jurisdictions.  The ultimate extent to which COVID-19 will impact our business depends on future developments, which are highly uncertain and very difficult to predict, including the effectiveness and utilization of vaccines for COVID-19 and its variants, new information that may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and its variants, and actions to contain or limit their spread.

Industry Background

We participate in the sale, design, manufacture, marketing and support of process control systems for optical critical dimension (“OCD”) metrology, thin film metrology, silicon wafer inspection, 2D and 3D macro inspection and lithography tools for advanced packaging and advanced analytical software for semiconductor manufacturing as well as inspection systems

2

Table of Contents

for certain industrial applications and scientific research. Our principal market is semiconductor capital equipment.  Semiconductors packaged as integrated circuits, 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 integrated circuits for a multitude of applications, each having unique manufacturing challenges. This includes integrated circuits to enable information processing and management (logic integrated circuits), memory storage (NAND, 3D-NAND, and DRAM), analog devices (e.g., Wi-Fi and 5G radio integrated circuits, 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.

Current Trends

Business Environment

Our metrology systems and software are primarily used for controlling certain manufacturing processes utilized in the production of advanced, or leading-edge, wafer designs. The shrinking of features such as the constituents that form a single transistor are known as node reductions. The numeric identification of a specific node usually refers to a dimension associated with one of the transistor’s constituents. Advanced nodes are associated with transistor dimensions less than 16nm.  One of our largest customers produces advanced nodes as small as 5nm and began pre-production of 3nm in 2021. Our metrology systems used to measure and characterize these small features are generally purchased when a customer is beginning to manufacture at a new, smaller node, in order to set up and test new manufacturing equipment being installed for 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 manufacturing capacity is required to meet production demands. Therefore, our sales to customers for advanced nodes is generally higher when manufacturing lines for new nodes are being established and may not represent continuous sales revenue until our initial systems reach high levels of utilization driven by the need for greater capacity. 

Our inspection systems, lithography systems, and software are primarily used for processing and inspecting advanced packaging associated with the back-end manufacturing. The advanced packaging techniques represent a very wide variety of assembly methods in order to connect individual chips to a larger PC board, or connecting a group of chips together to form a “system in a package” (“SIP”), also known as heterogeneous integration (“HI”), or chiplets. Many of these advanced packages require lithographic imaging to produce copper interconnections between the chip and the PC Board or between chips in the case of SIP or HI advanced packages. Our inspection systems and software are used for process control and detection of potential reliability failures in nearly all of these packages. Unlike the cyclical nature of our metrology equipment associated with node shrinks, our sales revenue for advanced packaging is generally driven by assembly volumes. Inspection rates for advanced packages are high throughout the assembly process to avoid a single defective chip from being assembled into a relatively expensive package, making the inspection process control systems attach rates quite linear with production volumes of these devices. The introduction of 5G handsets and high-performance computing (“HPC”) continue to drive demand for advanced packaging; however, macroeconomic conditions, including COVID-19 and U.S-China trade disputes could curtail demand for higher volumes in the future. 

In 2020, a significant portion of the global workforce began working from home as part of corporate efforts to isolate and protect workers from COVID-19. This transition resulted in extremely high usage of data centers and cloud processing that drove higher demand for increased memory and HPC devices. In addition, wireless 5G networks drove demand for new 5G phones in 2021. That demand is expected to continue in the first half of 2022 as new phones from Apple and Samsung were introduced to the market in 2021. The building of the 5G network over the next several years will also bring more machine-to-machine communications. These macro-drivers will increase the need for semiconductors and advanced packaging to deliver higher computing power in a single package and faster speeds for memory and logic devices, while reducing power consumption and cost. Such advances are generally achieved by node reductions/shrinks and by advanced packaging for high bandwidth memory and HI packaging. As discussed above, these trends in front-end and back-end manufacturing complexity are driving the demand for sophisticated metrology and inspection systems in order to achieve the semiconductor performance required while achieving a profitable manufacturing yield.  

Since the first fiscal quarter of 2020, Onto Innovation has launched eight new products that include five new metrology systems, one new macro defect inspection system, a panel lithography tool and a new metrology software engine. These new products were introduced as logic IDMs and foundries were increasing their capacity while following aggressive plans to transition their manufacturing to smaller nodes. Other customer interactions at memory and specialty device manufacturers as well as providers of advanced packaging centered around satisfying the immediate demand for these devices with our existing product portfolio, while partnering with R&D groups to prepare for the process controls needed for the next generation of

3

Table of Contents

semiconductors and packaging that will require the latest systems from Onto Innovation. We believe our strong engineering teams have delivered, and will continue to deliver, new products to our customers, followed by our field engineers providing customer support, while simultaneously achieving our gross and operating margin targets that were established in our long-term operating models. Revenues in the four quarters of 2021 increased sequentially as customers transitioned to advanced nodes and increased advanced packaging volumes, and the Company was able to achieve operating margins and earnings at the high end of our quarterly guidance and analysts’ estimates. 

Markets

Advanced Nodes. refers to leading-edge integrated circuits where the feature sizes of transistors and other features continue to shrink in specified steps, or nodes measured in nanometers (nm). Demand for our products continues to be driven by our customers' desire for higher overall chip performance without increasing the chip size, while improving power efficiency, logic processing capability, data storage volume and manufacturing yield. To achieve these goals, our customers have increased their use of more complex materials and processing methods in their manufacturing flow. The primary paths for performance gains are geometric scaling, known as node shrinks, or scaling of transistor dimensions. In some cases, our customers are implementing new materials and methods in high volume manufacturing, including materials and device architectures to reduce power consumption, and stacked devices. To scale NAND memory, a 3D stacking architecture has been implemented at several customers with more than 150 storage cell layers for devices in production. Additional innovation continues in Data Storage, Power Devices, MEMS, and Image Sensors. We believe the use of these new materials and manufacturing methods has increased demand for our products such as the Atlas^® product line that is capable of measuring these advanced nodes as certain features shrink to 7nm, 5nm and 3nm.  

To shrink features, new methods, including multiple patterning lithography and extreme ultra-violet (“EUV”) lithography, have been developed. The EUV process is driving significantly higher requirements for the silicon wafers that are entering the EUV chamber. Small, particles on the backside of the wafer measuring a few micrometers (microns) can distort the images being projected onto the top side. The NovusEdge^® inspection tool has been installed at major silicon wafer manufacturers to detect backside contamination and edge cracking as a final quality control mechanism before wafers are shipped to the semiconductor fabrication processes. The top side of wafers used for the EUV process is covered with an epitaxial layer, which must also be scanned for any impurities. This compositional analysis is measured using our Element^® system using Fourier Transform Infrared (“FTIR”) algorithms.   

Advanced Packaging. refers to a variety of technologies that enable the miniaturization of electronic products, such as portable consumer devices, including smartphones, watches, and tablets. Historically, integrated circuit packaging refers to the final stage of semiconductor device fabrication, in which a single circuit made from semiconducting material (a die or chip) is encased in a molded package using small wires to provide connections to a carrier that can be soldered to a printed circuit board and also prevents physical damage and corrosion to the chip.  Advanced Packaging refers loosely to the multi-layer conductors and chip structures (other than wires) that often interconnect multiple die, feed them with electric power and create signal paths to and from the PC board, dissipate their heat, and protect them from damage.  Today, the drive to pack more functions into a small space and reduce their power requirements demands that chip packages do much more than ever before to combine multiple chips and functions into a single molded package.  

One example of the technology used in Advanced Packaging is the 3D integration of semiconductors. This technology involves stacking individual chips in one integrated package. Through-silicon vias (“TSVs”) are vertical copper interconnects that are embedded from the bottom surface of a die to the top surface and uses small copper/solder “bumps” to connect one chip to another, which allows power and communication to be shared among the individually stacked components. This offers the advantages of shorter signal paths and, in turn, reduced power consumption, enhanced bandwidths, integration of heterogeneous components such as memory and logic chips, and smaller surface area. The processes required for 3D integration vary from one manufacturer to another and many continue to be optimized for yield and to ensure the functioning of individual stacked chips. 

Heterogeneous packages are another advanced packaging technology using copper pillars/bumps to vertically connect a wide variety of stacked die for 2.5D, and 3D integration techniques as well as horizontally connected chips and are considered the next disruptive technology for several reasons. First, heterogeneous integrated packages using 3D stacking can significantly reduce the space needed inside an electronic device, such as a smartphone, by combining multiple chips/functions into a single package, often called a System-in-Package (“SIP”). Next, it improves the system’s performance by reducing power and signal conductor lengths, which previously were routed from package to package through a printed circuit (“PC”) board. Using thin redistribution layers (“RDLs”) to connect chips that are side-by-side or “fan out” power and signal connections to the larger contacts on the PC board, which accounts for 35 percent of the packaging cost. Lastly, the technology is currently considered the preferred vehicle for next generation uses, such as SIP, and package on package formats.  As a result of the small overall form factor, heterogeneous integrated packages provide the functionality needed in high-end mobile and wearable products. 

4

Table of Contents

The current and projected adoption of smart mobile devices with designed-in capability to enable multiple functions in a single device continues to grow.  There are no longer single function devices, but instead, a combined single device provides multiple functions such as phone, GPS, camera, and internet browser.  Aided by a myriad of available “apps,” the potential uses seem endless. As a result, these added functions in mobile products are driving semiconductor advanced packaging and display manufacturers to implement next-generation technologies, such as 5G communications, to meet these requirements. These technology shifts encompass multiple high-value process steps that are creating opportunities for our solutions. 

​Panel Manufacturing. One current process to manufacture advanced packaging involves attaching known good die to a 300mm wafer, used as a temporary carrier when adding components such as RDLs and copper pillars.  SIP packages can often contain side-by-side die, meaning the package can be large and limit the number of packages being placed on a reconstituted wafer. In order to meet the growing demand at reduced average selling prices, manufacturers are looking to scalable technology. Advanced packaging facilities looking to improve Cost of Ownership (“CoO”) and increase productivity are transitioning from 300mm wafers to large rectangular panels, which can be as large as 600mm x 600mm. This larger size enables companies manufacturing large area packages to increase the number of devices being processed at each step as they are no longer limited to operating within the constraints of a round wafer. By responding to market opportunities and addressing the stringent demands of customers’ technical roadmaps, we believe that Onto Innovation is optimally positioned to capitalize on the emerging market of high-volume panel manufacturing.  For example, the JetStep^® X500 lithography system, having emerged from the flat panel display market, is readily capable of processing RDLs on organic laminate panels in the semiconductor advanced packaging market. The Firefly^® series, designed for high resolution inspection, can provide defect detection and location information to the JetStep X500 tool for each die, which greatly improves lithography throughput using our exclusive StepFAST™ process. It also delivers a combination of defect classification and process throughput in a single software platform. It reduces capital investment requirements and provides a reliable pathway to transition from wafer to panel-based processes.

Technology

We believe that our expertise in our core technologies of optics and software and our combined investment in research and development will enable us to rapidly develop new technologies and products as we have demonstrated over the past two years of operation in order to quickly respond to emerging industry trends and competitive challenges. The breadth of our technology enables us to offer a diverse combination of process and process control solutions. Unique features have been designed into our lithography systems to meet our customers’ changing process requirements. Our metrology and inspection technologies provide process control for the majority of advanced node wafers processed today in a semiconductor wafer fab. In front-end processes, OCD metrology, thin film metrology, wafer stress metrology and macro defect detection and classification technologies allow yield enhancement for critical processes such as photolithography, diffusion, etch, chemical mechanical planarization (“CMP”) and outgoing quality control. Within the back-end manufacturing processes, our 2D/3D advanced macro defect inspection provides our customers with critical quality assurance and process information. Defects may be created during probing, bumping, dicing, assembly processes (RDLs, TSVs, copper pillars, etc.) or general handling and can have a major impact on device and process quality. Lastly, we turn the gathered data into useful knowledge for our customers to make yield-enhancing decisions, which lower their scrap cost and environmental impact and improve their margins. 

Onto Innovation’s Products

Automated Metrology Systems. Our automated systems primarily consist of fully automated metrology systems that are employed in semiconductor production environments. The Atlas family of products represents our line of high-performance metrology systems providing OCD and thin film metrology and wafer stress metrology for transistor and interconnect metrology applications. The thin film and OCD technology is supported by our NanoCD™ suite of solutions including our latest introduction AI Diffract™ software, SpectraProbe™ software and NanoGen™ scalable computing engine that enables visualization, modeling, and analysis of complex structures. 

AI Diffract is a modeling, visualization and analysis software that takes signals from the metrology systems, providing critical dimension, thickness, and optical properties from in-line measurements. The software has an intuitive three-dimensional modeling interface to provide visualization of today’s advanced and complex semiconductor devices. There are proprietary fitting algorithms in AI Diffract that enable very accurate and very fast calculations for signal processing for high fidelity model-based measurements. SpectraProbe is a model-less fitting engine that enables fast time to solution for in-line excursion detection and control. SpectraProbe complements the high-fidelity modeling of AI Diffract with a simple machine learning interface for rapid recipe deployment. The software is supported by NanoGen, an enterprise scale computing hardware system that is deployed to run the computing intensive analysis software. NanoGen leverages commercial server chips and networking architecture and is optimized to support the workload of AI Diffract and SpectraProbe analysis.    

5

Table of Contents

Integrated Metrology Systems. Our integrated metrology (“IM”) systems are installed directly onto wafer processing equipment to provide near real-time measurements for improved process control and maximum throughput. Our IM systems are sold directly to end user customers. The IMPULSE^® family of products includes the latest technology for OCD, and thin film metrology, and have been successfully qualified on numerous independent Wafer Fabrication Equipment Suppliers’ platforms. 

Silicon Wafer All-surface Inspection/Characterization. “All-surface” refers to inspection of the wafer frontside, edge, and backside as well as wafer’s locator notch. The edge inspection process focuses on the area near the wafer edge, an area that poses difficulty for traditional wafer frontside inspection technology due to its varied topography and process variation. Edge bevel inspection looks for defects on the side edge of a wafer. Edge bead removal and edge exclusion metrology involve a topside surface measurement required exclusively in the lithography process, primarily to determine if wafers have been properly aligned for the edge exclusion region. The primary reason for wafer backside inspection is to determine if contamination has been created that may spread throughout the wafer fab. For instance, it is critical that the wafer backside be free of defects prior to the EUV lithography process to prevent focus and exposure problems on the wafer frontside. 

 Our materials characterization products include systems that are used to monitor the physical, optical, electrical and material characteristics of discrete electronic industry, opto-electronic, HB-LED (high brightness LEDs), solar PV (solar photovoltaics), compound semiconductor, strained silicon and silicon-on-insulator (“SOI”) devices, including composition, crystal structure, layer thickness, dopant concentration, contamination and electron mobility.  

 We have a broad portfolio of products for materials characterization including photoluminescence mapping and Fourier Transform Infrared (“FTIR”) spectroscope in automated and manual systems for substrate quality and epitaxial thickness metrology. The NanoSpec^® line supports thin film measurement across all applications in both low volume production and research applications.  

Macro Defect Inspection. Chip manufacturers deploy advanced macro defect inspection throughout the production line to monitor key process steps, gather process-enhancing information and ultimately, lower manufacturing costs. Field-established tools such as the F30™, NSX^®, and the latest Dragonfly^® G3 inspection systems are found in the wafer fab (front-end) and packaging (back-end) facilities around the world. These high-speed tools incorporate features such as wafer-less recipe creation, tool-to-tool correlation and multiple inspection resolutions. Using Discover^® yield management software, the vast amounts of data gathered through automated inspection can be analyzed and classified to determine trends and locate root causes that directly affect yield. 

Automated Defect Classification and Pattern Analysis. Automating the defect detection and classification process is best done by a system that can mimic, or even extend, the response of the human eye, but at a much higher speed, with higher resolution and more consistency. To do this, our systems capture full-color whole wafer images using simultaneous dark and bright field illumination. The resulting bright and dark field images are compared to those from an “ideal” wafer having no defects. When a difference is detected, its image is broken down into mathematical vectors that allow rapid and accurate comparison with a library of known classified defects stored in the tool’s database. Patented and proprietary enhancements of this approach enable very fast and highly repeatable image classification. The system is pre-programmed with an extensive library of local, global, and color defects and can also store a virtually unlimited amount of new defect classes. This allows customers to define defects based on their existing defect classification system, provides more reliable automated rework decisions and enables more accurate statistical process control data. Reviewing defects off-line enables automated inspection systems to maintain their utilization for high throughput inspection. Using defect image files captured by automated inspection systems, operators are able to view high-resolution defect images to determine defects that cause catastrophic failure of a device, known as killer defects. Combining the review process with classifying defects enables faster analysis by grouping defects found together as one larger defect, a scratch for example, and defects of similar types across a wafer lot to be grouped based on size, repeating defects, and other user-defined specifications. 

Yield Analysis. Using wafer maps, charts and graphs, the massive amounts of data gathered through automated inspection can be analyzed to determine trends across bumps, die, wafers and lots. This analysis may determine where a process variation or deviation has occurred, allowing process engineers to make corrections or enhancements to increase yields. Defect data analysis is performed to identify, analyze and locate the source of defects and other manufacturing process excursions. Using either a single wafer map or a composite map created from multiple wafer maps, this analysis enables identification of defect patterns and distribution. When combined with inspection data from inspection points -placed strategically, this analysis may pinpoint the source of the defects so corrective action can be taken. 

Opaque Film Metrology. The MetaPULSE^® systems allow customers to simultaneously measure the thickness and other properties of up to six metal or non-metallic opaque film layers without physically contacting product wafers. PULSE^® technology uses an ultra-fast laser to generate acoustic waves that pass down through a stack of opaque films such as those used in copper or aluminum interconnect processes, as well as the hard mask layer in 3D NAND chips, sending back to the

6

Table of Contents

surface a reflected signal (echo) that indicates film thickness, density, and other process critical parameters. We believe we are a leader in providing systems that can measure opaque thin-film stacks non-destructively with the speed and accuracy semiconductor device manufacturers demand in order to achieve high yields with the latest fabrication processes. The technology is ideal for characterizing copper interconnect structures. The MetaPULSE systems, used initially for fast and accurate measurements of metal interconnect in front-end wafer fabs, have now been chosen by back-end manufacturers to perform system measurements in new process applications such as RF filters and modules, driven by the need for on-product metrology as feature sizes decrease and pattern densities increase. 

Probe Card Test and Analysis. The combination of fast 3D-OCM (optical comparative metrology) technology with improved testing accuracy and repeatability is designed to reduce total test time for even the most advanced large area probe cards. The 3D capabilities enable users to analyze probe marks and probe tips in a rapid and information-rich format. 

 Industrial, Scientific, and Research Markets ― 4D Technology.  The 4D business offers a line of interferometry systems for the measurement and inspection of high precision surfaces. End markets include high precision optics surfaces and components, aerospace and defense components, and unique research and scientific instrumentation that requires the unique high-speed results of the 4D systems.  

Advanced Packaging Lithography.  Our lithography steppers use projection optics to expose circuit patterns from a mask or reticle onto a substrate to expose images with optimal fidelity. These systems employ a bright light that is transmitted through a mask or reticle containing display circuit patterns. Substrates are aligned on the system and the mask is imaged through a projection lens onto photoresist material coated on the substrate. The substrate is then moved, or “stepped,” to a second position to expose an adjacent area. Images can be “stitched” together precisely to form larger circuit patterns without any noticeable change in circuit performance. The system repeats the step and exposure process until the entire substrate is patterned. Once the exposure process has been completed, the substrate is developed with an alkali solution to reveal the underlying material. The imaged photoresist serves as a stencil barrier that allows for the processing of the underlying metal or insulating layers.  The substrates then continue through the etching, stripping and deposition processes until multi-layer circuits are completed. 

In order to deal with increased input/output (“I/O”) resulting from devices with enhanced functionality, power distribution efficiency, and higher frequency, integrated device manufacturers (“IDMs”) and outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (“OSATs”) facilities must incorporate lithography capabilities to create RDLs for their advanced packaging technologies. However, the associated substrates and processes are significantly different than those used in front-end wafer processing. For advanced packaging, the lithography system must perform in a completely different application, with significantly different operating parameters. For example, most packaging is an additive process, while wafer processing is subtractive, and thick films, rather than thin films, are used to enable the creation of features. In order for equipment to effectively function in this environment, it must overcome these challenges. Our JetStep^® systems have been specifically designed to meet these challenges head on. The new JetStep X500 System is designed for rectangular substrates (panels), which when combined with user-selectable wavelength options, maximizes throughput while not limiting resolution when needed. High-fidelity optics are able to image the fine features required while at the same time achieving superior depth of field to minimize non-flatness that is typical for advanced packaging applications. On-the-fly auto focus and an innovative reticle management system improve yield and utilization. These features result in a revolutionary lithography system specifically designed to meet advanced packaging challenges. 

Process Control Software. We provide a wide range of advanced process control solutions, which are designed to improve factory profitability, including run-to-run control, fault detection, classification and tool automation. We are a leading provider of process control software in the semiconductor industry. Advanced process control (“APC”) employs software to automatically detect or predict tool failure (fault detection) as well as calculate recipe settings for a process that will drive the yielded output to meet and exceed the target, despite variations in the incoming material and minor instabilities within the process equipment.  Process control software enables the factory to increase capacity and yield while decreasing rework and scrap. It enables reduced production costs by lowering consumables, process engineering time and manufacturing cycle time. 

Yield Management Software. Semiconductor manufacturers use yield management software (“YMS”) to obtain valuable process yield and equipment productivity information. The data necessary to generate productivity information comes from many different sources throughout the wafer fab: inspection and metrology systems, tool sensors, tool recipes, electrical tests and the fab environment. As the complexity and cost of manufacturing processes increase, the value of faster, better analysis to support critical manufacturing decisions grows. As a result, customers are demanding robust yield management systems that can analyze large, complex data sets quickly and effectively. Our fully integrated YMS is designed to analyze data from disparate sources and multiple sites to maximize productivity across the entire value chain. 

7

Table of Contents

Customers

Over 200 microelectronic device manufacturers purchased Onto Innovation tools or software in 2021. We support a diverse customer base in terms of both geographic location and type of device manufactured. Our customers are located in over 20 countries. The following chart identifies our customers that represented 10% or more of total revenue for each of the last three years:

Sales, Customer Service and Application Support

We believe that the capability for direct sales and support is beneficial for developing and maintaining close customer relationships and for rapidly responding to changing customer requirements. We provide local direct sales, service and application support through our worldwide offices located in the United States, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Singapore and Europe, and work with selected dealers and sales representatives on a more limited basis in various countries. Our applications team is composed of technically experienced sales engineers who are knowledgeable in the use of metrology systems generally and the unique features and advantages of our specific products. Supported by our technical applications team, our sales and support teams work closely with our customers to offer cost-effective solutions to complex measurement and process problems.

We believe that customer service and technical support for our systems are crucial factors that distinguish us from our competitors and are essential to building and maintaining close, long-term relationships with our customers. We generally provide a warranty for our products that ranges from twelve to fourteen months to cover defects in material and workmanship. We provide system support to our customers through factory technical support and globally deployed field service personnel. The factory technical support operations provide customers with telephonic technical support access, direct training programs, operating manuals and other technical support information to enable effective use of our metrology and measurement instruments and systems. We have field service operations based in various locations throughout the United States, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Japan, Singapore, Israel, and European locations.

Competition

We offer various products for various semiconductor manufacturing process steps, and several of our products extend across the same process flow. However, for process control of each of these process steps, we have multiple established and potential competitors, some of which may have greater financial, research, engineering, manufacturing and marketing resources than we have. We may also face future competition from new market entrants from other overseas and domestic sources. We expect our competitors to continue to improve the design and performance of their current products and processes, and to introduce new products and processes with improved price and performance characteristics. In order to remain competitive, we believe that we will require significant financial resources to offer a broad range of products, and to maintain customer service and support centers worldwide, and to invest in product research and development.  

In every market in which we participate, the global semiconductor equipment industry is intensely competitive, and driven by rapid technological adoption cycles. Our ability to compete effectively depends upon our ability to continuously improve our products, applications and services, and our ability to develop new products, applications and services that meet constantly evolving customer requirements.

In automated systems for the semiconductor industry, our principal competitors are KLA Corporation (“KLA”) and Nova Ltd. (formerly Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd.) (“Nova”) for thin film and critical dimension OCD metrology. Our principal competitor for advanced packaging inspection is Camtek Ltd. (“Camtek”). While the advanced packaging lithography market is served by various competitors, our primary competitors are Ushio, Inc. (“Ushio”) and Canon, Inc. (“Canon”).  The primary competitor for our software products is PDF Solutions, Inc. (“PDF Solutions”) and our primary competitor for integrated metrology systems for the semiconductor industry is Nova. The opto-electronics, discrete device and industrial and scientific markets are addressed primarily by our material characterization and 4D systems, served by numerous competitors, of which no single competitor or group of competitors has established a majority position.

We believe that our competitive position in each of our markets is based on the ability of our products and services to address customer requirements related to numerous competitive factors. Competitive selections are based on many factors

8

Table of Contents

involving technological innovation, productivity, total cost of ownership of the system, including impact on end of line yield, price, product performance and throughput capability, quality, reliability and customer support.

Manufacturing

Our manufacturing operations are in Milpitas California, Tucson Arizona, Wilmington Massachusetts, Bloomington Minnesota, and at various contract manufacturers around the world. It is our strategy to outsource the assemblies that do not contain elements that we believe lead to a direct competitive advantage. Most of our automated and integrated products are currently manufactured at our Milpitas and Bloomington facilities. We currently do not expect our manufacturing operations to require additional major investments in capital equipment.

We manufacture key modular assemblies and integrated tools and make reasonable efforts to ensure that externally purchased parts or raw materials are available from multiple suppliers, if possible. Certain components, subassemblies and services necessary for the manufacture of our systems are obtained either from a sole supplier or limited group of suppliers. We also have long-term supply agreements with strategic suppliers for the supply of key assemblies for use in our products.

We rely on limited source suppliers for certain parts and subassemblies. This reliance creates a potential inability to obtain an adequate supply of required components, and reduced control over pricing and time of delivery of components. An inability to obtain adequate supplies would require us to seek alternative sources of supply or might require us to redesign our systems to accommodate different components or subassemblies. To date, we have not experienced any significant delivery delays. However, if we were forced to seek alternative sources of supply, manufacture such components or subassemblies internally, or redesign our products, this could prevent us from shipping our products to our customers on a timely basis, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations.

Research and Development

We continue to invest in research and development to provide our customers with products that add value to their manufacturing processes and that provide a better and differentiated solution than our competitors so that our products stay in the forefront of current and future market demands. Whether it is for an advancement of current technology, yield and manufacturing improvement, enabling new end device technology, or the development of a new application in our core or emerging markets, we are committed to product excellence and longevity.

The markets for equipment and systems for manufacturing semiconductor devices and for performing OCD metrology, macro-defect inspection, advanced packaging lithography and thin film transparent and opaque process control metrology are characterized by continuous technological development and product innovations. We believe that the rapid and ongoing development of new products and enhancements to existing products is critical to our success. Accordingly, we devote a significant portion of our technical, management and financial resources to research and development programs.

Intellectual Property

We believe that our success will depend to a great degree upon innovation, technological expertise and our ability to adapt our products to new technology. As a result, we have a policy of seeking patents on inventions governing new products or technologies as part of our ongoing research, development, and manufacturing activities. As of January 1, 2022, we have been granted, or hold exclusive licenses to 436 U.S. and foreign patents. The patents we own, jointly own or exclusively license have expiration dates ranging from 2022 to 2040. We also have 80 pending patent applications in the United States and other countries. Our patents and patent applications principally cover various aspects of metrology, macro-defect detection and classification, altered material characterization, lithography techniques and automation. 

Our pending patent applications may never be issued, and even if they are, these patents, our existing patents and the patents we license may not provide sufficiently broad protection to protect our intellectual property, or they may prove to be unenforceable. To protect our intellectual property, we also rely on a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secret laws, contractual provisions and licenses and non-disclosure agreements. There can be no assurance (i) that any patents or trademarks issued to or licensed by us will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, (ii) that the rights granted thereunder will provide us with a competitive advantage or (iii) that we will be able to fully protect our intellectual property. Additionally, others may obtain patents or trademarks and assert them against us. From time to time, we receive communications from third parties asserting that our systems, software and/or methods may contain features that such third parties claim may infringe upon their intellectual property rights. 

From time to time, we may find it necessary to initiate litigation against other persons or entities to protect and/or enforce our intellectual property rights or contractual rights. However, litigation is costly and time consuming and there is no assurance that any lawsuit we bring will yield the result that we seek, as (i) the lawsuit may be dismissed or there could be an adverse finding, (ii) we may not be able to pursue the lawsuit due to the laws of the applicable country or (iii) there may be a subsequent

9

Table of Contents

unfavorable change in the laws that limit our ability to pursue the lawsuit. There is a risk that our means of protecting our intellectual property may not be adequate. For example, our competitors may independently develop similar technology or duplicate our products. If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property, it would be easier for our competitors to sell competing products. 

Human Capital and Talent

As of January 1, 2022, we had approximately 1,411 staff globally, 367 in research and development, 270 in operations, 131 in administration and 643 in sales, applications and service support. A large percentage of our employees have technical backgrounds and undergraduate and/or advanced degrees. Many of our employees have specialized skills and experience that are of value to our business, products and services. Our future success will depend, in large part, upon our ability to attract, motivate and retain our highly skilled, technical, operational and managerial team members, who are in great demand in our industry and business communities.

Approximately 62% of our employees are located in the United States, 35% in Asia Pacific and 3% in Europe. None of our employees are represented by a union and we have never experienced a work stoppage because of union actions. We consider our employee relations to be favorable.

Purpose and Culture. All of our employees are expected to uphold the following core values which are foundational to our culture:

These core values define the way we do business in our everyday actions and choices. We strive to create a respectful work environment characterized by mutual trust and the absence of intimidation, oppression, discrimination and exploitation.

Talent Development and Acquisition. Successful execution of our strategy is dependent on attracting, developing and retaining key employees and members of our management and leadership teams. The skills, experience and industry knowledge of our employees significantly benefit our operations and performance. We continuously evaluate, modify, and enhance our internal processes, tools and technologies to increase employee engagement, productivity, quality and efficiency. We offer employees access to internal and external training and development courses to support individual development. We review succession plans and focus on promoting internal talent to help grow our employees, both professionally and personally.

We are committed to promoting and cultivating an inclusive and diverse culture that welcomes and celebrates everyone without bias. In addition, we look to actively engage within our communities to foster and attain social equity.

In order to ensure that we are meeting our human capital and talent objectives, we frequently utilize employee surveys to understand the effectiveness of our employee and Company programs and where we can improve across the Company. Our latest survey, completed during fiscal 2021, had a participation rate of over 77% of all our employees. Through the survey, our employees indicated that the Company’s greatest strengths include ensuring that employees know what is expected of them, providing a caring work environment, fostering an environment where employees have the opportunity to do their best and commitment to quality.  

Compensation Philosophy. Our compensation philosophy creates the framework and building blocks for our rewards and recognition programs. We have a pay-for-performance culture that ties compensation to the performance of the individual and the Company. We provide balanced compensation programs that focus on the following five key elements:

10

Table of Contents

Safety, Health and Wellness. We are committed to providing an environment which is safe and where our employees can be productive. We have rigorous health and safety programs focused on awareness, recognition, risk assessment and management, as well as teamwork.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented a response plan that we believe was in the best interest and health of our employees and the communities in which we operate. We continue to follow local statutory safety requirements while also monitoring COVID case numbers, in the communities in which operate, to constantly update our safety protocols and requirements

Our benefit plans are competitive and comprehensive. We provide each of our employees educational programs and initiatives focused on holistic wellness supporting nutritional, physical, emotional, mental and financial wellbeing.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Our stakeholders are essential to our business – shareholders, customers, suppliers, employees, communities as well as the environment and society. We are working to make our workforce more inclusive, our business more sustainable, and our communities more engaged by maintaining strong environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) practices. Actions we have taken in pursuit of these commitments include the following environmental and social programs:

We encourage you to review our 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility Annual Report (located on our website at https://ontoinnovation.com/company/corporate-social-responsibility) for more detailed information regarding our ESG initiatives. Nothing on our website, including our Corporate Social Responsibility Report or sections thereof, is deemed incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K.

Compliance with Governmental Regulations

We are subject to international, federal, state and local regulations that are customary to businesses in the semiconductor capital equipment manufacturing industry. Such regulations include, but are not limited to:

Our compliance with these laws and regulations has not had a material impact on our financial position, results of operations, capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position.

Available Information

Our Internet website address is http://www.ontoinnovation.com. The information on our website is not incorporated into this Form 10-K. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K (and any amendments to those reports) are made available free of charge, on or through our Internet website, as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. All filings we make with the SEC are also available free of charge via EDGAR through the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, the historic reports and materials that were filed by Nanometrics and Rudolph with the SEC are available at our investor relations website at https://investors.ontoinnovation.com. These filings may also be obtained through the SEC’s website. Documents that are not available through the SEC’s website may also be obtained by submitting an online request to the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

11

Table of Contents

We also make available, free of charge, through our investor relations website, our corporate governance summary, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, charters of the committees of our Board of Directors, and other information and materials, including information about how to contact our Board of Directors.

Investors and others should also note that we announce material financial information to our investors using our investor relations website, SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. We use these channels as well as social media to communicate with the public about the Company, our products and services and other matters. It is possible that the information we post on social media could be deemed to be material information. Therefore, we encourage investors, the media, and others interested in the Company to review the information we post on the social media channels listed on our investor relations website.

The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Summary Risk Factors

Below is a summary the principal factors and uncertainties that make investing in our company risky.  You should read this summary together with the more detailed description of each risk factor contained further below.

Risks Related to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Risks Related to Our Operations

Risks Related to Our Customers

Risks Related to Product Development

12

Table of Contents

Risks Related to Intellectual Property and Data Security

Risks Related to Competition

Risks Related to Our International Operations

Risks Related to Tax Laws, Financial Markets and the Environment

Risks Related to Growth and Acquisitions

Risks Related to the Global Economy and the Semiconductor Industry

13

Table of Contents

General Risk Factors

Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have affected our business and could in the future adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

The effects of the public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures being taken to limit the spread of COVID-19 are uncertain and difficult to predict, but pose the following risks to our business, results of operations and financial condition:

In addition, there may be incremental costs related to business continuity initiatives, which cannot be avoided or alleviated through succession planning, employees working remotely or teleconferencing technologies as well as inefficiencies, delays, and increased costs resulting from our efforts to mitigate the impact and spread of COVID-19 through the changes in our operations which we have enacted at certain of our locations around the world in an effort to protect our employees’ health and well-being (including the implementation of work-from-home policies, social-distancing measures, modified work schedules and shifts, the suspension of employee travel, and limits  on the number of employees attending in-person meetings and the number of people permitted to be present at our facilities at any one time);

14

Table of Contents

The resumption of normal business operations after such interruptions may be delayed or constrained by lingering effects of COVID-19 on our suppliers, third-party service providers, and/or customers. These effects, alone or taken together, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, legal exposure, or financial condition. The duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, resurgences, the severity of newly identified strains of the virus and the efficacy of vaccines and treatments with respect to new strains cannot be determined. Additional sustained or prolonged outbreaks of virus variants, delays in rollout of any needed boosters or modifications to vaccines to address variants, or continued widespread hesitancy to utilize vaccines could exacerbate the adverse impact of such measures.

Risks Related to Our Operations

If we do not manage our supply chain effectively, our operating results may be adversely affected, and any increases in material, labor, supplier, logistics and other operating costs, or supply chain delays and shortages, could lower our margins or result in lost sales.

We need to continually evaluate our global supply chains and assess opportunities to reduce costs. We must also enhance quality, speed and flexibility to meet changing demand for our products and product mix and uncertain market conditions. Our success also depends in part on refining our cost structure and supply chains so that we have flexibility and can maintain and improve profitability. Deteriorations in the tariff environment, or changes in suppliers, may cause our costs to increase, which if we are not able to offset by charging higher sales prices, will cause a decline in our margins. To improve our margins on a product, we will need to establish high volume supply agreements with our vendors. We cannot be certain that we will be able to timely negotiate vendor supply agreements on improved terms and conditions, or at all. Failure to achieve the desired level of cost reductions could adversely affect our financial results. Despite our efforts to control costs and increase efficiency in our facilities, changes in demand could still cause us to realize lower operating margins and profitability.

Further, our gross margins and financial performance may be adversely affected by increases in our operating costs, such as material, labor, supplier costs, logistics and energy costs, all of which have been and may continue to be subject to inflationary pressures. Operating costs have increased and may continue to increase further as a result of supply chain disruptions in connection with the sourcing of components, materials, equipment, engineering support, and services, labor shortages and other cost increases due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related government restrictions on travel and business operations.  We may also experience production delays, disruptions and cost increases due to the worldwide shortage of semiconductor components as a result of sharp increases in demand for semiconductor products in general.

These risks may be heightened because we obtain some of the components and subassemblies included in our systems from a limited group of suppliers and do not have long-term contracts with many of our suppliers. Our dependence on limited source suppliers of components and our lack of long-term contracts with many of our suppliers expose us to several risks, including a potential inability to obtain an adequate supply of components, price increases, late deliveries and poor component quality.  A significant number of our suppliers are the sole source or single source for certain components or subassemblies.  If such a supplier is unable or unwilling to manufacture and deliver components to us on the time schedule and of the quality or quantity that we require, we may be forced to seek to engage an additional or replacement supplier or redesign our product to use alternative components, which could result in additional expenses and delays in product development or shipment of product to our customers. Disruption or termination of the supply of components has delayed and could continue to delay shipments of some of our systems.  Such delays may damage our customer relationships and reduce our sales. From time to time in the past, we have experienced temporary difficulties, and supply chain disruptions and logistics and shipping challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions on movement and business operations are currently causing difficulties and delays, in receiving shipments from our suppliers. The lead-time required for shipments of some of our components can be greater than six months. In addition, the lead time required to qualify new suppliers for lasers and certain optics could be as long as a year, and the lead time required to qualify new suppliers of other components could be as long as nine months. In some cases, we may need to purchase components in advance of receiving customer orders for product. If we are unable to accurately predict our component needs, or if our component supply is disrupted, as it has been due to supply chain disruptions, logistics difficulties and shipping delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we may miss market opportunities by not being able to meet the demand for our systems. Further, a significant increase in the price of one or more of these components or subassemblies could seriously harm our results of operations and cash flows.

Our efforts to mitigate any cost increases, labor impacts and supply chain delays and shortages may not be successful, and we cannot predict the duration of these current trends or other future increases in operating costs. We may not be able to pass cost increases through to our customers fully (or at all), and if supply chain delays and shortages delay delivery of our products, our customers may seek to purchase from our competitors. Any such occurrence may have a material adverse impact on our gross margins and business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

15

Table of Contents

Variations in the amount of time it takes for us to sell our systems may cause fluctuations in our operating results, which could cause our stock price to decline.

Variations in the length of our sales cycles could cause our revenue and cash flows, and consequently, our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flows to fluctuate widely from period to period. This variation could cause our stock price to decline. Our customers generally take a long time to evaluate our inspection and/or film metrology systems and many people are involved in the evaluation process. We expend significant resources educating and providing information to our prospective customers regarding the uses and benefits of our systems in the semiconductor fabrication process. The length of time it takes for us to make a sale depends upon many factors, including, but not limited to:

Because of the number of factors influencing the sales process, the period between our initial contact with a customer and the time when we recognize revenue from that customer and receive payment, if ever, varies widely in length. Our sales cycles, including the time it takes for us to build a product to customer specifications after receiving an order to the time we recognize revenue, typically range from three to twenty-four months. Sometimes our sales cycles can be much longer, particularly with customers in Asia. During these cycles, we commit substantial resources to our sales efforts in advance of receiving any revenue, and we may never receive any revenue from a customer despite our sales efforts. If we do make a sale, our customers often purchase only one of our systems, the performance of which they then evaluate for a lengthy period before purchasing any more of our systems. The number of additional products a customer purchases, if any, depends on many factors, including the customer’s capacity requirements. The period between a customer’s initial purchase and any subsequent purchases can vary from three months to a year or longer, and variations in the length of this period could cause further fluctuations in our operating results and, possibly, in our stock price.

We are subject to order and shipment uncertainties. Our profitability will decline if we fail to accurately forecast customer demand when managing inventory.

We typically plan production and inventory levels based on internal forecasts of customer demand, which can be highly unpredictable and can fluctuate substantially, which could lead to excess inventory write-downs and resulting negative impacts on gross margin and net income. We have limited visibility into our customers’ inventories, future customer demand and the product mix that our customers will require, which could adversely affect our production forecasts and operating margins. In addition, innovation in our industry could render significant portions of our inventory obsolete. If we overestimate our customers’ requirements, we may have excess inventory, which could lead to obsolete inventory and unexpected costs. Conversely, if we underestimate our customers’ requirements, or if we experience sustained disruptions to our supply chain or shipping delays, including those we are currently experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we may have inadequate inventory, which could lead to foregone revenue opportunities, loss of potential market share and damage to customer relationships as product deliveries may not be made on a timely basis, disrupting our customers’ production schedules. In response to anticipated long lead times to obtain inventory and materials from outside suppliers and foundries, we periodically order materials in advance of customer demand. This advance ordering has in the past and may in the future result in excess inventory levels or unanticipated inventory write-downs if expected orders fail to materialize, or other factors make our products less saleable. In addition, any significant future cancellation or deferral of product orders could adversely affect our revenue and margins, increase inventory write-downs due to obsolete inventory, and adversely affect our operating results and stock price.

Our earnings could be negatively affected, and our inventory levels could materially increase, if we are unable to predict our inventory needs in an accurate and timely manner and adjust our orders for parts and subcomponents in the event that our needs increase or decrease materially due to unexpected increases or decreases in demand for our products. Any material increase in our inventories could result in an adverse effect on our financial position, while any material decrease in our ability to procure needed inventories could result in an inability to supply customer demand for our products, thus adversely affecting our revenue.

If we deliver systems with defects, our credibility will be harmed, and the sales and market acceptance of our systems will decrease.

Our systems are complex and have occasionally contained errors, defects and bugs when introduced. Defects may be created during probing, bumping, dicing or general handling, and can have a major impact on device and process quality. When

16

Table of Contents

this occurs, our credibility and the market acceptance and sales of our systems could be harmed. Further, if our systems contain errors, defects or bugs, computer viruses or malicious code as a result of cyber-attacks to our computer networks, we may be required to expend significant capital and resources to alleviate these problems. Defects could also lead to product liability as a result of product liability lawsuits against us or against our customers. We have agreed to indemnify our customers under certain circumstances against liability arising from defects in our systems provided that we also include a cap on our liability in the related sales agreements. Our product liability insurance policy currently provides both aggregate coverage as well as an overall umbrella coverage. In the event of a successful product liability claim, we could be obligated to pay damages significantly in excess of our product liability insurance limits.

Our integrated metrology systems are integrated with systems sold independently by wafer fabrication equipment suppliers, and a decrease in sales by these suppliers, or the development of competing systems by these suppliers, could harm our business.

We believe that sales of integrated metrology systems will continue to be an important source of our net revenues. Sales of our integrated metrology systems depend upon the ability of a small number of wafer fabrication equipment suppliers to sell semiconductor manufacturing equipment products that are compatible with our metrology systems as components. If these suppliers, such as Applied Materials, Inc., Ebara Corporation, Lam Research Corporation and Tokyo Electron, are unable to sell such products, if they choose to focus their attention on products that do not integrate with our systems, or if they choose to develop competing systems, our business could suffer.

We must attract and retain experienced senior executives and other key personnel with knowledge of semiconductor device manufacturing and inspection, metrology or lithography equipment and related software to help support our future growth, and competition for such personnel in our industry is high.

Our success depends, to a significant degree, upon the continued contributions of our key executive management, engineering, sales and marketing, customer support, finance and manufacturing personnel. The loss of any of these key personnel through resignations, retirement or other circumstances, each of whom would be extremely difficult to replace, could harm our business and operating results. Despite our employment and noncompetition agreements with key members of our senior management team, these individuals or other key employees may still leave us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. We do not have key person life insurance on any of our executives. In addition, to support our future growth, we will need to attract and retain additional qualified employees. Competition for such personnel in our industry is intense, and we may not be successful in attracting and retaining qualified employees.

The expansion of high technology companies worldwide and growth in the demand for semiconductors following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased demand and competition for qualified personnel. Competition for engineering and other technical personnel in some of the markets in which we operate is especially intense due to continued increases in the number of technology companies worldwide.  In order to attract and retain executives and other key employees, we must provide a competitive compensation package, including cash and stock-based compensation.  If the anticipated value of our stock-based incentive awards does not materialize so that they cease to be viewed as valuable, if our profits decrease, or if our total compensation package is not viewed as competitive, our ability to attract, retain and motivate executives and key employees could be weakened.

Any prolonged disruption in the operations of our manufacturing facilities could have a material adverse effect on our revenue.

We produce the majority of our systems in our manufacturing facilities located in Milpitas, California and Bloomington, Minnesota. We use contract manufacturers in China, Japan and the United States. Our manufacturing processes are highly complex and require sophisticated and costly equipment and a specially designed facility. As a result, any prolonged disruption in the operations of our manufacturing facilities could seriously harm our ability to satisfy our customer order deadlines.  Shelter-in-place orders and other measures, including work-from-home and social distancing policies implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect employees, have resulted in reduced workforce availability at product manufacturing sites and reduced output at some of our vendors and suppliers. Restrictions on our access to or operation of manufacturing facilities or on our support operations or workforce, or similar limitations for our vendors and suppliers, may impact our ability to meet customer demand and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.  If we cannot timely deliver our systems, our results from operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.

17

Table of Contents

We may outsource select manufacturing activities to third-party service providers, which decreases our control over the performance of these functions and may result in lower quality and functionality of our products.

We may outsource product manufacturing to third-party service providers. Outsourcing reduces our control over the performance of the outsourced functions. Dependence on outsourcing may also adversely affect our ability to bring new products to market. If we do not effectively manage our outsourcing strategy or if third party service providers do not perform as anticipated, we may experience operational difficulties, increased costs, manufacturing interruptions or inefficiencies in the operation of our supply chain, any or all of which could delay our delivery of products to our customers, and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our ability to fulfill our backlog may have an effect on our long-term ability to procure contracts and fulfill current contracts.

Our ability to fulfill our backlog may be limited by our ability to devote sufficient financial and human capital resources and may be limited by available material supplies. If we do not fulfill our backlog in a timely manner, we may experience delays in product delivery, which would postpone receipt of revenue from those delayed deliveries. Additionally, if we are consistently unable to fulfill our backlog, this may be a disincentive to customers to award large contracts to us in the future until they are comfortable that we can effectively manage our backlog.

Risks Related to Our Customers

Our largest customers account for a substantial portion of our revenue, and our revenue and cash flows could decline considerably if one or more of these customers were to purchase significantly fewer of our systems or delay or cancel a large order.

Sales to end user customers that individually represent at least ten percent of our revenue typically account for, in the aggregate, a considerable amount of our revenue. We operate in the highly concentrated, capital-intensive semiconductor device manufacturing industry. Historically, a substantial portion of our revenue in each quarter and year has been derived from sales to relatively few customers, and this trend is expected to continue. If any of our key customers were to purchase significantly fewer of our systems in the future, or if they delay or cancel a large order, our revenue and cash flows could meaningfully decline. We expect that we will continue to depend on a small number of large customers for a sizable portion of our revenue. In addition, as large semiconductor device manufacturers seek to establish closer relationships with their suppliers, we expect that our customer base will become even more concentrated.

Risks Related to Product Development

If we are not successful in developing new and enhanced products for the semiconductor device manufacturing industry, we will lose sales and market share to our competitors.

We operate in an industry that is highly competitive and subject to evolving industry standards, rapid technological changes, rapid changes in consumer demands and the rapid introduction of new, higher performance systems with shorter product life cycles. To be competitive in our demanding market, we must continually design, develop and introduce in a timely manner new lithography, inspection and metrology process control systems that meet the performance and price demands of semiconductor device manufacturers. We must also continue to refine our current systems so that they remain competitive. We expect to continue to make significant investments in our research and development activities and at times may make inventory investments prior to commercialization. We may experience difficulties or delays in our development efforts with respect to new systems, and we may not ultimately be successful in our product enhancement efforts to improve and advance products or in responding effectively to technological change, as not all research and development activities result in viable commercial products. In addition, we cannot provide assurance that we will be able to develop new products for the most opportunistic new markets and applications. Any significant delay in releasing new systems could cause our products to become obsolete, adversely affect our reputation, give a competitor a first-to-market advantage or cause a competitor to achieve greater market share.

In addition, our competitors may provide innovative technology that may have performance advantages over systems we currently offer or may offer in the future. They may be able to develop products comparable or superior to those that we offer or may adapt more quickly to new technologies or evolving customer requirements. In particular, we currently are developing additional product enhancements that we believe will address future customer requirements, but we may fail in a timely manner to complete the development or introduction of these additional product enhancements successfully, or these product enhancements may not achieve market acceptance or be competitive.

18

Table of Contents

Further, customers that may otherwise desire to purchase our products from us and purchase other products from our competitors may nevertheless purchase competing products from our competitors rather than purchase our products due to a variety of reasons, including to gain favor or volume pricing from our competitors.

If new products developed by us do not gain general market acceptance, we will be unable to generate revenue and recover our investments.

Inspection, lithography and metrology product development is inherently risky because it is difficult to foresee developments in semiconductor device manufacturing technology, coordinate technical personnel, and identify and eliminate system design flaws. Further, our products are leading edge and complex, and often the applications to our customers’ businesses are unique. Any new systems we introduce may not achieve or sustain a significant degree of market acceptance and sales.

We expect to spend a significant amount of time and resources developing new systems and refining our existing systems. In light of the long product development cycles inherent in our industry, these expenditures will be made well in advance of the prospect of deriving revenue from the sale of those systems.  The long lead times for some components may also require us to place orders for components and accumulate inventory in advance of market acceptance of our products. Our ability to commercially introduce and successfully market new systems is subject to a wide variety of challenges during the development cycle, including start-up bugs, design defects, and other matters that could delay introduction of these systems.  Since our customers are not obligated by long-term contracts to purchase our systems, our anticipated product orders may not materialize, or orders that are placed may be canceled.  If we do not achieve market acceptance of new products, we may be unable to generate sufficient revenue and cash flow to recover our research and development costs and may result in a write down of our investments in inventory.  As a result, our market share, revenue, operating results or stock price would be negatively impacted.

Even if we are able to develop new products that gain market acceptance, sales of these new products could impair our ability to sell existing products.

Competition from our new systems could have a negative effect on sales of our existing systems and the prices that we could charge for these systems. We may also divert sales and marketing resources from our current systems in order to successfully launch and promote our new or next generation systems. This diversion of resources could have a further negative effect on sales of our current systems and the value of inventory.

If our relationships with our large customers deteriorate, our product development activities could be adversely affected.

The success of our product development efforts depends on our ability to anticipate market trends and the price, performance and functionality requirements of semiconductor device manufacturers. In order to anticipate these trends and ensure that critical development projects proceed in a coordinated manner, we must continue to collaborate closely with our largest customers. Our relationships with these and other customers provide us with access to valuable information regarding trends in the semiconductor device industry, which enables us to better plan our product development activities. If our current relationships with our large customers are impaired, or if we are unable to develop similar collaborative relationships with important customers in the future, our product development activities could be adversely affected.

Risks Related to Intellectual Property and Data Security

We may fail to adequately protect our intellectual property and, therefore, lose our competitive advantage.

Our future success and competitive position depend in part upon our ability to obtain and maintain proprietary technology for our principal product families, and we rely, in part, on patent, copyright and trade secret law and confidentiality agreements to protect that technology. If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property, it will give our competitors a significant advantage. We own or have licensed a number of patents relating to our metrology, lithography, wafer and macro-defect inspection systems, including both embedded and application software, and have filed applications for additional patents.  Any of our pending patent applications may be rejected, and we may be unable to develop additional proprietary technology that is patentable in the future.

In addition, the patents that we do own or that have been issued or licensed to us may not provide us with competitive advantages and may be challenged by third parties. Further, third parties may also design around these patents. In addition to patent protection, we rely upon copyrights for protection of our proprietary software and documentation, trademarks for protection of our brand and source of goods, and trade secrets for protection of our confidential and proprietary information and technology.  However, we can give no assurance that our copyrights will be upheld or will successfully deter infringement by third parties. We routinely enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees and other third parties. Even though

19

Table of Contents

these agreements are in place, there can be no assurances that trade secrets and proprietary information will not be disclosed, that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets, or that we can fully protect our trade secrets and proprietary information. Violations by others of our confidentiality agreements and the loss of employees who have specialized knowledge and expertise could harm our competitive position and cause our sales and operating results to decline as a result of increased competition.  It also possible that third parties will misappropriate our trade secrets or other confidential information.  We may be subject to cybersecurity breaches in which a third party obtains our confidential information.  Third parties may also reverse engineer our products to copy our technology. Any of these circumstances could result in harm to our competitive position in the market.  Failure to protect our trademarks can lead to other companies selling products using confusing similar names, thereby damaging our brand. In some countries, it can be difficult to register trademarks because of the strict examination process or blocking trademarks for other goods. Costly and time-consuming litigation might be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our intellectual property rights, and failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection might adversely affect our ability to continue our research or bring products to market.

From time to time, we may find it necessary to initiate litigation against other persons or entities to protect and/or enforce our intellectual property or contractual rights. However, litigation is costly and time consuming and there is no assurance that any lawsuit we bring will yield the result that we seek, as (i) the lawsuit may be dismissed or there could be an adverse finding, (ii) we may not be able to pursue the lawsuit due to the laws of the applicable country or (iii) there may be a subsequent unfavorable change in law that limits our ability to pursue the lawsuit. For example, litigation discovery practice in China, Japan, South Korea, continental Europe and Taiwan is not as robust as the United States, so it can be more difficult to determine if a company is infringing on our patents and more challenging to bring a lawsuit.  Monitoring and preventing unauthorized use are also difficult and the measures we take to protect our intellectual property rights may not be adequate.  Accordingly, infringement of our intellectual property rights poses a serious risk of doing business. There is a risk that we may be unable to adequately protect our intellectual property rights in certain foreign countries. For example, our competitors may independently develop similar technology or duplicate our products.  If this occurs, it would be easier for our competitors to develop and sell competing products in these countries.

Protection of our intellectual property rights, or the efforts of third parties to enforce their own intellectual property rights against us, may result in costly and time-consuming litigation, substantial damages, lost product sales and/or the loss of important intellectual property rights.

We may be required to initiate litigation in order to enforce our intellectual property rights or to determine the noninfringement, scope or validity of a third party’s intellectual property rights. Any litigation, regardless of outcome, could be expensive and time consuming and could subject us to significant liabilities or require us to re-engineer our products or obtain expensive licenses from third parties. There can be no assurance that any patents, copyrights or other intellectual property rights issued to or licensed by us will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, or that the rights granted thereunder will provide us with a competitive advantage.  Furthermore, there is no assurance that any litigation we are involved in will yield the result that we seek as (i) the lawsuit may be dismissed or there could be an adverse finding, (ii) we may not be able to pursue the lawsuit due to the laws of the applicable country or (iii) there may be a subsequent unfavorable change in law that limits our ability to pursue the lawsuit.

In addition, our commercial success depends in part on our ability to avoid infringing or misappropriating patents or other intellectual property rights owned by third parties. From time to time, we receive communications from third parties asserting that our products or systems infringe, or may infringe, on the intellectual property rights of these third parties. These claims of infringement may lead to protracted and costly litigation, which could require us to pay substantial damages or have the sale of our products or systems stopped by an injunction. Infringement claims could also cause product or system delays or require us to redesign our products or systems, and these delays could result in the loss of substantial revenue. We may also be required to obtain a license from the third party or cease activities utilizing the third party’s intellectual property rights. We may not be able to enter into such a license or such a license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms. Accordingly, the loss of an intellectual property dispute could hinder our ability to sell our products or systems or make the sale of our products or systems more expensive, which could lead to reduced revenue or lower margins, respectively.

If our network security measures are breached and unauthorized access is obtained to a customer’s data, to our data, or to our information technology systems, we may incur significant legal and financial exposure and liabilities and may experience disruptions in our operations.

As part of our business, we store our data and certain data about our customers, vendors and employees in our information technology system.  If there is a breach as a result of third-party action, employee error, malfeasance, break-ins or otherwise, of our security measures designed to protect this information and prevent data loss and other security breaches, and someone obtains unauthorized access to our customers’, vendors’ or employees’ data, we could face loss of business, regulatory

20

Table of Contents

investigations or court orders, our reputation could be severely damaged, we could be required to expend significant capital and other resources to alleviate the problem, as well as incur significant costs and liabilities, including due to litigation, indemnity obligations, damages for contract breach, penalties for violation of applicable laws or regulations, and costs for remediation and other incentives offered to customers.  In December 2021, a vulnerability was reported for the widely used Java logging library, Apache Log4j 2. We have reviewed the use of this library within our software product portfolio and in our IT environment, determined that it has not had a material adverse impact on our business or operations, and have taken steps to mitigate the vulnerability.  

Cyber-attacks and other malicious internet-based activities continue to increase. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our expanded reliance on remote access to our information systems has further increased our exposure to potential cybersecurity breaches.  As the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or sabotage systems change frequently and generally are not identified until they are launched against a target, our ability to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures is reduced. In addition, third parties have made attempts to fraudulently induce employees or users to disclose information to gain access to our data or our customers’ data. As a result of any of these events, our or our customers’ and vendors’ information could be accessed or disclosed improperly. In addition, cybersecurity incidents affecting our customers could result in substantial delays in our ability to ship to those customers or install our products, which could result in delays in revenue recognition or the cancellation of orders, and cybersecurity incidents affecting our suppliers could result in substantial delays in our ability to obtain necessary components for our products from those suppliers, which could hamper our ability to ship our products to our customers, harming our results of operations and our customer relationships.  Any or all of these issues could negatively affect our ability to attract new customers, cause existing customers to choose to purchase from our competitors, result in reputational damage or subject us to third-party lawsuits, regulatory fines or other action or liability, which could adversely affect our operating results.

The General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) is a regulation in European Union (“EU”) law on data protection and privacy for the individuals within the EU and the European Economic Area (“EEA”). It also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU and EEA areas. We are also subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”).  Moreover, a new privacy law, the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), was approved by California voters in November 2020. The CPRA will significantly modify the CCPA when it becomes effective in most material respects on January 1, 2023.  We may also be subject to other data privacy laws in the United States and the other countries in which we operate.  In many cases, these laws apply not only to third-party transactions, but also to transfers of information between us and our subsidiaries, and among the subsidiaries and other parties with which we have commercial relations. The introduction of new products or expansion of our activities in certain jurisdictions may subject us to additional laws and regulations.  These U.S. federal and state and foreign laws and regulations, including GDPR which can be enforced by private parties or government entities, are constantly evolving and can be subject to significant change. In addition, the application and interpretation of these laws and regulations, including GDPR, are often uncertain, particularly in our evolving industry, and may be interpreted and applied differently from country to country. Appropriate technical and organizational measures are necessary to implement these data protection principles.  These laws and regulations can be costly to comply with and may delay or impede the development of new products, result in negative publicity, increase our operating costs, require significant management time and attention, or subject us to inquiries or investigations, claims or other remedies, including fines, which may be significant, or demands that we modify or cease existing business practices. A failure by us, our suppliers, or other parties with whom we do business to comply with posted privacy policies or with other federal, state, or international privacy-related or data protection laws and regulations, including GDPR, CCPA, CPRA and other new or changing privacy laws and regulations, could result in proceedings against us by governmental entities or others, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Risks Related to Competition

Some of our current and potential competitors have significantly greater resources than we do, and increased competition could impair sales of our products or cause us to reduce our prices.

The market for semiconductor capital equipment is highly competitive. We face substantial competition from established companies in each of the markets we serve. We principally compete with KLA Corporation, Nova Measuring Instruments, Camtek, Ushio, Canon, and PDF Solutions. We compete to a lesser extent with Nikon. Each of our products also competes with products that use different metrology, inspection or lithography techniques. Some of our competitors have greater financial, engineering, manufacturing and marketing resources, broader product offerings and service capabilities and larger installed customer bases than we do. As a result, these competitors may be able to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies or market developments by devoting greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of products, which, in turn, could impair sales of our products. Further, there may be significant merger and acquisition activity among our

21

Table of Contents

competitors and potential competitors, which, in turn, may provide them with a competitive advantage over us by enabling them to rapidly expand their product offerings and service capabilities to meet a broader range of customer needs.

Many of our customers and potential customers in the semiconductor device manufacturing industry are large companies that require global support and service for their semiconductor capital equipment. We believe that our global support and service infrastructure is sufficient to meet the needs of our customers and potential customers. However, some of our competitors have more extensive infrastructures than we do, which could place us at a disadvantage when competing for the business of global semiconductor device manufacturers. Many of our competitors are investing heavily in the development of new systems that will compete directly with our systems. We have, from time to time, selectively reduced prices on our systems in order to protect our market share, and competitive pressures may necessitate further price reductions. We expect our competitors in each product area to continue to improve the design and performance of their products and to introduce new products with competitive prices and performance characteristics. These product introductions would likely require us to decrease the prices of our systems and increase the level of discounts that we grant our customers. Price reductions or lost sales as a result of these competitive pressures would reduce our total revenue and could adversely impact our financial results.

Because of the high cost of switching equipment vendors in our markets, it is sometimes difficult for us to win new customers from our competitors even if our systems are superior to theirs.

We believe that once a semiconductor device manufacturer has selected one vendor’s capital equipment for a production-line application, the manufacturer generally relies upon that capital equipment and, to the extent possible, subsequent generations of the same vendor’s equipment for the life of the application. Once a vendor’s equipment has been installed in a production line application, a semiconductor device manufacturer must often make substantial technical modifications and may experience production-line downtime in order to switch to another vendor’s equipment. Accordingly, unless our systems offer performance or cost advantages that outweigh a customer’s expense of switching to our systems, it will be difficult for us to achieve significant sales to that manufacturer once it has selected another vendor’s capital equipment for an application.

Risks Related to Our International Operations

We are subject to compliance with foreign laws and regulations, and the burden of complying with such laws and regulations, or any failure to comply, may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. 

Our business is subject to risks inherent in doing business internationally, including compliance with, inconsistencies among, and unexpected changes in, a wide variety of foreign laws and regulatory environments with which we are not familiar, including, among other issues, with respect to employees, protection of our intellectual property, and a wide variety of operational regulations and trade and export controls under domestic, foreign, and international law.

We are faced with various risks that may be associated with our compliance with existing, new, different, inconsistent or conflicting laws, regulations and rules enacted by governments and/or their regulatory agencies in the countries in which we operate as well as rules and policies implemented at our customer sites. These laws, regulations, rules and policies could relate to any of an array of issues including, but not limited to, environmental, tax, intellectual property, trade secrets, product liability, contracts, antitrust, employment, securities, import/export and unfair competition. The cost of maintaining compliance under multiple and changing regulatory regimes may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.  In the event that we fail to comply with or violate U.S. or foreign laws or regulations or customer policies, we could be subject to civil or criminal claims or proceedings that may result in monetary fines, penalties or other costs against us or our employees, which may adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, customer relations and ability to conduct our business.

Tariffs and other market barriers have impacted and may continue to impact our competitiveness with non-U.S. customers, which may adversely affect our results of operations. 

The semiconductor device industry is a high-visibility industry in many of the European and Asian countries in which we sell our products. Because the governments of these countries have provided extensive financial support to our semiconductor device manufacturing customers in these countries, we believe that our customers could be disproportionately affected by any trade embargoes, excise taxes, tariffs or other restrictions imposed by their governments on trade with U.S. companies such as ourselves, particularly with respect to the ongoing tensions between the United States and China.

Over the last several years, the U.S. government has significantly expanded export controls on certain technologies and commodities to certain markets, particularly with respect to semiconductor and other high technology exports to China. For example, effective June 29, 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce imposed new export controls on the transfer of many U.S. products and technologies, including many commercial-grade electronics, to “military end users” or for “military end use” in China, which may include many Chinese commercial companies that sell products to or do business with the Chinese military. Likewise, since May 2019, the U.S. Department of Commerce has imposed significant restrictions on the transfer of any products from the United States, as well as many products produced overseas that incorporate U.S. content or rely on U.S.

22

Table of Contents

software or technology, to Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., and a large number of its overseas affiliates, including HiSilicon, followed by a comparable action in December of 2020, related to Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC). and a large number of its overseas affiliates, including Ningbo Semiconductor International Corporation (NSIC) and SJ Semiconductor (Jiangyin) Corporation.  It is possible that the U.S. government will impose additional export controls on our products or systems, which could lead to further revenue losses.

The effect of these changes, among others, is that U.S. companies are now required to obtain export licenses before providing commodities, software, and technology that are subject to the regulations to customers for whom licensing requirements did not previously apply. The administrative processing, attendant delays and risk of ultimately not obtaining required export approvals put us at a disadvantage relative to our non-U.S. competitors who are not required to comply with U.S. export controls. This difficulty and uncertainty has adversely affected our ability to compete for and win business from domestic customers in China. Foreign customers affected by these and any future U.S. government sanctions or threats of sanctions may respond by developing their own solutions to replace our products or by utilizing our foreign competitors’ products.

Further, we hold inventory of products that may be affected by the recent U.S. government actions, including potential order cancellations. If the sale of these products is delayed or we are unable to return or dispose of our inventory on favorable economic terms, we may incur additional carrying costs for the inventory or otherwise record charges associated with this inventory.

The U.S. government is also engaged in an ongoing process of assessing which “emerging and foundational technologies” warrant new or additional controls, which could subject additional U.S.-origin products and services to more stringent export restrictions. It is possible that these modified regulations, and any future regulations, could reduce demand for our products. In particular, these restrictive measures may reduce overall global demand for our customers’ products or for other products produced or manufactured in the United States or based on U.S. technology, in turn reducing demand for our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  Additionally, given the continued tensions between the United States and Russia there is potential for new stricter export controls for Russia, which could affect our sales both into Russia and into secondary markets selling to Russia.  International trade disputes could result in increases in tariffs and other trade restrictions and protectionist measures that could adversely impact our operations and reduce the competitiveness of our products relative to local and global competitors.

Political and economic instability may result in reduced demand for our products. 

We are subject to various global risks related to political and economic instabilities in countries in which we derive sales. If terrorist activities, armed conflict, civil or military unrest or political instability occurs outside of the United States, these events may result in reduced demand for our products. Based on the complex relationships among China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the United States, there is risk that political, diplomatic, and national security influences might lead to trade, technology, or capital disputes, or disruptions, in particular those affecting the semiconductor industry. This may adversely affect our business in Asia or have a negative impact on the regional or global economy.

In addition, an outbreak of hostilities or other political upheaval in China, Taiwan, Japan, or South Korea, or an economic downturn in Asia or globally, would likely harm the operations of our customers in these countries. The effect of these types of events on our revenue and cash flows could be material because we derive substantial revenue from sales to semiconductor device foundries in Taiwan such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd., from memory chip manufacturers in South Korea such as Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., and from semiconductor device manufacturers in Japan such as Toshiba Corporation.

Natural disasters, changes in climate and geo-political events could materially adversely affect our worldwide operations (or those of our business partners).

The occurrence of one or more natural disasters such as hurricanes, tropical storms, fires, cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, typhoons, volcanic eruptions and weather conditions such as major or extended winter storms, droughts and tornadoes, whether as a result of climate change or otherwise, may disrupt manufacturing or other operations. For example, our Milpitas operations are located near major earthquake fault lines in California. There may also be conflict or uncertainty in the countries in which we operate, including public health issues (for example, an outbreak of a contagious disease such as COVID-19, avian influenza, measles or Ebola), safety issues, natural disasters, fire, disruptions of service from utilities, nuclear power plant accidents or general economic or political unrest, including war, civil unrest or terrorist attacks. We cannot provide any assurance that alternate means of conducting our operations (whether through alternate production capacity or service providers or otherwise) would be available if a major disruption were to occur or that, if such alternate means were available, they could be obtained on favorable terms.

23

Table of Contents

We may face difficulties in staffing and managing foreign branch operations due to political tensions or cultural differences. 

During periods of tension between the governments of the United States and certain other countries, it is often difficult for U.S. companies such as ours to staff and manage operations in such countries. Language and other cultural differences may also inhibit our sales and marketing efforts and create internal communication problems among our U.S. and foreign research and development teams, increasing the difficulty of managing multiple remote locations performing various development, quality assurance, and yield ramp analysis projects.

Currency fluctuations may impact our international sales or expose us to exchange rate risk. 

A substantial portion of our international sales are denominated in U.S. dollars. As a result, if the dollar rises in value in relation to foreign currencies, our systems will become more expensive to customers outside the United States and less competitive with systems produced by competitors outside the United States. These conditions could negatively impact our international sales. Foreign sales also expose us to collection risk in the event it becomes more expensive for our foreign customers to convert their local currencies into U.S. dollars. Additionally, in the event a larger portion of our revenue becomes denominated in foreign currencies, we would be subject to a potentially significant exchange rate risk, and any failure to sufficiently hedge or otherwise manage these risks could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and liquidity.

Our internal controls with respect to anti-corruption laws may not be effective, and any failure to comply with such laws may result in severe sanctions and liabilities, which may negatively affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

We are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (the “FCPA”), and other laws that prohibit improper payments or offers of payments to foreign governments and their officials and political parties by U.S. persons and issuers as defined by the statute, for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Also, similar worldwide anti-bribery laws, such as the U.K. Bribery Act and Chinese anti-corruption laws, generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Some of our distribution partners are located in parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree and, in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. The policies and procedures we have implemented to discourage these practices by our employees, our existing safeguards and any future improvements may prove to be ineffective, and our employees, consultants, sales agents or distributors may engage in conduct for which we might be held responsible. Violations of the FCPA or international anti-corruption laws may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions, and we may be subject to other liabilities, which could negatively affect our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, the U.S. government may seek to hold us liable for successor liability FCPA violations committed by companies in which we invest or that we acquire. We cannot assure you that our internal control policies and procedures will protect us from reckless or negligent acts committed by our employees, distributors, partners, consultants or agents.

Risks Related to Tax Laws, Financial Markets and the Environment

Changes in tax rates or tax liabilities could affect results.

As a global company, we are subject to taxation in the United States and various other countries. Significant judgment is required to determine and estimate worldwide tax liabilities. Our future annual and quarterly tax rates could be affected by numerous factors, including changes in the (1) applicable tax laws; (2) composition of earnings in countries with differing tax rates; or (3) recoverability of our deferred tax assets and liabilities. Beginning in 2022, the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”) eliminates the option to deduct research and development expenditures currently and requires taxpayers to amortize them over five years pursuant to IRC Section 174.  Although Congress is considering legislation that would defer the amortization requirement to later years, we have no assurance that the provision will be repealed or otherwise modified.  If the requirement is not modified, it will reduce our cash flows beginning in 2022.  In addition, recent proposals to increase the U.S. corporate income tax rate, increase U.S. taxation of international business operations and impose a global minimum tax could have a negative impact on our tax position depending upon the terms of the final enacted legislation. Based on the nature of the uncertainties around specific legislation to be enacted, we have not quantified the impact of this risk.  Many countries and organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development are also actively considering changes to existing tax laws or have proposed or enacted new laws that could increase our tax obligations in countries where we do

24

Table of Contents

business or cause us to change the way we operate our business. Any of these developments or changes in federal, state, or international tax laws or tax rulings could adversely affect our effective tax rate and our results of operations.

In addition, we are subject to regular examination of our income tax returns by the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities. We regularly assess the likelihood of favorable or unfavorable outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any final determination will not be materially different from the treatment reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”), released guidance covering various topics, including country-by-country reporting, definitional changes to permanent establishment and Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (“BEPS”), an initiative that aims to standardize and modernize global tax policy. Depending on the final form of guidance adopted by OECD members and legislation ultimately enacted, if any, there may be significant consequences for us due to our international business activities, including, but not limited to, an increase in our tax uncertainty and adverse effects on our provision for income taxes.

Turmoil or fluctuations in the credit markets and the financial services industry may negatively impact our business, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity, and our factoring arrangements may expose us to additional risks.

In the past, global credit markets and the financial services industry have experienced periods of turmoil and upheaval characterized by the tightening of the credit markets, the weakening of the global economy and an unprecedented level of intervention from the United States and other governments. Adverse economic conditions, such as sustained periods of economic uncertainty or a crisis in the financial markets may have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and financial condition if our ability to obtain credit from the capital financial markets, or from trade creditors was impaired. In addition, a worsening economy or an economic crisis could also adversely impact our customers’ ability to finance the purchase of systems from us or our suppliers’ ability to provide us with product, either of which may negatively impact our business and results of operations.

We are subject to various environmental laws and regulations that could impose substantial costs upon us, and failure to comply with such laws and regulations may harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Some of our operations use substances regulated under various federal, state, local, and international laws governing the environment, including those relating to the storage, use, discharge, disposal, labeling, and human exposure to hazardous and toxic materials. We could incur costs, fines and civil or criminal sanctions, third-party property damage or personal injury claims, or could be required to incur substantial investigation or remediation costs, if we were to violate or become liable under environmental laws. Liability under environmental laws can be joint and several and without regard to comparative fault. Compliance with current or future environmental laws and regulations could restrict our ability to expand our facilities or require us to acquire additional expensive equipment, modify our manufacturing processes, or incur other significant expenses. We may unintentionally violate environmental laws or regulations in the future as a result of human error, equipment failure or other causes.  In addition to the potential adverse effects on our business operations of such an event, we are committed to maintaining safe working conditions for our employees and sourcing, manufacturing, and distributing our products in a responsible and environmentally friendly manner, and any failure on our part to do so may cause reputational harm for the Company.

Customer and investor focus on our environmental, social and governance responsibility practices and policies, and related regulatory requirements, may make our supply chain more complex, and any failure to comply with customer or investor guidelines or applicable laws and regulations may adversely affect our relationship with customers and investors or our reputation and results of operations.

There is an increasing focus on corporate environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) responsibility in the semiconductor industry, particularly with OEMs that manufacture consumer electronics. A number of our customers have adopted, or may adopt, procurement policies that include ESG provisions or requirements that their suppliers should comply with, or they may seek to include such provisions or requirements in their procurement terms and conditions. An increasing number of investors are also requiring companies to disclose corporate ESG policies, practices and metrics. Legal and regulatory requirements, as well as investor expectations, on corporate ESG practices and disclosure, are subject to change, can be unpredictable, and may be difficult and expensive for us to comply with, given the complexity of our supply chain and manufacturing. If we are unable to comply, or are unable to cause our suppliers or contract manufacturers to comply, with such policies or provisions or meet the requirements of our customers and our investors, a customer may stop purchasing products

25

Table of Contents

from us or an investor may sell their shares, and may take legal action against us, which could harm our reputation, revenue and results of operations.

Risks Related to Growth and Acquisitions

We may choose to acquire new and complementary businesses, products or technologies instead of developing them ourselves, and we may be unable to complete these acquisitions or may not be able to successfully integrate an acquired business in a cost-effective and non-disruptive manner.

Our success depends on our ability to continually enhance and broaden our product offerings in response to changing technologies, customer demands and competitive pressures. To this end, we have, from time to time, engaged in the process of identifying, analyzing and negotiating possible acquisition transactions, and, from time to time, acquiring one or more businesses, and we expect to continue to do so in the future. We may choose to acquire new and complementary businesses, products, technologies and/or services instead of developing them ourselves. We may, however, face competition for acquisition targets from larger and more established companies with greater financial resources, making it more difficult for us to complete acquisitions. We cannot provide any assurance that we will be successful in consummating future acquisitions on favorable terms or that we will realize the benefits that we anticipate from one or more acquisitions that we consummate. Integrating any business, product, technology or service into our current operations could be expensive and time-consuming and/or disrupt our ongoing business. Further, there are numerous risks associated with acquisitions and potential acquisitions, including, but not limited to:

Our inability to consummate one or more acquisitions on favorable terms, or our failure to realize the intended benefits from one or more acquisitions, could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial position and/or results of operations, including as a result of our incurrence of indebtedness and related interest expense and our assumption of unforeseen contingent liabilities. We might need to raise additional funds through public or private equity or debt financings to finance any acquisition. In that event, we could be forced to obtain financing on terms that are not favorable to us and, in the case of equity financing, that result in dilution to our stockholders. In addition, any impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets, amortization of intangible assets, write-down of other assets or charges resulting from the costs of acquisitions and purchase accounting could harm our business and operating results.

If we cannot effectively manage growth, our business may suffer.

Over the long-term, we intend to grow our business by increasing our sales efforts and completing strategic acquisitions. To effectively manage growth, we must, among other things:

26

Table of Contents

Growth of our business will likely place a significant strain on our management, financial, operational, technical, sales and administrative resources. Any failure to effectively manage our growth may cause our business to suffer and our stock price to decline.

Risks Related to the Global Economy and the Semiconductor Industry

Cyclicality in the semiconductor device industry has led to substantial decreases in demand for our systems in the past and may, from time to time, continue to do so.

Our operating results are subject to significant variation due to global economic conditions and the cyclical nature of the semiconductor device industry. Our business depends upon the capital expenditures of semiconductor device manufacturers, which, in turn, depend upon the current and anticipated market demand for semiconductors and products using semiconductors. The timing, length and severity of the up-and-down cycles in the semiconductor equipment industry are difficult to predict. In recent history, the industry has experienced significant downturns, generally in connection with declines in economic conditions.. This cyclical nature of the industry in which we operate affects our ability to accurately predict future revenue and, thus, future expense levels. When cyclical fluctuations result in lower than expected revenue levels, operating results may be adversely affected, and cost reduction measures may be necessary in order for us to remain competitive and financially sound. During a down cycle, we must be in a position to adjust our cost and expense structure to prevailing market conditions and to continue to motivate and retain our key employees. In addition, during periods of rapid growth, we must be able to increase manufacturing capacity and personnel to meet customer demand. We can provide no assurance that these objectives can be met in a timely manner in response to industry cycles, and we cannot predict when and to what extent sales may normalize, or when and to what extent gross margins may improve, following any such occurrence. If we fail to respond to industry cycles, our business could be seriously harmed.

We may also experience supplier or customer issues as a result of adverse macroeconomic conditions. If our customers have difficulties in obtaining capital or financing, this could result in lower sales. Customers with liquidity issues could also result in an increase in bad debt expense. These conditions could also affect our key suppliers, which could affect their ability to supply parts and result in delays of our customer shipments.

Our future rate of growth is highly dependent on the development and growth of the market for microelectronic device inspection, lithography and metrology equipment.

We target our products to address the needs of microelectronic device manufacturers for defect inspection, metrology and lithography.  If for any reason the market for microelectronic device inspection, lithography or metrology equipment fails to grow in the long term, we may be unable to maintain current revenue levels in the short term and maintain our historical growth in the long term. Growth in the inspection market is dependent to a large extent upon microelectronic manufacturers replacing manual inspection with automated inspection technology. Growth in the metrology market is dependent to a large extent upon new chip designs and capacity expansion of microelectronic manufacturers. Growth in the lithography market is dependent on the development of cost-effective packaging with high fine pitch RDLs, ultimately migrating to multi-die, large, form-factor packages. There can be no assurance that manufacturers will undertake these actions at the rate we expect.

General Risk Factors

Provisions of our charter documents and of Delaware law could discourage potential acquisition proposals and/or delay, deter or prevent a change in control of our company.

Provisions of our certificate of incorporation and by-laws may inhibit changes in control of our company not approved by our Board of Directors. These provisions also limit the circumstances in which a premium can be paid for our common stock and in which a proxy contest for control of our board may be initiated. These provisions provide for:

27

Table of Contents

We are also entitled to avail ourselves of the protections of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which could inhibit changes in control of the Company.

Our stock price is volatile.

The market price of our common stock has fluctuated widely. Consequently, the current market price of our common stock may not be indicative of future market prices, and we may be unable to sustain or increase the value of an investment in our common stock. Factors affecting our stock price may include:

In addition, the stock market has experienced periods of significant price and volume fluctuations. These fluctuations have particularly affected the market prices of the securities of high technology companies like ours. Any such market fluctuations in the future could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

None.

28

Table of Contents

Our principal executive office building is located at 16 Jonspin Road in Wilmington, Massachusetts.  We own our Milpitas and Richardson facilities and lease facilities for corporate, engineering, manufacturing, sales and service-related purposes in the United States and seven other countries - China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Germany and France. The following table indicates the location, the general purpose and the square footage of our material facilities. Our leases expire at various times through July 1, 2029.

We also lease office space for other smaller sales and service offices in several locations throughout the world.

We believe that our existing facilities and capital equipment are adequate to meet our current requirements and that suitable additional or substitute space is available on commercially reasonable terms if needed.

The information set forth under Note 9, “Commitments and Contingencies” to the Consolidated Financial Statements is incorporated herein by reference.

None.

29

Table of Contents

PART II

Our common stock, $0.01 par value per share, is quoted on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “ONTO.”  As of February 8, 2022, there were approximately 117 stockholders of record.  Prior to the 2019 Merger, Nanometrics’ common stock was quoted on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “NANO” and Rudolph’s common stock was quoted on the NYSE under the symbol “RTEC.” Set forth below is a line graph comparing the annual percentage change in the cumulative return to the stockholders of the Company’s common stock with the cumulative return of the NYSE Composite Index and the industry specific index, PHLX Semiconductor Index, for the period commencing on December 31, 2016 and ending on December 31, 2021.  Historical data for Onto Innovation in the line graph for the period commencing on December 31, 2016 and ending on October 25, 2019 reflects the cumulative return to the stockholders of Nanometrics.

The information contained in the performance graph shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference into such filing.

The graph assumes that $100 was invested on December 31, 2016 in the Company’s common stock and in each index. No cash dividends have been declared or paid on the Company’s common stock. Stockholder returns over the indicated period should not be considered indicative of future stockholder returns.

Prepared by Zacks Investment Research, Inc. Used with permission.  All rights reserved.  Copyright 1980-2022.

We have never declared or paid a cash dividend on our common stock and we currently do not intend to. The declaration of any future dividends by us is within the discretion of our Board of Directors and will be dependent on our earnings, financial condition and capital requirements as well as any other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors.

In November 2020, the Onto Innovation Board of Directors approved a new share repurchase authorization, which allows us to repurchase up to $100 million worth of shares of our common stock.  Repurchases may be made through both public

30

Table of Contents

market and private transactions from time to time.  At January 1, 2022, there was $100 million available for future share repurchases.

For further information, see Note 17 in the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K.

In addition to our share repurchase program, we withhold common stock shares associated with net share settlements to cover tax withholding obligations upon the vesting of restricted stock unit awards and stock option exercises under the Company’s equity incentive program. During the three and twelve months ended January 1, 2022, we withheld 7 thousand and 108 thousand shares through net share settlements, respectively.  For the three and twelve month periods ended January 1, 2022, net share settlements cost $0.6 million and $7.4 million, respectively. Please refer to Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K for further discussion regarding our equity incentive plan.

The following table provides details of common stock purchased during the three month period ended January 1, 2022 (in thousands, except per share data):

31

Table of Contents

Item 7.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 integrated circuits, 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 integrated circuits for a multitude of applications, each having unique manufacturing challenges. This includes integrated circuits to enable information processing and management (logic integrated circuits), memory storage (NAND, 3D-NAND, NOR, and DRAM), analog devices (e.g., Wi-Fi and 5G radio integrated circuits, power devices), MEMS sensor devices (accelerometers, pressure sensors, microphones), image sensors, and other end markets including components for 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.

During fiscal 2021, there was an increase in wafer fabrication equipment spending by semiconductor manufacturers, driven by the growing importance of semiconductor technology across a broadening range of industries, from mobile devices to cloud computing and high-performance computers.  We are also seeing increasing global emphasis on more advanced power devices for electric vehicles and smart power grids to help combat climate change.  Customer demand was strong throughout the year and we continued to increase our production output levels. Revenues in the four quarters of 2021 increased sequentially as customers transitioned to advanced nodes and increased advanced packaging volumes.  While we have seen improvements in our own operations, we experienced higher costs of goods sold related to freight and logistics costs during the year. Risks and uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the supply chain remain and we expect this uncertainty especially in the supply chain to continue to be a factor through at least the first half of 2022, and possibly the entire year.    Over the longer term, we believe that demand for semiconductors will continue to drive sustainable growth for our products and services across all of the markets we serve.

The following table summarizes certain key financial information for the periods indicated below (in thousands, except per share and percent data):

32

Table of Contents

Our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities balance increased to $511.3 million at the end of fiscal 2021 compared to $373.7 million at the end of the fiscal 2020. This increase was primarily the result of $175.3 million of cash generated from operating activities.  This source of cash was partially offset by net cash of $23.8 million used for the purchase of Inspectrology and $12.0 million used for capital expenditures.

Key Events

Business Combination.  In the first quarter of 2021, the Company acquired Inspectrology, LLC, a supplier of overlay metrology for controlling lithography and etch processes in the compound semiconductor market.  The purchase consideration consisted of $24.0 million in cash paid at closing and an earnout subject to achievement of certain revenue targets for fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2022.  As of January 1, 2022, $2.3 million of the earnout has been achieved with potential for up to an additional payment of $5.0 million based on fiscal 2022 results.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Our Business. As of February 25, 2022, our operations have been impacted by our pandemic response, as described below, given the global nature of our workforce and our operations, but we have not experienced significant financial impact directly related to the pandemic.  The ultimate extent to which COVID-19 will impact our business depends on future developments, which are highly uncertain and very difficult to predict, including the effectiveness and utilization of vaccines for COVID-19 and its variants, new information that may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and its variants, and actions to contain or limit their spread.

We have prioritized the health and safety of our employees and customers in our pandemic response. As governmental authorities implement restrictions on commercial operations, we have continued to ensure compliance with these directives while also maintaining business continuity for our essential operations. We have a global workforce.  Although our manufacturing facilities are in the United States, we maintain offices and have employees in the United States, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Singapore and Europe. Our operations at these offices are subject to various governmental directives and, as a result thereof, we have instituted a work-from-home policy for these employees to the extent practical.  Where our essential employees are required to continue to report to work to perform their responsibilities, we have implemented staggered shifts or otherwise adjusted work schedules to maximize our operating capacity while adhering to applicable restrictions, including recommended distancing between persons.  We have also provided our essential employees with appropriate protective equipment and have enhanced and increased cleanings at our facilities. At this time, we have not experienced any reduction in productivity, though we have incurred certain costs related to the implementation of these policies and practices.  In addition, we have enhanced our email screening and cyber monitoring of our devices to further support our work from home policy.  As certain countries have relaxed restrictions over the past few months, we have restarted certain activities in accordance with local guidelines.  We may take further actions that we determine to be in the best interests of our employees or as may be required by federal, state, or local authorities.

To date, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the way that we conduct business but has not had a material adverse impact on our operations.  We have not experienced significant delays in customer deliveries, but we are impacted by the global shortage in electronic components and our supply chain is strained in some cases as the availability of materials, logistics and freight options are challenging in many jurisdictions.  Demand for our products was consistent with or exceeded our expectations for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.  However, further disruptions to our supply chain in connection with the sourcing of materials, equipment and engineering support, and services from geographic areas that have been impacted by COVID-19 may pose risks to our business, results of operations and financial condition.  In this time of uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are continuing to serve our customers while taking appropriate precautionary measures to provide a safe work environment for our employees and customers.

The extent of the pandemic’s effect on our operational and financial performance will depend in large part on future developments, which cannot be predicted with confidence at this time. Future developments include the duration, scope and severity of the pandemic, the severity of newly identified strains of COVID-19, the actions taken to contain or mitigate its impact, such as the extent of restrictions on gatherings and travel, the impact on governmental programs and budgets, the development, administration, efficacy and public utilization of treatments and vaccines, and the resumption of widespread economic activity. Trade tensions between the United States and China may escalate as a result of COVID-19 or otherwise and could result in the imposition of additional tariffs, trade restrictions or policy changes, any of which could increase costs of our product components and pricing of, and consumer demand for, our products, which could have a negative effect on our results of operations.

33

Table of Contents

Although the inherent uncertainty of the unprecedented and rapidly evolving crisis makes it difficult to predict with any confidence the likely impact on our future operations, the COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse impact on our consolidated business, results of operations and financial condition.

For a discussion of certain risks related to the international nature of our business and our operations and the COVID-19 pandemic, see Part I, Item 1A – Risk Factors of this 2021 Form 10-K.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our results of operations as percentages of our revenue. Our results of operations are reported as one business segment.

Results of Operations for 2021, 2020 and 2019

Revenue. Our revenue is derived from the sale of our systems and software, spare parts, and services. Our revenue was $788.9 million, $556.5 million and $305.9 million for the years ended January 1, 2022, December 26, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.  This represents an increase of 41.8% from 2020 to 2021 and an increase of 81.9% from 2019 to 2020.

The following table lists, for the periods indicated, the different sources of our revenue in dollars (thousands) and as percentages of our total revenue: 

Total systems and software revenue increased $218.7 million for the year ended January 1, 2022, as compared to the year ended December 26, 2020, primarily due to an increase in overall demand for our products from semiconductor industry customers, particularly in specialty devices and advanced packaging and advanced nodes applications, and the inclusion of $22.3 million of revenue from the Inspectrology acquisition.  The year-over-year change in systems revenue was primarily due to an increase in units shipped in our metrology and inspection product lines.  Parts and services revenue is generated from part sales, maintenance service contracts, and system upgrades, as well as time and material billable service calls. During fiscal 2021, the increase in parts and services revenue was primarily due to increased spending by our customers on system upgrades and repairs of existing systems.  

Total systems and software revenue increased $194.7 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2019, primarily due to the inclusion of $178.6 million of revenue from legacy Nanometrics for the

34

Table of Contents

period and increased investment from our foundry and logic customers. Parts and services revenue is generated from part sales, maintenance service contracts, system upgrades, as well as time and material billable service calls. During fiscal 2020, parts and services revenue increased primarily due to inclusion of $54.3 million of parts and service revenue from legacy Nanometrics for 2020.  

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our revenue by geographic region as percentages of our revenue.

The overall Asia region continues to account for a majority of our revenues as a substantial amount of the worldwide capacity investments for semiconductor manufacturing continue to occur in this region and we expect that trend to continue.

Gross Profit. Our gross profit has been and will likely continue to be affected by a variety of factors, including manufacturing efficiencies, provision for excess and obsolete inventory, pricing by competitors or suppliers, new product introductions, production volume, inventory step-up from purchase accounting, customization and reconfiguration of systems, international and domestic sales mix, system and software product mix, and parts and services margins. Our gross profit was $429.1 million, $278.5 million and $135.0 million for the years ended January 1, 2022, December 26, 2020, and December 31, 2019, respectively.  Our gross profit represented 54.4%, 50.0% and 44.1% for the years ended January 1, 2022, December 26, 2020, and December 31, 2019, respectively.  The increase in gross profit as a percentage of revenue from 2020 to 2021 was primarily due to higher factory utilization associated with stronger sales levels in the 2021 fiscal period, inventory reserve charges for a discontinued product line and the sale of inventory written-up to fair value upon the 2019 Merger in the 2020 fiscal period.  This increase in gross profit was partially offset by supply chain cost increases in the 2021 fiscal period.  The increase in gross profit as a percentage of revenue from 2019 to 2020 was primarily due to a favorable impact from higher revenue volume of products and services from the 2019 Merger with inclusion of legacy Nanometrics results for the full fiscal year, partially offset by additional charges for excess and obsolete inventory in the 2020 fiscal period. During the fourth quarter of the year ended December 26, 2020, we recognized a write-down of inventory in the amount of $8.1 million for our JetStep X300 product line to net realizable value based on future demand and market conditions.  

Operating Expenses.

Our operating expenses consist of:

35

Table of Contents

Interest income, net.  In fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, net interest income was $1.2 million, $2.9 million and $3.7 million, respectively.  The decrease in net interest income from 2020 to 2021 was due to lower interest rates during the 2021 period.  The decrease in net interest income from 2019 to 2020 was due to lower interest rates during the 2020 period.    

Income taxes. The following table provides details of income tax (dollars in millions):

The income tax provision differs from the federal statutory income tax rate of 21% for 2021 primarily due to a benefit related to the Foreign Derived Intangible Income Deduction (“FDII”) of $11.1 million, excess benefits related to stock compensation of $3.8 million, tax benefits for research and development credits of $3.6 million, tax benefit from foreign income being taxed at lower rates of $3.8 million, and a one-time benefit of $2.0 million from a reduction to recorded tax reserve related to a lapse of statute of limitations. These benefits were partially offset by the inclusion of U.S. tax on foreign source income of $1.7 million.

The income tax provision differs from the federal statutory income tax rate of 21% for 2020 primarily due to a benefit related to the FDII of $4.3 million, tax benefits for research and development credits of $4.9 million, and a one-time benefit related to the closure of an IRS audit for tax years 2016 through 2018 of $2.9 million.  These benefits were partially offset by the inclusion of Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”) of $2.0 million.

The income tax provision differs from the federal statutory income tax rate of 21% for 2019 primarily due to a benefit related to the FDII of $2.3 million and tax benefits for research and development credits of $2.1 million, partially offset by non-deductible transaction costs of $1.1 million and Section 162(m) limitation on the deductibility of executive compensation of $0.8 million.

Our future effective income tax rate depends on various factors, such as future impacts of the Tax Act, possible further tax legislation, the geographic composition of our pre-tax income, the amount of our pre-tax income as business activities fluctuate, non-deductible expenses incurred in connection with acquisitions and research and development credits as a percentage of aggregate pre-tax income.

On March 27, 2020, the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act” (the “CARES Act”) was enacted. The CARES Act includes provisions relating to refundable payroll tax credits, deferral of the employer portion of certain payroll taxes, net operating loss carryback periods, alternative minimum tax credit refunds, modifications to the net interest deduction limitations and technical corrections to tax depreciation methods for qualified improvement property.  The Company filed a

36

Table of Contents

claim for a refund of prior years’ income taxes paid under the provisions of the CARES Act which resulted in a tax benefit of $1.9 million as the 2019 net operating loss was carried back to a year with higher tax rates.

Unanticipated changes in our tax provisions or exposure to additional tax liabilities could affect our profitability and cash flow.  We are subject to income and other taxes in the United States and foreign jurisdictions. Changes in applicable U.S. (federal, state and local) or foreign tax laws and regulations, or their interpretation and application, including the possibility of retroactive effect, have affected and could continue to affect our tax expense and profitability as, for example, they did in 2017 upon passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. In addition, the final determination of any state or federal tax audits or related litigation, in particular with regard to the sustainment of our positions on research credits and timing of revenue recognition under IRC Section 451(b), could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions and accruals.

Beginning in 2022, the TCJA eliminates the existing option to deduct research and development expenditures and requires taxpayers to amortize them over five years pursuant to IRC Section 174. Although Congress is considering legislation that would defer the amortization requirement to later years, we have no assurance that the provision will be repealed or otherwise modified. If the requirement is not modified, it will reduce our cash flows beginning in 2022.  Changes in our tax provisions or an increase in our tax liabilities, whether due to changes in applicable laws and regulations, the interpretation or application thereof, or a final determination of tax audits or litigation or agreements, could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

At January 1, 2022, we had $511.3 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities and $793.6 million in working capital.  At December 26, 2020, we had $373.7 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities and $611.6 million in working capital.

Net cash and cash equivalents provided by operating activities for the years ended January 1, 2022, December 26, 2020 and December 31, 2019 totaled $175.3 million, $106.0 million and $18.1 million, respectively.  

Net cash and cash equivalents used in investing activities for the years ended January 1, 2022 and December 26, 2020 was $141.8 million and $48.6 million, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2019, investing activities provided net cash and cash equivalents of $4.1 million.

Net cash provided by financing activities was $2.7 million for the year ended January 1, 2022.  For the years ended December 26, 2020 and December 31, 2019 financing activities used $53.7 million and $4.2, respectively.  

37

Table of Contents

From time to time, we evaluate whether to acquire new or complementary businesses, products and/or technologies. We may fund all of or a portion of the price of these investments or acquisitions in cash, stock, or a combination of cash and stock. In the first quarter of 2021, the Company acquired Inspectrology, LLC for $24.0 million in cash and an earnout subject to the achievement of certain revenue targets earned for fiscal 2021 through 2022.  The earnout achieved for fiscal 2021 was $2.3 million and is anticipated to be paid in the first half of fiscal 2022.  There is potential earnout for up to an additional payment of $5.0 million depending on fiscal 2022 results.

In November 2020, the Onto Innovation Board of Directors approved a new share repurchase authorization, which allows the Company to repurchase up to $100 million worth of shares of its common stock.  Repurchases may be made through both public market and private transactions from time to time with shares purchased being subsequently retired.  At January 1, 2022, there was $100 million available for future share repurchases.  

For further information regarding our share repurchases, see Note 17 in the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K.

We have a credit agreement with a bank that provides for a line of credit that is secured by the marketable securities we have with the bank.  We are permitted to borrow up to 70% of the value of eligible securities held at the time the line of credit is accessed.  As of January 1, 2022, the available line of credit was approximately $131.4 million with an available interest rate of 1.8%.  The credit agreement is available to us until such time that either party terminates the arrangement at its discretion.   To date, we have not utilized the line of credit.

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the timing and amount of our revenue and our investment decisions, which will affect our ability to generate additional cash. In addition, although the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our future results remains uncertain, we believe our business model and our current cash reserves leave us well-positioned to manage our business through this crisis as it continues to unfold. We expect that our existing cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and availability under our line of credit will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash requirements for working capital, capital expenditures and other cash needs for the next 12 months following the filing of this Form 10-K. Thereafter, if cash generated from operations and financing activities is insufficient to satisfy our working capital requirements, we may seek additional funding through bank borrowings, sales of securities or other means. Market conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other factors may have an impact on our ability to access such additional funding. Our borrowing capacity under our existing line of credit is tied to the value of eligible securities held at the time of borrowing, which may be negatively impacted by market conditions due to COVID-19 and government responses thereto or other factors. In addition, a reduction in or volatility with respect to our stock price or a general market downturn could materially impact our ability to sell securities on favorable terms or at all. There can be no assurance that we will be able to raise any such capital on terms acceptable to us or at all.

Contractual Obligations

The following table summarizes our significant contractual obligations at January 1, 2022, and the effect such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flows in future periods. We are currently unable to provide a reasonably reliable estimate of the amount or periods when cash settlement of this liability may occur (dollars in thousands).

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. We review the accounting policies we use in reporting our financial results on a regular basis. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the

38

Table of Contents

reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to revenue recognition, accounts receivable, inventories, business acquisitions, intangible assets, share-based payments, income taxes and warranty obligations. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Results may differ from these estimates due to actual outcomes being different from those on which we based our assumptions. These estimates and judgments are regularly reviewed by management on an ongoing basis at the end of each quarter prior to the public release of our financial results. We believe the following critical accounting policies affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Revenue Recognition. Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services are transferred to our customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods or services. We account for a contract when it has approval and commitment from both parties, the rights of the parties and payment terms are identified, the contract has commercial substance and collectability of consideration is probable.

We account for shipping and handling activities as the fulfillment of a promise to transfer goods to the customer and therefore record these activities under the caption “Cost of revenue.” Sales tax and any other taxes collected concurrent with revenue producing activities are excluded from revenue. Incidental items that are immaterial in the context of the contract are recognized as expense.

Contracts with customers may include multiple performance obligations. For such arrangements, we allocate revenue to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price. We generally determine standalone selling prices based on the prices charged to customers or the expected cost-plus margin.

Revenue from systems is recognized when we transfer control of the product to our customer. To indicate transfer of control, we must have a present right to payment, legal title must have passed to the customer and the customer must have the significant risks and rewards of ownership. We generally transfer control for system sales when the customer or the customer’s agent picks up the system at our facility. We provide an assurance warranty on our systems for a period of twelve to fourteen months against defects in material and workmanship. We provide for the estimated cost of product warranties at the time revenue is recognized.

Depending on the terms of the systems arrangement, we may also defer the recognition of a portion of the consideration expected to be received because we have to satisfy a future obligation (e.g., installation and extended warranties). We use an observable price to determine the standalone selling price for separate performance obligations or a cost-plus margin approach when one is not available.

Revenue from software licenses is recognized upfront at the point in time when the software is made available to the customer. Software licenses provide the customer with limited rights to use the software. Revenue from licensing support and maintenance is recognized as the support and maintenance are provided, which is over the contract period.

Revenue from parts is recognized when we transfer control of the product, which typically occurs when we ship the product from our facilities to the customer.

Revenue from services primarily consists of service contracts, which provide additional maintenance coverage beyond our assurance warranty on our products, service labor, consulting and training. Revenue from service contracts is recognized ratably over the term of the service contract. Revenue from service labor, consulting and training is recognized as services are performed.

We record contract liabilities when the customer has been billed in advance of completing our performance obligations. These amounts are recorded as deferred revenue in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Business combinations. We account for business combinations under the acquisition method of accounting, which requires us to recognize separately from goodwill the assets acquired, and the liabilities assumed at their acquisition date fair values. While we use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date as well as contingent consideration, where applicable, our estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, we record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recognized in our consolidated statements of operations. Accounting for business combinations requires our management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially at the acquisition date including our estimates for intangible assets, contractual obligations assumed, restructuring liabilities, pre-acquisition contingencies, and contingent consideration, where applicable. Although we believe the assumptions and estimates we have made in the past have been reasonable and appropriate, they are based, in part, on historical experience and information obtained from the

39

Table of Contents

management of the acquired companies and are inherently uncertain. Estimates in valuing certain acquired intangible assets under the income approach include growth in future expected cash flows from product sales, acquired technologies, technology obsolescence rates, estimated cash flows from the projects when completed and discount rates. Unanticipated events and circumstances may occur that may affect the accuracy or validity of such assumptions, estimates or actual results.

Excess and Obsolete Inventory. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value.  Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation.  Cost is generally determined on a first-in, first-out basis, and includes material, labor and manufacturing overhead costs. We review and set standard costs as needed, but at a minimum, on an annual basis, at current manufacturing costs in order to approximate actual costs. We maintain reserves for our excess and obsolete inventory equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the estimated market value based upon assumptions about future product lifecycles, product demand and market conditions. If actual product lifecycles, product demand and market conditions are less favorable than those originally projected by management, additional inventory write-downs may be required.

Goodwill and Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets.  Goodwill is tested for impairment during the fourth quarter, or whenever events or circumstances indicate that its carrying value may not be recoverable. Goodwill impairment is tested at the reporting unit level, which is defined as an operating segment or one level below the operating segment.  The Company has one operating segment. Goodwill is reviewed for impairment using either a qualitative assessment or a quantitative goodwill impairment test. If the Company chooses to perform a qualitative assessment and determine the fair value more likely than not exceeds the carrying value, no further evaluation is necessary. When the Company performs the quantitative goodwill impairment test, it compares fair value to carrying value, which includes goodwill. If fair value exceeds carrying value, the goodwill is not considered impaired. If the carrying value is higher than the fair value, the difference would be recognized as an impairment loss.

Intangible assets with indefinite lives, including in-process research and development (“IPR&D”), are tested for impairment if impairment indicators arise and, at a minimum, annually. However, the Company is permitted to first assess qualitative factors to determine if a quantitative impairment test is necessary. Further testing is only required if the entity determines, based on the qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset’s fair value is less than its carrying amount. Otherwise, no further impairment testing is required. The indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment test consists of a one-step analysis that compares the fair value of the intangible asset with its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of an intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. We consider many factors in evaluating whether the value of intangible assets with indefinite lives may not be recoverable, including, but not limited to estimates of future cash flows, the discount rate, terminal growth rates, general economic conditions, our outlook and market performance of our industry and recent and forecasted financial performance.

There was no impairment of goodwill or IPR&D for the years presented.

Long-Lived Assets and Finite-Lived Acquired Intangible Assets. We periodically review long-lived assets, other than goodwill, for impairment whenever changes in events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Assumptions and estimates used in the determination of impairment losses, such as future cash flows and disposition costs, may affect the carrying value of long-lived assets and the impairment of such long-lived assets, if any, could have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.  During the year ended December 31, 2019, we recognized a $0.5 million impairment loss on long-lived assets.  No such indicators were noted in 2021 or 2020.

Accounting for Income Taxes. As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our current tax exposure together with our temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and accounting purposes. These temporary differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included within our consolidated balance sheet. We must then assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and to the extent we believe that recovery is not likely, we must establish a valuation allowance. Management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes and any valuation allowance recorded against our deferred tax assets. The need for a valuation allowance is based on our estimates of taxable income by jurisdiction in which we operate and the period over which our deferred taxes will be recoverable. In the event that actual results differ from these estimates or we adjust these estimates in future periods, we may need to adjust the valuation allowance, which could materially impact our financial position and results of operations. At January 1, 2022 and December 26, 2020, we had recorded valuation allowances of $10.9 million and $14.2 million on certain of our deferred tax assets to reflect the deferred tax assets at the net amount that is more likely than not to be realized.  We evaluated the realizability of the deferred tax assets based on positive earnings as well as the projected earnings in future years and believe it is more likely than not that the substantial majority of our deferred tax asset will be realized in the future years.  We will continue to monitor the realizability of the deferred tax assets and evaluate the valuation allowance.

40

Table of Contents

We recognize liabilities for uncertain tax positions based on a two-step process. The first step requires us to determine if the weight of available evidence indicates that the tax position has met the threshold for recognition; therefore, we must evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes. The second step requires us to measure the tax benefit of the tax position taken, or expected to be taken, in an income tax return as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized when effectively settled. This measurement step is inherently difficult and requires subjective estimations of such amounts to determine the probability of various possible outcomes. We reevaluate the uncertain tax positions each quarter based on factors including, but not limited to, changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law, effectively settled issues, and new audit activity. Such a change in recognition or measurement could result in the recognition of a tax benefit or an additional charge to the tax provision in the period.

Although we believe the measurement of our liabilities for uncertain tax positions is reasonable, no assurance can be given that the final outcome of these matters will not be different than what is reflected in the historical income tax provisions and accruals. If additional taxes are assessed as a result of an audit or litigation, it could have a material effect on our income tax provision and net income in the period or periods for which that determination is made.

Interest Rate and Credit Market Risk

We are exposed to changes in interest rates and market liquidity including our investments in certain available-for-sale securities. Our available-for-sale securities consist of fixed and variable rate income investments, such as municipal notes, municipal bonds and corporate bonds. We continually monitor our exposure to changes in interest rates, market liquidity and credit ratings of issuers for our available-for-sale securities. It is possible that we are at risk if interest rates, market liquidity or credit ratings of issuers change in an unfavorable direction. The magnitude of any gain or loss will be a function of the difference between the fixed or variable rate of the financial instrument and the market rate, and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially affected. Based on a sensitivity analysis performed on our financial investments held as of January 1, 2022, a hypothetical increase of 100 basis points in interest rates would result in a decrease of $2.2 million in the fair value of our available-for-sale debt securities and would not have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Foreign Currency Risk

A substantial portion of our systems and software revenues are denominated in U.S. dollars.  However, our international operations are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations arising from U.S. dollar denominated intercompany balances between our U.S. headquarters and that of our foreign owned entities. Since each foreign entity’s functional currency is generally denominated in its local currency, there is exposure to foreign exchange risk when the foreign entity’s intercompany balance is remeasured at a reporting date, resulting in transaction gains or losses. The intercompany balance, exposed to foreign currency risk, as of January 1, 2022 was approximately $46.8 million. A hypothetical change of 10% in the relative value of the U.S. dollar versus local functional currencies could result in approximately $0.5 million in foreign currency exchange losses / (gains).

We enter into foreign currency forward contracts to minimize the short-term impact of exchange rate fluctuations on certain foreign currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities, primarily cash and intercompany receivables and payables. In addition, we hedge certain anticipated foreign currency cash flows, primarily on revenues denominated in Japanese yen.  These forward contracts are not designated as accounting hedges, so the change in fair value of the forward exchange contracts is recognized under the caption “Other income (expense), net” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for each reporting period. As of January 1, 2022, and December 26, 2020, we had seven and eight outstanding forward contracts, respectively, with a total notional contract value of $32.3 million and $37.6 million, respectively. We do not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

The consolidated financial statements and related information required by this Item are set forth on the pages indicated in Item 15(a) of this Form 10-K.

None.

41

Table of Contents

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time period specified in SEC rules and forms. These controls and procedures are also designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating disclosure controls and procedures, we have recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. Management is required to apply judgment in evaluating its controls and procedures.

We performed an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, to assess the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures under the Exchange Act as of January 1, 2022. Based on that evaluation, our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of January 1, 2022 at the reasonable assurance level.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (“COSO”). Based on our evaluation, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of January 1, 2022.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may be circumvented or deteriorate.

Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm

Our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended January 1, 2022 have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Ernst & Young LLP has also audited our internal control over financial reporting as of January 1, 2022, as stated in its attestation report included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during our fiscal quarter ended January 1, 2022 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. We have not experienced any material impact to our internal controls over financial reporting due to the fact that most of our employees responsible for financial reporting are working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are continually monitoring and assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our internal controls to minimize the impact to their design and operating effectiveness.

None.

Not applicable.

42

Table of Contents

PART III

Certain information required by Part III is omitted from this Form 10-K because we expect to file a definitive proxy statement within one hundred twenty (120) days after the end of our fiscal year pursuant to Regulation 14A (the “Proxy Statement”) for our Annual Meeting of Stockholders currently scheduled for May 10, 2022, and the information included in the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.

The information required by this Item with respect to directors and executive officers is included under the headings “Proposal One: Election of Directors,” “Named Executive Officers (NEOs)” and “Corporate Governance Principles and Practices” in the Proxy Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference. Information regarding compliance with Section 16 of the Exchange Act is incorporated by reference to the information under the heading “Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports” in the Proxy Statement.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and controller. This code of business conduct and ethics is posted on our internet website address at http://investors.ontoinnovation.com.  We will post on our website any amendment to or waiver from a provision of our code of business conduct and ethics as may be required, and within the time period specified, by applicable SEC rules.

The information required by this Item is included under the headings “Executive Officer Compensation,” “Compensation of Directors,” “Compensation Committee Report on Executive Officer Compensation,” “Stock Ownership/Retention Guidelines for Directors” and “Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation” in the Proxy Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The information required by this Item is included under the headings “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners” and “Equity Compensation Plan Information” in the Proxy Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The information required by this Item is included under the headings “Related Persons Transactions Policy” and “Board Independence” in the Proxy Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The information required by this Item is included under the heading “Proposal 3: Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in the Proxy Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.

43

Table of Contents

PART IV

The consolidated financial statements and consolidated financial statement information required by this Item are included on pages F-1 through F-10 of this report. The Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm appear on pages F-2 through F-4 of this report.

See Index to financial statements on page F-1 of this report.

Exhibits are as set forth in the “Exhibit Index”, provided below. Where so indicated, exhibits, which were previously filed, are incorporated by reference.

44

Table of Contents

45

Table of Contents

46

Table of Contents

ONTO INNOVATION INC.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND

FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE

F-1

Table of Contents

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Onto Innovation Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Onto Innovation Inc. (the Company) as of January 1, 2022 and December 26, 2020, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended January 1, 2022, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at January 1, 2022 and December 26, 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended January 1, 2022, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of January 1, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework), and our report dated February 25, 2022 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter 

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosure to which it relates.

     Excess Inventory Reserve

F-2

Table of Contents

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2008.

Iselin, New Jersey

February 25, 2022

F-3

Table of Contents

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Onto Innovation Inc.

Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We have audited Onto Innovation Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of January 1, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, Onto Innovation Inc. (the Company) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of January 1, 2022, based on the COSO criteria.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of January 1, 2022 and December 26, 2020, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended January 1, 2022, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) and our report dated February 25, 2022 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Iselin, New Jersey

February 25, 2022

F-4

Table of Contents

ONTO INNOVATION INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except per share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-5

Table of Contents

ONTO INNOVATION INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(In thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-6

Table of Contents

ONTO INNOVATION INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except per share data)