-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, Rd+e5pQC7e1+VZvxvr7/RY01nmTe+lvwh+wO43/i89vphi1uKKXWrpoxeLETXU0b r4hC6KoYqSBan4vMePbNrw== 0001193125-07-240421.txt : 20071108 0001193125-07-240421.hdr.sgml : 20071108 20071108164030 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001193125-07-240421 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: 10-Q PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 8 CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT: 20070929 FILED AS OF DATE: 20071108 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20071108 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: NANOMETRICS INC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000704532 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: MEASURING & CONTROLLING DEVICES, NEC [3829] IRS NUMBER: 942276314 STATE OF INCORPORATION: DE FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 10-Q SEC ACT: 1934 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 000-13470 FILM NUMBER: 071226382 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 1550 BUCKEYE DRIVE CITY: MILPITAS STATE: CA ZIP: 95035 BUSINESS PHONE: 408-435-9600 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 1550 BUCKEYE DRIVE CITY: MILPITAS STATE: CA ZIP: 95035 10-Q 1 d10q.htm FORM 10-Q Form 10-Q
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

 


FORM 10-Q

 


(Mark One)

x Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 29, 2007

OR

 

¨ Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the transition period from __________ to __________

Commission file number 0-13470

 


NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Delaware   94-2276314

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I. R. S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

1550 Buckeye Drive, Milpitas, CA   95035
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (408) 545-6000

 


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  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ¨            Accelerated filer  x            Non-accelerated filer  ¨

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

As of November 2, 2007, there were 18,643,478 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value, issued and outstanding.

 



Table of Contents

NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED

INDEX TO QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-Q

FOR QUARTER ENDED SEPTEMBER 29, 2007

 

               Page

PART I.

     

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

   3
  

Item 1.

  

Financial Statements (Unaudited)

   3
     

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 29, 2007 and December 30, 2006

   3
     

Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three- and Nine-Month Periods Ended September 29, 2007 and September 30, 2006

   4
     

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Nine-Month Periods Ended September 29, 2007 and September 30, 2006

   5
     

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

   6
  

Item 2.

  

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

   14
  

Item 3.

  

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

   21
  

Item 4.

  

Controls and Procedures

   22

PART II.

     

OTHER INFORMATION

   22
  

Item 1.

  

Legal Proceedings

   22
  

Item 1A.

  

Risk Factors

   22
  

Item 2.

  

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

   29
  

Item 4.

  

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

   30
  

Item 6.

  

Exhibits

   30

Exhibit Index

   30

Signatures

   31

 

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PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Amounts in thousands except share amounts)

(Unaudited)

 

     September 29, 2007     December 30, 2006  

ASSETS

    

Current assets:

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 14,874     $ 7,957  

Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $468 and $841, respectively

     34,157       24,888  

Inventories

     33,149       43,601  

Prepaid expenses and other

     4,841       3,639  
                

Total current assets

     87,021       80,085  

Property, plant and equipment, net

     44,230       43,294  

Goodwill and indefinite lived intangible asset

     52,885       55,217  

Intangible assets, net

     23,085       27,583  

Other assets

     1,719       1,985  
                

Total assets

   $ 208,940     $ 208,164  
                

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

    

Current liabilities:

    

Accounts payable

   $ 13,066     $ 9,155  

Accounts payable to related party

     —         181  

Accrued payroll and related expenses

     5,123       5,227  

Deferred revenue and product margin

     1,840       6,239  

Other current liabilities

     9,724       8,381  

Income taxes payable

     447       695  

Current portion of debt obligations

     145       486  
                

Total current liabilities

     30,345       30,364  

Deferred income taxes

     1,582       1,848  

Debt obligations and other long-term liabilities

     715       1,321  
                

Total liabilities

     32,642       33,533  
                

Contingencies

    

Stockholders’ Equity:

    

Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 3,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding

     —         —    

Common stock, $0.001 par value, 47,000,000 shares authorized; 18,577,546 and 18,141,589 respectively, issued and outstanding

     19       18  

Additional paid-in capital

     185,727       182,096  

Accumulated deficit

     (12,642 )     (9,909 )

Accumulated other comprehensive income

     3,194       2,426  
                

Total stockholders’ equity

     176,298       174,631  
                

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 208,940     $ 208,164  
                

See Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

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NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Amounts in thousands except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

 

     Three-Months Ended     Nine-Months Ended  
     September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
    September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
 

Net revenues:

        

Products

   $ 33,306     $ 24,772     $ 98,564     $ 60,865  

Service

     5,341       4,319       14,533       10,592  
                                

Total net revenues

     38,647       29,091       113,097       71,457  
                                

Costs of net revenues:

        

Cost of products

     16,773       12,935       50,628       31,405  

Cost of service

     4,791       4,780       15,459       11,340  
                                

Total costs of net revenues

     21,564       17,715       66,087       42,745  
                                

Gross profit

     17,083       11,376       47,010       28,712  

Operating expenses:

        

Research and development

     4,661       4,208       13,986       9,798  

Selling

     4,603       5,079       14,636       12,034  

General and administrative

     4,783       5,447       16,538       14,303  

Amortization of intangible assets

     1,285       2,435       4,497       2,673  

Restructuring charge

     2,128       —         2,128       —    

Gain on sale of assets

     (2,100 )     —         (2,100 )     —    
                                

Total operating expenses

     15,360       17,169       49,685       38,808  
                                

Income (loss) from operations

     1,723       (5,793 )     (2,675 )     (10,096 )
                                

Other income (expense)

        

Interest income

     69       156       121       787  

Interest expense

     (56 )     (13 )     (141 )     (44 )

Other, net

     382       (648 )     (40 )     (375 )
                                

Total other income (expense), net

     395       (505 )     (60 )     368  
                                

Income (loss) before provision (benefit) for income taxes

     2,118       (6,298 )     (2,735 )     (9,728 )

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

     110       268       (2 )     316  
                                

Net income (loss)

   $ 2,008     $ (6,566 )   $ (2,733 )   $ (10,044 )
                                

Net income (loss) per share:

        

Basic

   $ 0.11     $ (0.40 )   $ (0.15 )   $ (0.71 )
                                

Diluted

   $ 0.11     $ (0.40 )   $ (0.15 )   $ (0.71 )
                                

Shares used in per share calculation:

        

Basic

     18,278       16,573       17,931       14,226  
                                

Diluted

     18,676       16,573       17,931       14,226  
                                

See Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Amounts in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

     Nine-Months Ended  
     September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
 

Cash flows from operating activities:

    

Net loss

   $ (2,733 )   $ (10,044 )

Reconciliation of net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

    

Depreciation and amortization

     6,983       4,374  

Stock-based compensation

     2,749       3,411  

Gain on sale of assets

     (2,100 )     —    

Non-cash portion of restructuring charge

     1,910       —    

Changes in assets and liabilities:

    

Accounts receivable

     (8,949 )     1,335  

Inventories, net

     4,587       (9,833 )

Prepaid expenses and other

     (984 )     (1,831 )

Other assets

     183       —    

Accounts payable, accrued and other liabilities

     5,692       (4,512 )

Deferred revenue and product margin

     (4,342 )     8,501  

Income taxes payable

     (103 )     183  
                

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

     2,893       (8,416 )
                

Cash flows from investing activities:

    

Purchase of certain net assets in connection with acquisitions, net of cash received

     —         (7,477 )

Sales/maturities of short-term investments

     —         4,949  

Purchase of property, plant and equipment

     (1,045 )     (435 )

Proceeds from sale of assets

     3,863       —    
                

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

     2,818       (2,963 )
                

Cash flows from financing activities:

    

Repayments of debt obligations

     (1,500 )     (15,383 )

Proceeds from sale of shares under employee stock option plans and purchase plan

     3,118       1,083  

Repurchase of common stock

     (198 )     —    
                

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

     1,420       (14,300 )

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

     (214 )     360  
                

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     6,917       (25,319 )

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

     7,957       40,445  
                

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

   $ 14,874     $ 15,126  
                

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:

    

Cash for interest

   $ 122     $ 38  

Cash paid (refunded) for income taxes

   $ 175     $ (43 )

Capitalization of inventory as property, plant and equipment

   $ 5,775     $ —    

Goodwill adjustment

   $ 2,332     $ —    

Fair value of Nanometrics shares issued to Accent stockholders

   $ —       $ 67,481  

Fair value of Nanometrics shares issuable to former Accent optionees

   $ —       $ 344  

See Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

Note 1. Consolidated Financial Statements

In the opinion of management, the accompanying Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (“financial statements”) of Nanometrics Incorporated and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “Nanometrics” or the “Company”) have been prepared on a consistent basis with the December 30, 2006 audited consolidated financial statements and include all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring adjustments, necessary to fairly present the information set forth therein. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and, therefore, omit certain information and footnote disclosure necessary to present the statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the operating results that may be expected for the entire year. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 30, 2006, which were included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, which was filed with the SEC on March 15, 2007.

Fiscal Period – Nanometrics uses a 52/53 week fiscal year ending on the Saturday nearest to December 31. All references to the quarter refer to Nanometrics’ fiscal quarter. The fiscal quarters presented herein include 13 weeks.

Reclassification – For the consolidated balance sheet as of December 30, 2006, Nanometrics reclassified $4.2 million from inventories to deferred revenue and product margin to conform to the current period’s presentation. In addition, the Company reclassified the amortization of intangible assets previously included in cost of product and selling expenses to a separate line on the Company’s consolidated statement of operations. Amounts reclassified were $2.4 million and $2.7 million for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2006, respectively.

Note 2. Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2007, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 159, “The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities-Including an Amendment of FASB Statement No. 115.” SFAS No.159 permits all entities to choose to measure eligible assets and liabilities at fair value at specified election dates. A business entity shall report unrealized gains and losses on items for which the fair value option has been elected in earnings at each subsequent reporting date. SFAS No. 159 is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of a fiscal year that begins on or before November 15, 2007, provided the entity also elects to apply the provisions of SFAS No. 157. The Company is evaluating the impact of the adoption of the provisions of SFAS No. 159.

In September 2006, the FASB finalized SFAS No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements” which will become effective in 2008. This Statement defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements; however, it does not require any new fair value measurements. The provisions of SFAS No. 157 will be applied prospectively to fair value measurements and disclosures in the Company’s financial statements beginning in the first quarter of 2008.

In July 2006, the FASB issued Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes—an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109” (“FIN 48”), which provides clarification related to the process associated with accounting for uncertain tax positions recognized in the Company’s financial statements. The Company’s adoption of the provisions of FIN 48 on December 31, 2006 did not have a material impact on its financial condition or results of operations. The application of this Interpretation requires a two-step process that separates recognition from measurement. The first step is determining whether a tax position has met the recognition threshold; the second step is measuring a tax position that meets the recognition threshold. The recognition threshold is met when the taxpayer (the reporting enterprise) concludes that it is more likely than not that the taxpayer will sustain the benefit taken or expected to be taken in the tax return in a dispute with taxing authorities if the taxpayer takes the dispute to the court of last resort. Upon implementing FIN 48 and performing the analysis, the Company did not recognize any increase or decrease to reserves for uncertain tax positions.

The Company has elected to record interest and penalties recognized in accordance with FIN 48 in the condensed consolidated financial statements as income taxes. Any subsequent change in classification of FIN 48 interest and penalties will be treated as a change in accounting principle subject to the requirements of SFAS No. 154, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections.

 

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Note 3. Accounts Receivable

The Company maintains arrangements under which eligible accounts and notes receivable are sold without recourse to unrelated third-party financial institutions. These receivables were not included in the consolidated balance sheet as the criteria for sale treatment established by SFAS No. 140, “Accounting for Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishments of Liabilities,” had been met. Under SFAS No. 140, after a transfer of financial assets, an entity stops recognizing the financial assets when the control has been surrendered. The agreement met the criteria of a true sale of these assets since the acquiring party retained the title to these receivables and had assumed the risk that the receivables will be collectible. The Company pays administrative fees as well as interest at rates ranging from 1.375% to 1.875% based on the anticipated length of time between the date the sale is consummated and the expected collection date of the receivables sold. During the three- and nine-month periods ended September 29, 2007, the Company sold $5.7 million and $15.2 million of receivables, respectively, under the terms of the agreement. For the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2006, the Company sold $2.5 million and $6.2 million, respectively, of receivables under the terms of the agreement. There were no material gains or losses on the sale of such receivables. There were no amounts due from the financial institution at September 29, 2007 and December 30, 2006.

Note 4. Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out) or market and consist of the following (in thousands):

 

     September 29, 2007    December 30, 2006

Raw materials and sub-assemblies

   $ 19,793    $ 20,227

Work in process

     7,213      9,693

Finished goods

     6,143      13,681
             

Total inventories

   $ 33,149    $ 43,601
             

During the second quarter of 2007, the Company determined that certain demonstration/evaluation equipment would no longer be marketed to be sold. Accordingly, equipment totaling $5.8 million was transferred from inventory to property, plant and equipment.

Note 5. Related Party Transactions

A former member of the Company’s executive staff, who left the Company in April 2007, is a significant shareholder of a major supplier of assembly parts to the Company. Purchases of assembly parts from the related party were $0.6 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2007 and $1.9 million and $4.6 million in the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2006, respectively. Consulting services received from the related party were $0.2 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2007 and $0.2 million and $0.5 million for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2006, respectively. The balance of amounts prepaid to the supplier was $0.3 million at December 30, 2006, respectively. Amounts due to the related party as of December 30, 2006 was $0.2 million. Accordingly, this vendor is no longer a related party since April 1, 2007.

Note 6. Acquisitions, Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price paid over the fair value of tangible and identifiable intangible net assets acquired in a business combination. In accordance with SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, goodwill is reviewed annually or whenever events or circumstances occur which indicate that goodwill might be impaired. During the second quarter of 2007, the Company recorded an adjustment to the recorded goodwill of $0.3 million relating to the true-up of the acquiree’s tax returns relating to periods prior to acquisition by the Company.

In connection with the Accent acquisition, the Company deposited 486,500 shares of its common stock exchanged in the Accent transaction into an escrow account that was available to compensate Nanometrics if it was entitled to indemnification under the merger agreement. The merger agreement provided that Accent stockholders would indemnify Nanometrics with respect to any transaction expenses incurred by Accent in excess of $4.2 million. During the third quarter of 2007, the Company filed a claim on the escrow shares for $1,037,000 for transaction expenses in excess of the $4.2 million. Accordingly, 146,826 shares of common stock deposited into escrow will be retained by the Company with the remainder of shares in escrow to be distributed to the former Accent stockholders. As the original valuation of Accent included the value of the common stock shares deposited into escrow, the Company recorded an adjustment to goodwill of $2.0 million during the three-month period ended September 29, 2007 equal to the original valuation of the common stock shares retained.

 

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The Company has recorded goodwill totaling $52.5 million as a result of the Company’s acquisition of Soluris and Accent.

Intangible assets with an indefinite life are evaluated annually for impairment or whenever events or circumstances occur which indicate that those assets might be impaired. On March 15, 2006, as a result of the Company’s acquisition of Soluris, the Company acquired a trademark with a value of $0.4 million with an indefinite life.

Finite-lived intangible assets are recorded at cost, less accumulated amortization. Finite-lived intangible assets as of September 29, 2007 and December 30, 2006 consist of the following (in thousands):

 

     Gross
Carrying
Amount
   Accumulated
Amortization
   Net
Intangible
Assets

September 29, 2007

        

Developed technology acquired in business combinations

   $ 9,800    $ 1,709    $ 8,091

Customer relationships

     15,700      3,870      11,830

Brand names

     3,600      628      2,972

Patented technology

     1,790      1,598      192

Backlog

     3,131      3,131      —  

Non-compete agreement

     50      50      —  

Other

     250      250      —  
                    

Total

   $ 34,321    $ 11,236    $ 23,085
                    

December 30, 2006

        

Developed technology acquired in business combinations

   $ 9,800    $ 607    $ 9,193

Customer relationships

     15,700      1,373      14,327

Brand names

     3,600      216      3,384

Patented technology

     1,790      1,406      384

Backlog

     3,131      2,846      285

Non-compete agreement

     50      40      10

Other

     250      250      —  
                    

Total

   $ 34,321    $ 6,738    $ 27,583
                    

The amortization of finite-lived intangibles is computed using the straight-line method except for customer relationships which is computed using an accelerated method. Estimated lives of finite-lived intangibles range from five to ten years, except for the non-compete agreement and backlog which are amortized over one year. In the three-month period ended June 30, 2007, the Company wrote-off $0.3 million of intangible assets in conjunction with the sale of a product line obtained in the Accent acquisition. Total amortization expense for the three-month periods ended September 29, 2007 and September 30, 2006 was $1.3 million and $2.4 million, respectively, and for the nine-month periods ended September 29, 2007 and September 30, 2006 was $4.5 million and $2.7 million, respectively.

The estimated future amortization expense as of September 29, 2007 is as follows (in thousands):

 

Fiscal Years

  

2007 (remaining three months)

   $ 1,284

2008

     4,881

2009

     4,257

2010

     3,675

2011

     3,201

2012 and thereafter

     5,787
      

Total amortization

   $ 23,085
      

Soluris Inc.

On March 15, 2006, Nanometrics acquired Soluris Inc., (“Soluris”) a Concord, Massachusetts-based privately held corporation focused on overlay and CD measurement technology. The acquisition of Soluris, which was renamed Nanometrics IVS Division, is expected to enhance Nanometrics’ line of overlay products and provide access to new customers. Under the terms of the merger agreement, which was an all-cash transaction, the total consideration to purchase

 

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all the outstanding stock of Soluris was $7.0 million including $0.4 million in transaction fees, including legal, valuation and accounting fees. The merger has been accounted for under the purchase method of accounting in accordance with SFAS No. 141, Business Combinations. Under the purchase method of accounting, the total purchase price is allocated to the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets of Soluris acquired in connection with the merger, based on their respective estimated fair values. The results of operations of Soluris were included in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations from the date of the acquisition.

If the Company had acquired Soluris at the beginning of the periods presented, the Company’s unaudited pro forma net revenues, net loss and net loss per share would have been as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 

     Three-Months Ended
September 30, 2006
    Nine-Months Ended
September 30, 2006
 

Net revenues

   $ 29,091     $ 72,572  

Net loss

   $ (6,566 )   $ (10,702 )

Net loss per share:

    

Basic

   $ (0.40 )   $ (0.75 )

Diluted

   $ (0.40 )   $ (0.75 )

Accent Optical Technologies, Inc.

On July 21, 2006, Nanometrics completed its acquisition of Accent Optical Technologies, Inc. (“Accent”), a Bend Oregon-based privately held corporation focused on overlay and thin film metrology and process control systems. Nanometrics acquired Accent to enhance Nanometrics’ line of overlay and thin film products and to provide access to new customers, especially in Europe. Under the terms of the merger agreement relating to the acquisition, the total purchase price of $72.6 million includes the exchange of Nanometrics common stock valued at $67.5 million, assumed stock options with a fair value of $0.3 million, a loan made to Accent prior to completion of the acquisition of $2.5 million and direct transaction costs of $2.2 million. The merger was accounted for under the purchase method of accounting in accordance with SFAS No. 141, Business Combinations. The results of operations of Accent were included in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations from the date of the acquisition.

If the Company had acquired Accent at the beginning of the periods presented, the Company’s unaudited pro forma net revenues, net loss and net loss per share would have been as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 

     Three-Months Ended
September 30, 2006
    Nine-Months Ended
September 30, 2006
 

Net revenues

   $ 30,232     $ 96,595  

Net loss

   $ (8,096 )   $ (13,238 )

Net loss per share:

    

Basic

   $ (0.49 )   $ (0.93 )

Diluted

   $ (0.49 )   $ (0.93 )

Note 7. Other Current Liabilities

Other current liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):

 

     September 29, 2007    December 30, 2006

Accrued warranty

   $ 4,721    $ 4,349

Accrued professional services

     787      1,912

Consumption tax payable

     1,680      599

Other

     2,536      1,521
             

Total other current liabilities

   $ 9,724    $ 8,381
             

 

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Note 8. Stockholders’ Equity

Net Income (Loss) Per Share—Basic net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income per share gives effect to all potentially dilutive common shares outstanding during the period, including contingently issuable shares and certain stock options, calculated using the treasury stock method. A reconciliation of the share denominator of the basic and diluted net income (loss) per share computations is as follows (in thousands):

 

     Three-Months Ended    Nine-Months Ended
     September 29,
2007
   September 30,
2006
   September 29,
2007
   September 30,
2006

Weighted average common shares outstanding used in basic net loss per share computation

   18,278    16,573    17,931    14,226

Contingently issuable shares in connection with the Accent acquisition

   276    —      —      —  

Potential dilutive common stock equivalents, using treasury stock method

   122    —      —      —  
                   

Shares used in diluted net loss per share computation

   18,676    16,573    17,931    14,226
                   

For the three- and nine-month periods ended September 29, 2007 and September 30, 2006, the Company had securities outstanding which could potentially dilute basic earnings per share in the future, which were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share in the periods presented as their impact would have been antidilutive. Weighted average common share equivalents, consisting of stock options excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share were 2.7 million and 2.4 million in the three-month periods ended September 29, 2007 and September 30, 2006, respectively, and were 2.7 million and 2.0 million in the nine-month periods ended September 29, 2007 and September 30, 2006, respectively.

During the third quarter of 2007 the Company’s Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program pursuant to which the Company may repurchase up to $4.0 million of shares of its common stock. The Company repurchased $0.2 million of its common stock or 26,455 common shares at an average price of $7.47 per share.

Note 9. Stock-Based Compensation

The following table summarizes stock-based compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to the Company’s employees and directors pursuant to the employee stock option and employee stock puchase plans under SFAS 123R for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 29, 2007 and September 30, 2006 (in thousands):

 

     Three-Months Ended    Nine-Months Ended
     September 29,
2007
   September 30,
2006
   September 29,
2007
   September 30,
2006

Cost of products

   $ 103    $ 82    $ 216    $ 225

Cost of service

     103      84      268      209

Research and development

     231      362      762      915

Selling

     140      276      577      670

General and administrative

     296      601      926      1,392
                           

Total stock-based compensation expense related to employee stock options and employee stock purchases

   $ 873    $ 1,405    $ 2,749    $ 3,411
                           

The fair value of each option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes valuation model and the assumptions noted in the following table. The expected term of options granted was calculated using the simplified method allowed by SAB 107. The risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury rates in effect during the corresponding period of grant. The expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of Nanometrics’ stock price. The dividend yield reflects that the Company has not paid any cash dividends since inception and does not intend to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

 

     Three-Months Ended     Nine-Months Ended  
     September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
    September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
 

Stock Options

        

Expected life

   4.5 years     4.5 years     4.4 years     4.5 years  

Volatility

   58.4 %   72.73 %   59.8 %   73.3 %

Risk free interest rate

   5.15 %   4.90 %   5.10 %   4.80 %

 

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     Three-Months Ended     Nine-Months Ended  
     September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
    September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
 

Dividends

   —       —       —       —    

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

        

Expected life

   0.5 years     0.5 years     0.5 years     0.5 years  

Volatility

   34.0 %   42.7 %   37.9 %   40.9 %

Risk free interest rate

   2.20 %   2.43 %   3.12 %   2.06 %

Dividends

   —       —       —       —    

The weighted average fair value per share of the stock options awarded in the three- and nine-months ended September 29, 2007 was $2.04 and $2.10, respectively, based on the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the grant dates.

A summary of activity under the Company’s stock option plans during the quarter ended September 29, 2007 is as follows:

 

     Shares
Available
    Number of
Shares
    Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
   Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
(Years)
   Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value (in
Thousands)

Options

            

Outstanding at December 31, 2006

   1,081,900     3,826,806     $ 10.60      

Shares added through 2005 Option Plan

   544,248     —         —        

Exercised

   —       (553,687 )   $ 5.84      

Granted

   (1,251,033 )   1,251,033     $ 6.68      

Cancelled

   1,371,720     (1,393,158 )   $ 11.06      
                        

Outstanding at September 29, 2007

   1,746,835     3,130,994     $ 9.92    5.3    $ 3,479
                              

Exercisable at September 29, 2007

     1,357,629     $ 11.08    3.7    $ 1,241
                          

During the third quarter, the Company allocated 70,000 Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”) to key management employees with varying vesting periods spanning from one to three years. As of September 29, 2007, there were 70,000 RSUs granted and outstanding which is included in the preceding summary of activity table.

The aggregate intrinsic value in the preceding table represents the total pretax intrinsic value, based on the Company’s closing stock price of $8.97 as of September 29, 2007, which would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised their options as of that date. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the three- and nine-month periods ended September 29, 2007 was $0.1 million and $0.4 respectively, and for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2006 was $0.3 million and $0.9 million, respectively. The fair value of options vested for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 29, 2007 was $1.7 million and $4.8 million, respectively, and for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2006 was $1.5 million and $2.4 million, respectively.

Note 10. Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The Company’s comprehensive income (loss) was as follows (in thousands):

 

     Three-Months Ended     Nine-Months Ended  
     September 29,
2007
   September 30,
2006
    September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
 

Net income (loss)

   $ 2,008    $ (6,566 )   $ (2,733 )   $ (10,044 )

Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax

     678      305       768       853  
                               

Total comprehensive income (loss)

   $ 2,686    $ (6,261 )   $ (1,965 )   $ (9,191 )
                               

Substantially all of the accumulated other comprehensive income reflected as a separate component of stockholders’ equity consists of accumulated foreign currency translation adjustment for all periods presented.

 

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Note 11. Warranties

Product Warranty – The Company sells the majority of its products with a 12-month repair or replacement warranty from the date of acceptance which generally represents the date of shipment. The Company provides an accrual for estimated future warranty costs based upon the historical relationship of warranty costs to the cost of products sold. The estimated future warranty obligations related to product sales are recorded in the period in which the related revenue is recognized. The estimated future warranty obligations are affected by the warranty periods, sales volumes, product failure rates, material usage, and labor and replacement costs incurred in correcting a product failure. If actual product failure rates, material usage, labor or replacement costs differ from the Company’s estimates, revisions to the estimated warranty obligations would be required. For new product introductions where limited or no historical information exists, the Company may use warranty information from other previous product introductions to guide it in estimating its warranty accrual. The warranty accrual represents the best estimate of the amount necessary to settle future and existing claims on products sold as of the balance sheet date. The Company periodically assesses the adequacy of its reported warranty reserve and adjusts the amounts in accordance with changes in these factors. Components of the warranty accrual, which was included in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets with other current liabilities, were as follows (in thousands):

 

     Nine-Months Ended  
     September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
 

Balance as of beginning of period

   $ 4,349     $ 1,440  

Warranties assumed

     —         1,038  

Actual warranty cost

     (2,989 )     (1,694 )

Provision for warranty

     3,361       3,503  
                

Balance as of end of period

   $ 4,721     $ 4,287  
                

Intellectual Property Indemnification Obligations – In addition to product warranties, the Company will, from time to time, in the normal course of business, agree to indemnify certain customers with whom it enters into contractual relationships. The Company has agreed to hold these customers harmless against third party claims that Nanometrics’ products, when used for their intended purpose(s), infringe the intellectual property rights of such third parties or other claims made against the customer. It is not possible to determine the maximum potential amount of liability under these indemnification obligations due to the limited history of prior indemnification claims and the unique facts and circumstances that are likely to be involved in each particular claim. Historically, the Company has not made payments under these obligations and believes that the estimated fair value of these agreements is minimal. Accordingly, no liabilities have been recorded for these obligations in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets as of September 29, 2007 and December 30, 2006.

Note 12. Restructuring Charge

During the third quarter of 2007, the Company announced it would close its Milpitas, California machine shop and plating facility as part of its strategy to reverse its manufacturing vertical integration and lower its breakeven point. In conjunction with this closure, Nanometrics recorded a restructuring charge in an amount of $2.1 million consisting of $1.9 million write-down of property, plant and equipment, $0.1 million for professional fees and $0.1 million for severance payments.

 

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     Professional
Fees
    Severance and
Other Benefits
   

Property,
Plant and
Equipment

    Total  

Restructuring charges recorded during the third quarter of 2007

   $ 126     $ 92     $ 1,910     $ 2,128  

Non-cash charges

         (1,910 )     (1,910 )

Cash paid during the third quarter of 2007

     (84 )     (84 )     —         (168 )
                                

Reserve balance at September 29, 2007

   $ 42     $ 8     $ —       $ 50  
                                

The Company anticipates that the remaining restructuring reserve balance of $0.1 million will be paid out or utilized by the last quarter of the year 2007. The balance is reflected in “Accounts payable” in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet.

Note 13. Gain on the Sale of Assets

As of June 30, 2007, the Company included $1.9 million in “Assets held for sale” in its unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet representing a parcel of land and building in Japan and a condominium in California. In August 2007 Nanometrics entered into a contract to sell the Japanese land and building and realized a gain on the sale of $1.1 million. In addition, the sale of the condominium in California was consummated in July 2007 and the Company realized a gain of $0.2 million in the third quarter of 2007. The Company also sold other non-strategic assets during the three-month period ended September 29, 2007 realizing a gain of $0.8 million.

Note 14. Income Taxes

The income taxes provision of $0.1 million for the three-month period ended September 29, 2007 was the result of foreign taxes of $0.2 million offset by $0.1 million of tax benefit in a certain foreign jurisdiction where sufficient deferred tax liabilities exist to allow for benefiting the operating loss. The Company’s benefit for income taxes for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2006 was $2,000. In the future, the Company will continue to review its expectations for future taxable income to determine the amount of valuation allowance necessary to reserve against deferred tax assets.

Note 15. Contingencies

On March 9, 2005, Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd. (“Nova”) filed suit against the Company in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint alleged that certain of the Company’s products infringe a Nova patent and sought a preliminary and permanent injunction against their sale and unspecified damages. In late March 2006, the Company filed suit against Nova in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The Company’s complaint alleged that certain of Nova’s products sold in the U.S. infringe intellectual property rights of Nanometrics. In a settlement conference on April 11, 2007, Nanometrics and Nova agreed to dismiss, without prejudice, all pending patent litigation between the two parties, and have entered into a covenant not to sue one another for any patent for a period of one year. The settlement terminated the three lawsuits pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

In August 2005, KLA-Tencor Corporation (“KLA”) filed a complaint against the Company in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint alleges that certain of the Company’s products infringe two of KLA’s patents. On January 30, 2006, KLA added a third patent to their claim. The complaint seeks a preliminary and permanent injunction against the sale of these products as well as the recovery of monetary damages and attorneys’ fees. As part of its defense, the Company has filed a request for re-examination of two of the allegedly infringed KLA patents with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (“PTO”). These requests for re-examination were recently accepted for review by the PTO. In March 2006, the Company filed a motion for and was granted a stay in the patent litigation case until such re-examination is completed.

 

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Note 16. Geographic and Significant Customer Information

The Company’s operating divisions consist of geographically based entities in the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan. All such operating divisions have similar economic characteristics, as defined in SFAS No. 131, Disclosures About Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information, and accordingly, the Company operates in one reportable segment: the sale, design, manufacture, marketing and support of thin film, optical critical dimension and overlay dimension metrology systems. The following table summarizes total net revenues and long-lived assets (excluding intangible assets) attributed to significant countries (in thousands):

 

     Three-Months Ended    Nine-Months Ended
     September 29,
2007
   September 30,
2006
   September 29,
2007
   September 30,
2006

Total net revenues:

           

United States

   $ 9,413    $ 8,681    $ 20,790    $ 24,572

Japan

     12,970      5,172      31,718      12,622

South Korea

     5,440      9,416      28,859      23,611

Taiwan

     829      387      7,531      2,721

China

     5,840      3,856      10,307      4,970

Europe

     2,897      1,503      12,374      2,083

All other

     1,258      76      1,518      878
                           

Total net revenues*

   $ 38,647    $ 29,091    $ 113,097    $ 71,457
                           

* Net revenues are attributed to countries based on the deployment and service locations of systems. Certain geographical revenues have been reclassed to conform to the current period presentation.

 

     September 29,
2007
   September 30,
2006

Long lived assets

     

United States

   $ 37,345    $ 37,410

Japan

     1,118      2,377

South Korea

     5,456      4,903

Taiwan

     182      101

Europe

     1,793      624
             

Total long lived assets**

   $ 45,894    $ 45,415
             

** Long-lived assets include tangible assets only.

As of September 29, 2007, one customer, Hynix Semiconductor, Inc. (“Hynix”), accounted for 10.6% of total accounts receivable. As of December 30, 2006, no customer accounted for 10% or more of total accounts receivable.

The following customers accounted for 10% or more of total revenue:

 

     Three-Months Ended     Nine-Months Ended  
     September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
    September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
 

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

   11.4 %   16.8 %   16.3 %   20.2 %

Hynix

   * **   27.5 %   12.7 %   16.7 %

Toshiba

   11.1 %   * **   * **   * **

Applied Materials Inc.

   * **   13.6 %   * **   21.6 %

*** The customer accounted for less than 10% of revenue during the period.

 

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The statements contained in this document that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including, without

 

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limitation, statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding our business in future periods. We may identify these statements by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” and other similar expressions. All forward-looking statements included in this document are based on information available to us on the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements, except as may otherwise be required by law.

Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including those set forth in Part II Item 1A “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this document. In evaluating our business, current and prospective investors should carefully consider these factors in addition to the other information set forth in this document. We believe that it is important to communicate our expectations to our investors. However, there may be events in the future that we are not able to predict accurately or over which we have no control. You should be aware that the occurrence of the events described in such risk factors and elsewhere in this report could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition. While management believes that the discussion and analysis in this report is adequate for a fair presentation of the information presented, we recommend that you read this discussion and analysis in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 30, 2006, which were included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities Exchange Commission on March 15, 2007.

Overview

We are an innovator in the field of metrology systems for the semiconductor industry. Our systems are designed to precisely monitor film thickness and critical dimensions that are necessary to control the manufacturing process and provide increased production yields and performance.

Capital expenditures by manufacturers of semiconductors and their suppliers are critical to our success. The demand by these manufacturers and suppliers is driven by the expected market demand for new products and new applications. The increasing complexity of the 300mm manufacturing processes for semiconductors is an important factor in the demand for our innovative metrology systems. The incorporation of smaller features sizes, copper interconnects technology and optical critical dimension technology is expected to result in increased demand. Our strategy is to continue to innovate organically and to evaluate strategic acquisitions in order to address business challenges and opportunities.

Our revenues are derived from product sales and customer service, which include sales of accessories and service for the installed base of our products. In the year ended December 30, 2006, we derived 83.7% of our total net revenues from product sales and 16.3% of our total net revenues from services.

Important Themes and Significant Trends

The semiconductor equipment industry is characterized by cyclical growth. Changing trends in the semiconductor industry are increasing the need for metrology as a major component of manufacturing systems. These trends include:

 

   

Incorporation of Optical Critical Dimension Metrology in the Patterning Process. Our customers use photolithographic processes to create patterns on wafers. Critical dimensions must be carefully controlled during this process. Our proprietary optical critical dimension systems can provide the critical process control of these circuit dimensions that is necessary for successful manufacturing of these state of the art devices.

 

   

Copper Interconnect Technology. The need for ever increasing device circuit speed coupled with lower power consumption has pushed semiconductor device manufacturers to begin the replacement of the subtractive aluminum interconnect process with copper damascene technology. This new copper processing technology has driven the need for new metrology techniques such as non-destructive laser profiling and the use of optical critical dimension (OCD) technology for control of the copper process.

 

   

Incorporation of 65nm and 45nm Feature Sizes. In an effort to reduce costs and increase device performance, semiconductor manufacturers are decreasing both the die size and feature size. Monitoring the increased tolerance requirements on smaller features sizes requires increased use of metrology systems. Our thin film and critical dimension metrology systems are well suited and are being adopted for these next generation processes.

 

   

Reduced Number of Customers. Because of the escalating cost of 300mm manufacturing facilities, fewer semiconductor manufacturers can afford the significant investment in these next generation facilities. Therefore, fewer opportunities for semiconductor equipment companies exist. Given that the available number of potential customers is decreasing, previous customer relationships, product positioning and critical mass take on greater importance.

 

   

Adoption of New Types of Thin Film Materials. Manufacturers are adopting new processes and technologies that increase the importance and utilization of thin film metrology systems. To achieve greater semiconductor device speed, manufacturers are utilizing copper and new, low dielectric constant (low k) insulating materials. Our advanced metrology solutions are required in the manufacturing process to characterize these materials.

 

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Need for Improved Process Control to Drive Process Efficiencies. Competitive forces influencing semiconductor device manufacturers, such as price-cutting and shorter product life cycles, place pressure on manufacturers to rapidly achieve production efficiency. Device manufacturers are using our integrated and standalone metrology systems throughout the fab to ensure that manufacturing processes scale rapidly, are accurate and can be repeated on a consistent basis.

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of our financial statements conforms to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, which requires management to make estimates and judgments in applying our accounting policies that have an important impact on our reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses and related disclosures at the date of our financial statements. On an on-going basis, management evaluates its estimates including those related to bad debts, inventory valuations, warranty obligations and income taxes. Management bases its estimates and judgments on historical experience and on various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from management’s estimates. We believe that the application of the following accounting policies requires significant judgments and estimates on the part of management. For a summary of all of our accounting policies, including those discussed below, see Note 1 to The Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 15, 2007.

Revenue Recognition – We recognize revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the sales price is fixed or determinable, and collectibility is reasonably assured. Product revenue includes hardware and also software that is incidental to the products. For product sales to existing customers, revenue recognition generally occurs at the time of shipment, as our terms are FOB shipping point, if we have met defined customer acceptance experience levels with both the customer and the specific type of equipment. All other product revenue is recognized upon customer acceptance including deemed acceptances. In Japan, where risk of loss and title transfers to the customer upon customer technical acceptance, our policy is that revenue is recognized upon customer technical acceptance.

All of our products are assembled prior to shipment to our customers. We often perform limited installation for our customers; however such installation is inconsequential and perfunctory as it may also be performed by third parties. Revenue related to spare parts sales is recognized generally upon shipment and is included as part of service revenue. Service revenue also includes service contracts and non-warranty, billable repairs of systems. Whereas service revenue related to service contracts is recognized ratably over the period under contract, service revenue related to billable repairs of systems is recognized as services are performed. On occasion, customers request a warranty period longer than our standard 12 month warranty. In those instances where extended warranty services are separately quoted to the customer, we follow the guidance of Financial Accounting Standards Board Technical Bulletin 90-1, “Accounting for Separately Priced Extended Warranty and Product Maintenance Contracts,” associated revenue is deferred and recognized to income ratably over the term of the contract. Unearned maintenance and service contract revenue is included in deferred revenue. Furthermore, generally we do not provide our customers with any return rights. Service contracts may be purchased by the customer when the warranty period expires.

In limited situations we have multiple deliverables in our customer arrangements. Those situations arise with the sale of repair services and parts together. Revenues on such sales are recognized when both the services and parts have been delivered. We also provide technical support to our customers as part of our warranty program. Upon recognition of product revenue, a liability is recorded for anticipated warranty costs.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts – We maintain allowances for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments. Credit limits are established through a process of reviewing the financial history and stability of our customers. Where appropriate and available, we obtain credit rating reports and financial statements of customers when determining or modifying their credit limits. We regularly evaluate the collectibility of our trade receivable balances based on a combination of factors such as the length of time the receivables are past due, customary payment practices in the respective geographies and our historical collection experience with customers. We believe that our allowance for doubtful accounts reflects our risk associated with smaller rather than larger customers and that our reported allowances are adequate. If however, the financial conditions of customers were to deteriorate, resulting in their inability to make payments, we would assess the necessity to record additional allowances which would result in additional general and administrative expenses being recorded for the period in which such determination was made.

 

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Inventories – We are exposed to a number of economic and industry factors that could result in portions of our inventory becoming either obsolete or in excess of anticipated usage, or saleable only for amounts that are less than their carrying amounts. These factors include, but are not limited to, technological changes in our market, our ability to meet changing customer requirements, competitive pressures in products and prices, and the availability of key components from our suppliers. We have established inventory reserves when conditions exist that suggest that our inventory may be in excess of anticipated demand or is obsolete based upon our assumptions about future demand for our products and market conditions. We regularly evaluate our ability to realize the value of our inventory based on a combination of factors including the following: historical usage rates, forecasted sales of usage, product end-of-life dates, estimated current and future market values and new product introductions. For demonstration inventory, we also consider the age of the inventory and potential cost to refurbish the inventory prior to sale. When recorded, our reserves are intended to reduce the carrying value of our inventory to its net realizable value. If actual demand for our products deteriorates, or market conditions are less favorable than those that we project, additional reserves may be required. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost, using the first-in, first-out method, or market value.

Product Warranties – We sell the majority of our products with a twelve-month repair or replacement warranty from the date of acceptance which generally represents the date of shipment. We provide an accrual for estimated future warranty costs based upon the historical relationship of warranty costs to the cost of products sold. The estimated future warranty obligations related to product sales are reported in the period in which the related revenue is recognized. The estimated future warranty obligations are affected by the warranty periods, sales volumes, product failure rates, material usage, labor and replacement costs incurred in correcting a product failure. If actual product failure rates, material usage, labor or replacement costs differ from our estimates, revisions to the estimated warranty obligations would be required. For new product introductions where limited or no historical information exists, we may use warranty information from other previous product introductions to guide us in estimating our warranty accrual. The warranty accrual represents the best estimate of the amount necessary to settle future and existing claims on products sold as of the balance sheet date. We periodically assess the adequacy of our recorded warranty reserve and adjust the amounts in accordance with changes in these factors.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets – Goodwill is initially recorded when the purchase price paid for an acquisition exceeds the estimated fair value of the net identified tangible and intangible assets acquired. Under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” (SFAS 142), intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over their useful lives while goodwill and indefinite lived assets are not amortized but tested annually for impairment. Our impairment review process, which is completed as of the last day of November of each year or whenever events or circumstances occur which indicate that an impairment has occurred, compares the fair value of our reportable segment (which we have determined to be our reporting unit) to its carrying value, including the goodwill related to the segment. To determine the fair value, our review process uses the income method and is based on a discounted future cash flow approach that uses estimates including the following for each segment: revenue, based on assumed market growth rates and our assumed market share; estimated costs; and appropriate discount rates based on the particular business’s weighted average cost of capital. Our estimates of market segment growth, our market segment share and costs are based on historical data, various internal estimates and certain external sources, and are based on assumptions that are consistent with the plans and estimates we are using to manage the underlying businesses. Our business consists of both established and emerging technologies and our forecasts for emerging technologies are based upon internal estimates and external sources rather than historical information. If future forecasts are revised, they may indicate or require future impairment charges. We also considered our market capitalization on the dates of our impairment tests under SFAS 144, in determining the fair value of the respective businesses.

Our fair value estimates, are based on the extensive use of management’s estimates and assumptions, and the result of these processes can have a significant impact on our future operating results.

Income Tax Assets and Liabilities – We account for income taxes based on SFAS 109, “Accounting for Income Taxes”, whereby deferred tax assets and liabilities must be recognized using enacted tax rates for the effect of temporary differences between the book and tax accounting for assets and liabilities. Also, deferred tax assets must be reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that a portion of the deferred tax asset will not be realized in the future. We evaluate the deferred tax assets on a quarterly basis to determine whether or not a valuation allowance is appropriate. Factors used in this determination include future expected income and the underlying asset or liability which generated the temporary tax difference. Our income tax provision is primarily impacted by federal statutory rates, state and foreign income taxes and changes in our valuation allowance.

Stock-Based Compensation – Upon adoption of SFAS 123(R) on January 1, 2006, we began estimating the value of employee stock options on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes model. Prior to the adoption of SFAS 123(R), the value of each employee stock option was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes model for the purpose of the pro forma financial disclosure in accordance with SFAS 123. The determination of fair value of share-based payment awards on

 

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the date of grant using an option-pricing model is affected by our stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited to the expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards, and actual and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors. The expected term of options granted is calculated based on the simplified method allowed by Staff Accounting Bulletin 107. The expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of our stock price.

Restructuring Charge – During the three-month period ended September 29, 2007, we implemented a restructuring program based on our business strategy and recorded a significant accrual in connection with the restructuring program. In connection with the plan we have recorded estimated expenses for severance and other costs, asset write-offs and other restructuring costs. In accordance with SFAS 146, “Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities”, generally costs associated with restructuring activities have been recognized when they are incurred rather than the date of a commitment to an exit or disposal plan. In addition post-employment benefits accrued for workforce reductions related to restructuring activities are accounted for under SFAS112, “Employer’s Accounting Post-Employment Benefits”. A liability for post-employment benefits is recorded when payment is probable, the amount is reasonably estimable, and the obligation relates to rights that have vested or accumulated. Given the significance and complexity of restructuring activities, and the timing of the execution of such activities, the restructuring process involves periodic reassessments of the estimates made at the time the original decisions were made, including evaluating market conditions for expected disposals of assets and vacancy of space. Although we believe that these estimates accurately reflects the costs of the restructuring programs, actual results may vary or differ, thereby requiring us to record additional provisions or reverse a portion of such provisions.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 of the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of recent accounting pronouncements, including the respective dates of adoption and effects on results of operations and financial condition.

Results of Operations

Periods ended September 29, 2007 and September 30, 2006

Total net revenues. Our net revenues were comprised of the following categories:

 

     Three-Months Ended    Percentage
Change
    Nine-Months Ended    Percentage
Change
 
   September 29,
2007
   September 30,
2006
     September 29,
2007
   September 30,
2006
  

Automated systems

   $ 25,824    $ 19,076    35 %   $ 75,237    $ 40,336    87 %

Integrated systems

     7,482      5,696    31 %     23,327      20,529    14 %
                                

Total product revenue

     33,306      24,772    34 %     98,564      60,865    62 %

Service

     5,341      4,319    24 %     14,533      10,592    37 %
                                

Total net revenues

   $ 38,647    $ 29,091    33 %   $ 113,097    $ 71,457    58 %
                                

For the three- and nine-month periods ended September 29, 2007 net revenues from automated systems increased over the comparable periods of 2006 by 35% and 87%, respectively, and revenues from our integrated systems increased 31% and 14% for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 29, 2007 over the comparable periods of 2006. The increase in net revenue reflects demand for our automated and integrated products as semiconductor manufacturers continue to increase their manufacturing capacity. Also contributing to the higher revenues were combined incremental revenues from Accent and Soluris related products for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 29, 2007 of $3.5 million and $19.7 million, respectively, over the comparable periods of 2006. Service revenue increased by $1.0 million and $4.0 million during the three- and nine-month periods ended September 29, 2007 over the comparable periods of 2006, as a result of our Accent and Soluris acquisitions which contributed to higher sales of parts and services, due in part to a larger installed base of systems. In addition, we experienced a higher level of in-the-field tool upgrades than in previous periods.

 

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Gross margins. Our gross margin breakdown was as follows (in percent):

 

     Three-Months Ended     Nine-Months Ended  
    

September 29,

2007

    September 30,
2006
   

September 29,

2007

    September 30,
2006
 

Products

   50 %   48 %   49 %   48 %

Services

   10 %   (11 )%   (6 )%   (7 )%

The product gross margin for the three-month period ended September 29, 2007 increased from the comparable period of 2006 as we continue to reduce costs associated with product reliability and completed the integration of our 2006 acquisitions of Accent and Soluris. The gross margin for our services line of business increased to 10% in the third quarter of 2007 as compared to a negative gross margin of 11% for the comparable period of 2006. The increase in gross margin reflects the higher level of in-the-field tool upgrades which provide favorable margins and our focus on controlling expenses including personnel, personnel related expenses and material costs as compared to 2006. Management is continuing to evaluate the historical negative margins in our service line of business and if performance does not improve significantly, we may incur charges in the future to write-down the goodwill and intangible assets associated with the service line of business.

Operating expenses. Our operating expenses were comprised of the following (in thousands):

 

    

Three-Months Ended

   

Nine-Months Ended

 
   September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
   Change     September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
   Change  

Research and development

   $ 4,661     $ 4,208    $ 453     11 %   $ 13,986     $ 9,798    $ 4,188     43 %

Selling

     4,603       5,079      (476 )   (9 )%     14,636       12,034      2,602     22 %

General and administrative

     4,783       5,447      (664 )   (12 )%     16,538       14,303      2,235     16 %

Amortization of intangible assets

     1,285       2,435      (1,150 )   (47 )%     4,497       2,673      1,824     68 %

Restructuring charge

     2,128       —        2,128     —         2,128       —        2,128     —    

Gain on sale of assets

     (2,100 )     —        (2,100 )   —         (2,100 )     —        (2,100 )   —    
                                                  

Total operating expenses

   $ 15,360     $ 17,169    $ (1,809 )   (11 )%   $ 49,685     $ 38,808    $ 10,877     28 %
                                                  

Research and development. Research and development expenses increased by $0.5 million and $4.2 million for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 29, 2007, respectively, over the comparable periods in 2006 due to the headcount and related development expenses associated with our acquisitions of Accent in July 2006 and Soluris in March 2006.

In the United States and United Kingdom, our research and development efforts are focused on semiconductor metrology. In South Korea, our research and development efforts are focused on the overlay metrology. We are committed to the development of new and enhanced products and believe that new product introductions are required for us to maintain a competitive position.

Selling. Selling expenses decreased $0.5 million for the three-month period ended September 29, 2007 over the comparable period of 2006 due primarily from reduction of personnel and personnel related expenses. However, selling expenses increased $2.6 million for the nine-month period ended September 29, 2007 over the comparable period of 2006 reflecting expenses for the full nine-month period in 2007 related to the additional headcount and related expenses associated with the acquisitions of Accent in July 2006 and Soluris in March 2006.

General and administrative. General and administrative expenses decreased by $0.7 million for the three-month period ended September 29, 2007 over the comparable period in 2006. The decrease was primarily due to lower legal expenses of $0.4 million as we settled the patent litigation with Nova in April 2006 and to lower stock-based compensation of $0.3 million. For the nine-month period ended September 29, 2007 general and administrative expenses increased $2.2 million over the comparable period in 2006 primarily due to additional costs of $1.2 million associated with an expanded management team due to the acquisitions of Accent and Soluris, termination charges of certain senior executives of $0.8 million, consulting, travel and recruiting expenses of $0.9 million and costs associated with enhancing our internal information technology infrastructure of $0.4 million. These increases were partially offset by lower regulatory and compliance costs of $1.0 million and stock-based compensation charges of $0.5 million.

Amortization of intangible assets. Amortization of intangible assets for the three-month period ended September 29, 2007 decreased $1.1 million due primarily to the high amortization charges incurred in the comparable period of 2006 related to the backlog intangible asset acquired with the Accent acquisition, which was fully amortized by the second quarter of 2007. Amortization of intangible assets for the nine-month period ended September 29, 2007 increased $1.8 million from the comparable period in 2006 due primarily to incurring amortization charges for the full nine-month period in 2007 as compared to incurring amortization charges for only a part of the comparable period in 2006 as the Soluris acquisition closed in March 2006 and the Accent acquisition closed in July 2006.

 

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Restructuring charge. During the third quarter of 2007, we announced that we would close our Milpitas, California machine shop and plating facility as part of our mission to reverse our manufacturing vertical integration and lower our breakeven point. In conjunction with this closure, we recorded a restructuring charge in an amount of $2.1 million consisting of $1.9 million write-down of property, plant and equipment, $0.1 million for professional fees and $0.1 million for severance payments.

We anticipate the remaining restructuring reserve balance of $0.1 million will be paid out or utilized by the last quarter of the year 2007. The balance is reflected in “Accounts payable” in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet.

Gain on the sale of assets. As of June 30, 2007, we reflected $1.9 million in “Assets held for sale” in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet representing a parcel of land and building in Japan and a condominium in California. In August 2007 we entered into a contract to sell the Japanese land and building and realized a gain on the sale of $1.1 million. In addition, the sale of the condominium in California was consummated in July 2007 and we realized a gain of $0.2 million in the third quarter of 2007. We also sold other non-strategic assets during the three-month period ended September 29, 2007 realizing a gain of $0.8 million.

Other income (expense). Our net other income (expense) consisted of the following categories (in thousands):

 

     Three-Months Ended    

Nine-Months Ended

 
     September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
    Change     September 29,
2007
    September 30,
2006
    Change  

Interest income

   $ 69     $ 156     $ (87 )   (56 )%   $ 121     $ 787     $ (666 )   (85 )%

Interest expense

     (56 )     (13 )     (43 )   (331 )%     (141 )     (44 )     (97 )   (220 )%

Other income (loss)

     382       (648 )     1,030     159 %     (40 )     (375 )     335     89 %
                                                        

Total other income ( expense)

   $ 395     $ (505 )   $ 900     178 %   $ (60 )   $ 368     $ (428 )   (116 )%
                                                        

The lower interest income is due to lower average cash and cash equivalent balances. A higher interest expense is related to our debt obligations in Japan and the United Kingdom and the factoring of receivables in Japan. We incurred foreign exchange gains due to exchange rate fluctuations associated with extensive inter-company balances between our various global entities.

Provision/credit for income taxes. The income taxes provision of $0.1 million for the three-month period ended September 29, 2007 was the result of foreign taxes of $0.2 million offset by $0.1 million of tax benefit in a certain foreign jurisdiction where sufficient deferred tax liabilities exist to allow for benefiting the operating loss. Our benefit for income taxes for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2006 was $2,000. In the future, we will continue to review our expectations for future taxable income to determine the amount of valuation allowance necessary to reserve against deferred tax assets.

 

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

At September 29, 2007, our cash and cash equivalents totaled $14.9 million compared to $8.0 million as of December 30, 2006. At September 29, 2007, we had working capital of $56.7 million compared to $49.7 million at December 30, 2006. The current ratio at September 29, 2007 was 2.9 to 1.

Operating activities provided cash of $2.9 million for the nine-month period ended September 29, 2007 resulting from certain non-cash charges including $7.0 million associated with amortization and depreciation and $2.7 million in stock-based compensation offset by increases in net working capital of $3.9 million and our net loss of $2.7 million. For the nine-months ended September 29, 2007, cash provided from the reduction of working capital were primarily driven by reduction of inventory levels of $4.6 million and increases in accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $5.7 million offset by increases in accounts receivable of $8.9 million due to higher revenue and reductions in deferred revenue and product margin of $4.3 million. For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2006 net cash used in operating activities was $8.4 million comprised of a net loss of $10.0 million, increases in working capital of $6.2 million offset by non-cash expenses of depreciation and amortization of $4.4 million and stock-based compensation of $3.4 million. For the nine-months ended September 30, 2006, uses of cash for working capital were primarily driven by higher accounts receivable of $1.3 million from increased product shipments and increased inventory levels of $9.8 million.

Investing activities for the nine-month period ended September 29, 2007 provided cash of $2.8 million. We received sales proceeds of $3.8 million from the sale of assets (see preceding discussion for “Gain on sale of assets”) offset by $1.0 million for purchases of property, plant and equipment. Cash used by investing activities was $3.0 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2006, due to cash outlays of $7.5 million related to our acquisitions of Soluris and Accent and purchases of property, plant and equipment of $0.4 million partially offset by maturities of short-term investments in the amount of $5.0 million.

For the nine-month period ended September 29, 2007, financing activities provided cash of $1.4 million due to the sale of stock under employee stock option and purchase plans of $3.1 million offset by the repayment of debt of $1.5 million and repurchases of stock of $0.2 million. For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2006 financing activities used $14.3 million due to repayments of short- and long-term debt in Japan of $1.4 million and repayment of $14.0 million of debt assumed in the Accent merger. These amounts were partially offset by proceeds from the sale of stock from the exercise of employee stock options of $1.1 million.

In February 2007, we entered into a two-year agreement for a revolving line of credit facility in a maximum principal amount of $15 million. The instrument governing the facility includes certain financial covenants regarding net tangible worth. All borrowings under this credit line bear interest, at our election, at a per annum rate equal to the bank’s prime rate or at the Libor rate plus 2.25%. The revolving line of credit agreement includes a provision for the issuance of commercial or standby letters of credit by the bank on our behalf. The value of all letters of credit outstanding reduces the total line of credit available. The revolving line of credit is collateralized by a blanket lien on all of our domestic assets excluding intellectual property. Although we have no current plans to request any advances under this credit facility, we may use the proceeds of any future borrowing for general corporate purposes or for future acquisitions or expansion of our business.

We have evaluated and will continue to evaluate the acquisition of products, technologies or businesses that are complementary to our business. These activities may result in product and business investments, which may affect our cash position and working capital balances. Some of these activities might require significant cash outlays. For example, recently our Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program of up to $4 million. However, we believe working capital including cash and cash equivalents and funds available to us under our line of credit will be sufficient to meet our needs through at least the next twelve months. However, we may require additional cash to fund acquisitions or investment opportunities or other events that may arise in the future. In these instances, we may seek to raise such additional funds through public or private equity or debt financings or from other sources. We may not be able to obtain adequate or favorable financing at that time. Any financing we obtain may dilute ownership interests and any debt financing could contain covenants that impose limitations on the conduct of our business.

 

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Our exposure to market risk does not differ materially from that discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2006. However, we cannot give any assurance as to the effect that future changes in interest rates or foreign currency rates will have on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

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ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management evaluated, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. As of September 29, 2007, our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information that we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 were recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II — OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

On March 9, 2005, Nova filed suit against us in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint alleged that certain of our products infringed a Nova patent and sought a preliminary and permanent injunction against their sale and unspecified damages. In late March 2006, we filed suit against Nova in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Our complaint alleged that certain of Nova’s products sold in the U.S. infringe our intellectual property rights. In October, 2006, we filed suit against Nova in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The Complaint alleged that certain of Nova’s products infringed one of our patents and seeks damages. In a settlement conference on April 11, 2007, we and Nova agreed to dismiss, without prejudice, all pending patent litigation between the two parties, and have entered into a covenant not to sue one another for any patent for a period of one year. The settlement terminated the three lawsuits pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

In August 2005, KLA, filed a complaint against us in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint alleges that certain of our products infringe two of KLA’s patents. On January 30, 2006, KLA added a third patent to their claim. The complaint seeks a preliminary and permanent injunction against the sale of these products as well as the recovery of monetary damages and attorneys’ fees. We do not believe that any of our products infringe the intellectual property of any third party and we intend to vigorously and aggressively defend ourselves in the litigation. As part of such defense, we have filed a request for re-examination of the three allegedly infringed KLA patents with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, or PTO. These requests for re-examination were accepted for review by the PTO. In March 2006, we filed a motion for and were granted a stay in the patent litigation case until such re-examination is completed.

 

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

A restated description of the risk factors associated with our business is set forth below. This description includes any material changes to and supersedes the description of the risk factors included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2006. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones that we face. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or operating results could be harmed. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

Customer demand for our products is inelastic and has led to fluctuations in revenue from period to period and is expected to continue to do so.

Our operating results have varied significantly from period to period due to the inelastic nature of demand for our products. The majority of our business depends upon the capital expenditures of semiconductor device and equipment manufacturers. These manufacturers’ capital expenditures, in turn, depend upon the current and anticipated market demand for semiconductors and products using semiconductors. The semiconductor industry has historically experienced periodic downturns. These downturns have often resulted in substantial decreases in the demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, including metrology systems. We have found that the resulting decrease in capital expenditures has typically been more pronounced than the downturn in semiconductor device industry revenues. We expect the inelastic nature of demand for our products, and therefore, our business, to continue in the foreseeable future.

 

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We depend on OEM suppliers for sales of our integrated metrology systems, and the loss of our OEM suppliers as a customer could harm our business.

We believe that sales of integrated metrology systems will continue to be an important source of our revenues. Sales of our integrated metrology systems depend upon the ability of OEMs to sell semiconductor equipment products that include our metrology systems as components. If our OEMs are unable to sell such products, or if they choose to focus their attention on products that do not integrate our systems, our business could suffer. If we were to lose our OEMs as a customer for any reason, our ability to realize sales from integrated metrology systems would be significantly diminished, which would harm our business.

If any of our systems fail to meet or exceed our internal quality specifications, we do not ship them until such time as they have met such specifications. If we experience significant delays or are unable to ship our products to our customers as a result of our internal processes, or for any other reason, our business and reputation may suffer.

Our products are complex and require technical expertise to design and manufacture properly. Various problems occasionally arise during the manufacturing process that may cause delays and/or impair product quality. We must actively monitor our manufacturing processes to ensure that our products meet our internal quality specifications. Any significant delays stemming from the failure of our products to meet or exceed our internal quality specifications, or for any other reasons, would delay our shipments. Shipment delays could harm our business and reputation in the industry.

If we deliver systems with defects, our credibility will be harmed, revenue from, and market acceptance of, our systems will decrease and we could expend significant capital and resources as a result of such defects.

Notwithstanding our internal quality specifications, our systems have sometimes contained errors, defects and bugs when introduced. If we deliver systems with errors, defects or bugs, our credibility and the market acceptance and sales of our systems would be harmed. Further, if our systems contain errors, defects or bugs, we may be required to expend significant capital and resources to alleviate such 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 in some circumstances against liability arising from defects in our systems. 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 largest customers account for a substantial portion of our revenue, and our revenue would materially decline if one or more of these customers were to purchase significantly fewer of our systems or if they delayed or cancelled a large order.

Historically, a significant portion of our revenues in each quarter and each year has been derived from sales to a relatively few customers, and we expect this trend to continue. There are only a limited number of large companies operating in the semiconductor industry. Accordingly, we expect that we will continue to depend on a small number of large customers for a significant portion of our revenues for the foreseeable future. If any of our key customers were to purchase significantly fewer systems, or if a large order were delayed or cancelled, our revenues could significantly decline. In the third quarter of 2007, sales to Samsung accounted for 11.4% of our total revenue and sales to Toshiba account for 11.1% of our total revenue.

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 customers. Our relationships with our customers provide us with access to valuable information regarding industry trends, 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 long-term ability to produce commercially successful systems could be adversely affected.

We have had significant management changes since the end of the last fiscal year and these changes may impact our ability to execute our business strategy in the near term. In general, our success depends to a significant extent on the performance of our senior management and on our ability to identify, hire and retain key management personnel.

In August 2007, our new Chief Executive Officer joined the Company. In November 2007, our new Chief Financial Officer joined the Company. While we are confident in the officer’s abilities to manage the Company, our business may be affected. Furthermore, we must be able to identify, hire and retain key personnel. If we fail to attract, motivate and retain qualified senior management personnel, our business could be harmed and our ability to implement our strategy could be compromised.

We could have new material weaknesses in our internal controls in the future.

We have in the past identified material weaknesses in our internal controls and procedures. A material weakness is a control deficiency, or combination of them, that results in more than a remote likelihood that a material misstatement in our

 

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financial statements will not be prevented or detected. Although we believe that we have remedied the past material weaknesses in our internal controls and procedures as of December 30, 2006, and we could have new material weaknesses in the future as we integrate the acquired entities during 2007 and streamline and or automate our current internal controls.

Our current and potential competitors have significantly greater resources than we do, and increased competition could impair sales of our products.

We operate in the highly competitive semiconductor industry and face competition from a number of companies, many of which have greater financial, engineering, manufacturing, marketing and customer support resources than we do. As a result, our 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 could impair sales of our products. Moreover, there has been merger and acquisition activity among our competitors and potential competitors. These transactions by our competitors and potential competitors 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 industry are large companies that require global support and service for their metrology systems. Some of our larger or more geographically diverse competitors might be better equipped to provide this global support.

Successful infringement claims by third parties could result in substantial damages, lost product sales and the loss of important intellectual property rights by us.

Our commercial success depends, in part, on our ability to avoid infringing or misappropriating patents or other proprietary rights owned by third parties. From time to time we may receive communications from third parties asserting that our metrology systems may contain design features which are claimed to infringe on their proprietary rights. For example, in August 2005, we were served with a complaint by KLA alleging that certain of our products infringe two of KLA’s patents, Patent No. 6,483,580 and Patent No. 6,590,656. In January 2006, KLA added Patent No. 6,611,330 to its claim. In March 2006, we were granted a stay in the KLA patent infringement cases. In April 2007, we and Nova agreed to dismiss, without prejudice, all pending patent litigation and have entered into a covenant not to sue one another for any patent for a period of one year. There can be no assurance that Nanometrics’ new or current products do not infringe any valid intellectual property rights. Even if our products do not infringe, we may be required to expend significant sums of money to defend against infringement claims, as in the KLA lawsuit described above, or to actively protect our intellectual property rights through litigation.

We obtain some of the components and subassemblies included in our systems from a single source or a limited group of suppliers, and the partial or complete loss of one of these suppliers could cause production delays and significant loss of revenue.

We rely on outside vendors to manufacture many components and subassemblies. Certain components, subassemblies and services necessary for the manufacture of our systems are obtained from a sole supplier or limited group of suppliers. We do not maintain any long-term supply agreements with any of our suppliers. We have entered into arrangements with J.A.Woollam Company for the purchase of the spectroscopic ellipsometer component incorporated in our advanced measurement systems. Our reliance on a sole or a limited group of suppliers involves several risks, including the following:

 

   

we may be unable to obtain an adequate supply of required components;

 

   

we have reduced control over pricing and the timely delivery of components and subassemblies; and

 

   

our suppliers may be unable to develop technologically advanced products to support our growth and development of new systems.

Some of our suppliers have relatively limited financial and other resources. Because the manufacturing of certain of these components and subassemblies involves extremely complex processes and requires long lead times, we may experience delays or shortages caused by our suppliers. If we were forced to seek alternative sources of supply or to manufacture such components or subassemblies internally, we could be forced to redesign our systems, which could cause production delays and prevent us from shipping our systems to customers on a timely basis. Any inability to obtain adequate deliveries from our suppliers, or any other circumstance that would restrict our ability to ship our products, could damage relationships with current and prospective customers, harm our business and result in significant loss of revenue.

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 revenues to fluctuate widely from period to period. Our customers generally take long periods of time to evaluate our metrology systems. We expend significant resources educating and providing information to our prospective customers regarding the uses and benefits of our systems. The length of time that it takes for us to complete a sale depends upon many factors, including:

 

   

the efforts of our sales force and our independent sales representatives;

 

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the complexity of the customer’s metrology needs;

 

   

the internal technical capabilities and sophistication of the customer;

 

   

the customer’s budgetary constraints; and

 

   

the quality and sophistication of the customer’s current processing equipment.

Because of the number of factors influencing the sales process, the period between our initial contact with a customer and the time at which we recognize revenue from that customer, if at all, varies widely. Our sales cycles, including the time it takes for us to build a product to customer specifications after receiving an order, typically range from three to nine months. Occasionally our sales cycles can be much longer, particularly with customers in Asia who may require longer evaluation periods. During the sales 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 complete a sale, customers often purchase only one of our systems and then evaluate its performance for a lengthy period of time before purchasing additional systems. The purchases are generally made through purchase orders rather than through long-term contracts. The number of additional products that a customer purchases, if any, depends on many factors, including a customer’s capacity requirements. The period between a customer’s initial purchase and any subsequent purchases is unpredictable and can vary from three months to a year or longer. Variations in the length of this period could cause fluctuations in our operating results, which could adversely affect our stock price.

Relatively small fluctuations in our system sales volume may cause our operating results to vary significantly each quarter.

During any quarter, a significant portion of our revenue is derived from the sale of a relatively small number of systems. Our automated metrology systems range in price from approximately $200,000 to over $1,000,000 per system, our integrated metrology systems range in price from approximately $80,000 to $400,000 per system. Accordingly, a small change in the number or mix of systems that we sell could cause significant changes in our operating results.

We depend on orders that are received and shipped in the same quarter, and therefore our results of operations may be subject to significant variability from quarter to quarter.

Our net sales in any given quarter depend upon a combination of orders received in that quarter for shipment in that quarter and shipments from backlog. Our backlog at the beginning of each quarter does not include all systems sales needed to achieve expected revenues for that quarter. Consequently, we are dependent on obtaining orders for systems to be shipped in the same quarter that the order is received. Moreover, customers may reschedule shipments, and production difficulties could delay shipments. Accordingly, we have limited visibility into future product shipments, and our results of operations may be subject to significant variability from quarter to quarter.

Because of the high cost of switching equipment vendors in our markets, it may be difficult for us to attract customers from our competitors even if our metrology systems are superior to theirs.

We believe that once a semiconductor customer has selected one vendor’s metrology system, the customer generally relies upon that system and, to the extent possible, subsequent generations of the same vendor’s system, for the life of the application. Once a vendor’s metrology system has been installed, a customer must often make substantial technical modifications and may experience downtime in order to switch to another vendor’s metrology system. 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 from that customer once it has selected another vendor’s system for an application.

If we fail to develop new and enhanced metrology systems we will likely lose market share to our competitors.

We operate in an industry that is subject to technological changes, changes in customer demands and the introduction of new, higher performance systems with short product life cycles. To be competitive, we must continually design, develop and introduce in a timely manner new metrology systems that meet the performance and price demands of semiconductor manufacturers and suppliers. We must also continue to refine our current systems so that they remain competitive. We may experience difficulties or delays in our development efforts with respect to new systems, and we may not ultimately be successful in developing them. Any significant delay in releasing new systems could adversely affect our reputation, give a competitor a first-to-market advantage or cause a competitor to achieve greater market share.

 

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Lack of market acceptance for our new products may affect our ability to generate revenue and may harm our business.

We have recently introduced several products to the market including the Nano Station, IVS 185, VerteX Rapid Photoluminescence Mapping System for Compound Semiconductors, Atlas-M and Orion. We have invested substantial time and resources into the development of these products. However, we cannot accurately predict the future level of acceptance of our new products by our customers. As a result, we may not be able to generate anticipated revenue from sales of these products. While we anticipate that our new products will become an increasingly larger component of our business, their failure to gain acceptance with our customers could materially harm our business. Additionally, if our new products do gain market acceptance, our ability to sell our existing products may be impeded. As a result, there can be no assurance that the introduction of these products will be commercially successful or that these products will result in significant additional revenues or improved operating margins in future periods.

Our intellectual property may be infringed upon by third parties despite our efforts to protect it, which could threaten our future success and competitive position and harm our operating results.

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, trade secret and trademark law to protect that technology. If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property, it will be easier for our competitors to sell competing products. We own or may license patents relating to our metrology systems, and have filed applications for additional patents. Any of our pending patent applications may be rejected, and we may not in the future be able to develop additional proprietary technology that is patentable. In addition, the patents we own, have been issued, or may license may not provide us with competitive advantages and may be challenged by third parties. Third parties may also design around these patents.

In addition to patent protection, we rely upon trade secret protection for our confidential and proprietary information and technology. We routinely enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees. However, in the event that these agreements may be breached, we may not have adequate remedies. Our confidential and proprietary information and technology might also be independently developed by or become otherwise known to third parties. We may be required to initiate litigation in order to enforce any patents issued to or licensed by us, or to determine the scope or validity of a third party’s patent or other proprietary rights. Any such litigation, regardless of outcome, could be expensive and time consuming, and could subject us to significant liabilities or require us to re-engineer our product or obtain expensive licenses from third parties, any of which would adversely affect our business and operating results. In March 2006, we filed a complaint against Nova for infringing our Patent Nos. Re 34,783. In October 2006, we filed a new complaint against Nova for infringement of Patent No. 5,867,276 and 7,115,858. In April 2007, we and Nova agreed to dismiss, without prejudice, all pending patent litigation and have entered into a covenant not to sue one another for any patent for a period of one year.

If we choose to acquire new and complementary businesses, products or technologies instead of developing them ourselves, 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 achieve this, from time to time we have acquired complementary businesses, products, or technologies instead of developing them ourselves and may choose to do so in the future. For example, in July 2006, we consummated our merger with Accent Optical, a leading supplier of process control and metrology systems to the global semiconductor manufacturing industry. At the outset, we do not know if we will be able to complete any acquisitions, or whether we will be able to successfully integrate any acquired business, operate them profitably or retain their key employees. Integrating any business, product or technology that we acquire could be expensive and time consuming, disrupt our ongoing business and distract our management. In addition, in order to finance any acquisitions, we may be required to raise additional funds through public or private equity or debt financings. In that event, we could be forced to obtain financing on terms that are not favorable to us and, in the case of an equity or convertible debt financing which may result in dilution to our stockholders. If we are unable to integrate any acquired entities, products or technologies effectively, our business will suffer.

We manufacture all of our systems at a limited number of facilities, and any prolonged disruption in the operations of those facilities could reduce our revenues.

We produce all of our systems in our manufacturing facilities located in Milpitas, California and to a lesser extent, we also manufacture through our subsidiary in South Korea and contract manufacturers in Japan and China. Our manufacturing processes are highly complex and require sophisticated, costly equipment and specially designed facilities. As a result, any prolonged disruption in the operations of our manufacturing facilities, such as those resulting from a severe fire or earthquake, could seriously harm our ability to satisfy our customer order deadlines.

 

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Our efforts to protect our intellectual property may be less effective in some foreign countries where intellectual property rights are not as well protected as in the United States.

In 2006, 2005 and 2004, 53.9%, 66.7% and 71.8%, respectively, of our total net revenues were derived from sales to customers in foreign countries, including certain countries in Asia, such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, The laws of some foreign countries do not protect our proprietary rights to as great an extent as do the laws of the United States, and many U.S. companies have encountered substantial problems in protecting their proprietary rights against infringement in such countries. If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property in these countries, it would be easier for our competitors to sell competing products.

Continuing economic and political instability could affect our business and results of operations.

The ongoing threat of terrorism targeted at the United States or other regions where we conduct business increases the uncertainty in our markets and the economy in general. This uncertainty is likely to result in economic stagnation, which would harm our business. In addition, increased international political instability may hinder our ability to do business by increasing our costs of operations. For example, our transportation costs, insurance costs and sales efforts may become more expensive as a result of geopolitical tension. These tensions may also negatively affect our suppliers and customers. If this international economic and political instability continues or increases, our business and results of operations could be harmed.

We incur increased costs as a result of changes in laws and regulations affecting public companies.

Compliance with changes in laws and regulations affecting public companies, including the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, has resulted in and, we expect, will continue to result in substantial accounting, legal and administrative costs. In particular, Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules of the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board impose requirements with respect to the evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal controls. The cost of complying with these requirements is substantial.

Our results of operations could vary as a result of the methods, estimates and judgments we use in applying our accounting policies.

The methods, estimates and judgments we use in applying our accounting policies have a significant impact on our results of operations, see “Critical Accounting Policies” in Part I, Item 2 of this Form 10-Q. Such methods, estimates and judgments are, by their nature, subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and factors may arise over time that leads us to change our methods, estimates and judgments. Changes in those methods, estimates and judgments could significantly affect our results of operations. In particular, the calculation of share-based compensation expense under SFAS No. 123(R) requires us to use valuation methodologies (which were not developed for use in valuing employee stock options) and a number of assumptions, estimates and conclusions regarding matters such as expected forfeitures, expected volatility of our share price, the expected dividend rate with respect to our common stock and the exercise behavior of our employees. Furthermore, there are no means, under applicable accounting principles, to compare and adjust our expense if and when we learn of additional information that may affect the estimates that we previously made, with the exception of changes in expected forfeitures of share-based awards. Factors may arise over time that leads us to change our estimates and assumptions with respect to future share-based compensation arrangements, resulting in variability in our share-based compensation expense over time. Changes in forecasted share-based compensation expense could impact our gross margin percentage; research and development expenses; marketing, general and administrative expenses; and our tax rate.

Our quarterly operating results have varied in the past and probably will continue to vary significantly in the future, which will cause volatility in our stock price.

Our quarterly operating results have varied significantly in the past and are likely to vary in the future, which volatility could cause our stock price to decline. Some of the factors that may influence our operating results and subject our stock to extreme price and volume fluctuations include:

 

   

changes in customer demand for our systems;

 

   

economic conditions in the semiconductor industries;

 

   

the timing, cancellation or delay of customer orders and shipments;

 

   

market acceptance of our products and our customers’ products;

 

   

our ability to recover the higher costs associated with meeting our customers’ increasing service demands;

 

   

competitive pressures on product prices and changes in pricing by our customers or suppliers;

 

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the timing of new product announcements and product releases by us or our competitors and our ability to design, introduce and manufacture new products on a timely and cost-effective basis;

 

   

the timing of acquisitions of businesses, products or technologies;

 

   

the levels of our fixed expenses, including research and development costs associated with product development, relative to our revenue levels; and

 

   

fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, particularly the Japanese yen and the Great British Pound.

If our operating results in any period fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, the market price of our common stock would likely decline.

We are highly dependent on international sales and operations, which exposes us to foreign political and economic risks.

Sales to customers in foreign countries accounted for approximately 53.9%, 66.7% and 71.8% of our total net revenues in 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively. We maintain facilities in Japan, Taiwan, United Kingdom, South Korea and the European Union. We anticipate that international sales will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenues. International sales and operations carry inherent risks such as: regulatory limitations imposed by foreign governments, obstacles to the protection of our intellectual property, political, military and terrorism risks, disruptions or delays in shipments caused by customs brokers or other government agencies, unexpected changes in regulatory requirements, tariffs, customs, duties and other trade barriers, difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations, and potentially adverse tax consequences resulting from changes in tax laws. If any of these risks materialize and we are unable to manage them, our international sales and operations would suffer.

We are exposed to fluctuations in the exchange rates of foreign currency.

As a global concern, we face exposure to adverse movements in foreign currency exchange rates. With our operations in Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom, Taiwan, the European Union and Singapore, a significant percentage of our cash flows are exposed to foreign currency risk. These exposures may change over time as business practices evolve and could have a material adverse impact on our financial results and cash flow.

We are subject to various environmental laws and regulations that could impose substantial costs upon us and 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. There can be no assurance that violations of environmental laws or regulations will not occur in the future as a result of the inability to obtain permits, human error, equipment failure or other causes.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company and may affect the trading price of our common stock.

In September 2006, we changed our state of incorporation from California to Delaware. The anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control by prohibiting us from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the person becomes an interested stockholder, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a change in our management or control over us that stockholders may consider favorable. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws:

 

   

authorize the issuance of “blank check” preferred stock that could be issued by our board of directors to thwart a takeover attempt;

 

   

establish a classified board of directors, as a result of which the successors to the directors whose terms have expired will be elected to serve from the time of election and qualification until the third annual meeting following their election;

 

   

limit who may call special meetings of stockholders; and

 

   

prohibit stockholder action by written consent, requiring all actions to be taken at a meeting of the stockholders.

 

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Significant amounts of goodwill and intangible assets after the completion of the acquisitions of Accent and Soluris transactions could make our reported results more volatile.

Goodwill is tested for impairment annually or when an event occurs indicating the potential for impairment. The evaluation is prepared based on our current and projected performance for the identified reporting units. The fair value of our reporting units is determined using a combination of the cash flow and market comparable approaches. If we conclude at any time that the carrying value of our goodwill and other intangible assets for any of our reporting units exceeds its implied fair value, we will be required to recognize an impairment, which could materially reduce operating income and net income in the period in which such impairment is recognized.

In the application of these methodologies, we were required to make estimates of future operating trends and judgments on discount rates and other variables. Actual future results and other assumed variables could differ from these estimates, including changes in the economy, the business environment in which we operate, and/or our own relative performance. Any differences in actual results compared to our estimates could result in further future impairments. Accordingly, our future earnings may be subject to significant volatility, particularly on a period-to-period basis.

Any future acquisitions we make, or attempt to make, could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition if we are not able to timely and successfully close the acquisition or successfully integrate acquired businesses and technologies.

We have made and may continue to make acquisitions of business and technologies to enhance our business. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including problems combining the purchased operations and key employees, technologies or products, unanticipated costs, diversion of management’s attention from our core business, adverse effects on existing business relationships with suppliers and customers, risks associated with entering markets in which we have no or limited prior experience and potential loss of key employees. The integration of businesses that we have acquired or that we may acquire in the future into our business has been and will continue to be a complex, time consuming and expensive process. Failure to operate as a combined organization utilizing common information and communication systems, operating procedures, financial controls and human resources practices could adversely impact the success of any business combination.

 

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

We repurchased the following shares of our common stock during the third quarter of 2007:

 

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Period   (a) Total
Number of
Shares
Purchased
  (b) Average
Price Paid
per Share
  (c) Total Number of
Shares Purchased as Part
of Publicly Announced
Plans or Programs
  (d) Maximum Number (or
Approximate Dollar
Value) of Shares that May
Yet Be Purchased under
the Plans or Programs (1)
July 26 to September 29, 2007   26,455   $ 7.47   26,455   $ 3,802,288

 

(1) On July 26, 2007, our Board of Directors approved the repurchase of up to $4.0 million of our common stock. Share repurchases under this program may be made through open market and privately negotiated transactions, at times and in such amounts as management deems appropriate. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors including price, corporate and regulatory requirements and other market conditions. The stock repurchase program may be limited or terminated at any time without prior notice. As of September 29, 2007, $3.8 million remained available for the future purchase of shares of our common stock.

 

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ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

The following actions were taken at our annual meeting of stockholders, which was held on September 7, 2007:

1. The stockholders elected the eight nominees for director to our Board of Directors. The eight directors elected to each class, along with the voting results were as follows:

 

Name

  

Class &

Expiration of

Term

   No. of Shares
Voting For
   No. of Shares
Withheld Voting

Joseph F. Dox

   2008 (Class I)    16,470,239    189,909

William G. Oldham

   2008 (Class I)    14,425,651    234,497

Stephen Smith

   2008 (Class I)    16,320,465    339,683

J. Thomas Bentley

   2009 (Class II)    16,352,617    307,531

Edmond R. Ward

   2009 (Class II)    16,393,417    266,731

Vincent J. Coates

   2010 (Class III)    16,376,613    283,535

Bruce C. Rhine

   2010 (Class III)    16,395,353    264,795

Timothy J. Stultz

   2010 (Class III)    16,396,986    263,162

2. The stockholders ratified the appointment of BDO Siedman, LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2007. The voting results were as follows:

 

No. of Shares
Voting For

 

No. of Shares
Withheld Voting

 

No. of Shares
Abstained

16,542,731

  91,659   25,758

 

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

Exhibit Index

The following exhibits are filed or incorporated by reference with this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q:

 

Exhibit No.  

Description

  3.(i)   Certificate of Incorporation
  3.1(1)   Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant
  3.(ii)   Bylaws
  3.2(1)   Bylaws of the Registrant
10  

Material Contracts

Management Contracts, Compensatory Plans, Contracts or Arrangements

10.1   Form of Executive Severance Agreement between Bruce A. Crawford, Chief Operating Officer
10.2   Separation and Release Agreement between John D. Heaton and the Company effective as of July 3, 2007
10.3(2)   Offer Letter to Timothy Stultz
10.4(2)   Executive Severance Agreement with Timothy Stultz
10.5(2)   Relocation Agreement with Timothy Stultz
10.6   Registrant’s 2005 Equity Incentive Plan form of Stock Option Agreement
10.7   Registrant’s 2005 Equity Incentive Plan form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement
31   Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certifications
31.1   Certification of Timothy J. Stultz, principal executive officer of the Registrant, pursuant to rule 13a-14(a) or rule 15a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2   Certification of Gary C. Schaefer, principal financial officer of the Registrant, pursuant to rule 13a-14(a) or rule 15a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32   Section 1350 Certifications
32.1   Certification of Timothy J. Stultz, principal executive officer of the Registrant, and Gary C. Schaefer, principal financial officer of the Registrant, pursuant to rule 13a-14(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and U.S.C. Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

(1) Incorporated by reference to exhibits filed with the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 5, 2006

 

(2) Incorporated by reference to exhibits filed with the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 8, 2007.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED
(Registrant)
By:   /s/ Gary C. Schaefer
  Gary C. Schaefer
 

Chief Financial Officer

(as principal financial officer and duly authorized officer of the registrant)

Dated: November 8, 2007

 

31

EX-10.1 2 dex101.htm FORM OF EXECUTIVE SEVERANCE AGREEMENT Form of Executive Severance Agreement

Exhibit 10.1

EXECUTIVE SEVERANCE AGREEMENT

BETWEEN

BRUCE CRAWFORD

AND

NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED

This Executive Severance Agreement (the “Severance Agreement”) is made and entered into this         th day of July 2007 by and between Bruce Crawford (“Mr. Crawford”) and Nanometrics Incorporated (the “Company”), a Delaware corporation.

WHEREAS, Mr. Crawford is Chief Operating Officer of the Company, and

WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company has approved this Severance Agreement to provide a degree of financial security and income protection to Mr. Crawford in the event of his involuntary termination without Cause (as defined herein).

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereby agree as follows:

1.    This Severance Agreement is intended solely to set out the parties’ understanding with respect to the involuntary separation without Cause of Mr. Crawford and is not intended to constitute a contract of employment for any period of time. Mr. Crawford understands that he is, and following the execution of this Severance Agreement, remains an, at-will employee of the Company and may be terminated at any time with or without cause or notice.

2.    In the event Mr. Crawford’s employment with the Company terminates for any reason, Mr. Crawford will be entitled to any (a) unpaid base salary accrued up to the effective date of termination; (b) pay for accrued but unused vacation; (c) benefits or compensation as provided under the terms of any employee benefit and compensation agreements or plans applicable to Mr. Crawford; (d) unreimbursed business expenses required to be reimbursed to Mr. Crawford; and (e) rights to indemnification Mr. Crawford may have under the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws or separate indemnification agreement, as applicable. In addition, depending on the reason for termination, Mr. Crawford may be entitled to the additional amounts and benefits specified in Section 3 of this Severance Agreement.

3.    In the event that Mr. Crawford’s employment with the Company is terminated by the Company without Cause on or after the date hereof, effective as of the date of separation from employment and subject to Sections 4 through 8 of this Severance Agreement, the vesting of each outstanding equity award relating to shares of the Company’s common stock shall accelerate and become immediately exercisable as to that number of shares that would have vested had Mr. Crawford remained an employee of the Company through the twelve-month anniversary of the date

 

-1-


of separation from employment. In addition, in the event that Mr. Crawford’s employment with the Company is terminated by the Company without Cause on or after the date hereof, the Company agrees, effective as of the date of separation from employment and subject to Sections 4 through 8 of this Severance Agreement, as a separation payment, (i) to pay to Mr. Crawford his annual salary (as in effect immediately prior to such separation from employment), but no bonuses, on the Company’s normal paydays for a period of six (6) months from the date of separation from employment and (ii) to reimburse Mr. Crawford for his premium payments under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (“COBRA”) for a period of one (1) year from the date of separation from employment. If Mr. Crawford’s separation is for Cause, he shall be due no separation payment or reimbursement of COBRA premium payments and will not benefit from the equity award acceleration referenced herein.

4.    Notwithstanding anything in this Severance Agreement to the contrary, reimbursement for premiums paid under COBRA pursuant to this Severance Agreement shall be paid only if Mr. Crawford validly elects to continue coverage under COBRA and shall be reimbursed only until the earlier of (i) the termination date set forth in Section 3 of this Severance Agreement; (ii) the date upon which Mr. Crawford and Mr. Crawford’s eligible dependents become otherwise covered under similar plans; (iii) the date upon which Mr. Crawford and Mr. Crawford’s eligible dependents cease to be eligible for coverage under COBRA.

5.     Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Severance Agreement, if Mr. Crawford is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code and any final regulations and guidance promulgated thereunder (“Section 409A”) at the time of Mr. Crawford’s separation from employment, then any severance payments payable pursuant to this Severance Agreement and any other severance payments or separation benefits which may be considered deferred compensation under Section 409A (together, the “Deferred Compensation Separation Benefits”) otherwise due to Mr. Crawford on or within the six (6) month period following Mr. Crawford’s separation from employment will accrue during such six (6) month period and will become payable in a lump sum payment on the date six (6) months and one (1) day following the date of Mr. Crawford’s separation from employment. All subsequent payments, if any, will be payable in accordance with the payment schedule applicable to each payment or benefit. It is the intent of this Severance Agreement to comply with the requirements of Section 409A so that none of the severance payments and benefits to be provided hereunder will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities herein will be interpreted to so comply.

6.    The severance payments and benefits provided herein shall be conditioned on the following:

(a)    The receipt of any severance or other benefits pursuant to this Severance Agreement will be conditioned upon (i) Mr. Crawford signing and not revoking a release of claims in a form acceptable to the Company; (ii) Mr. Crawford’s promptly resigning from all positions with the Company as requested; and (iii) Mr. Crawford continuing to comply with the terms of any Confidential Information Agreement by which he is then bound. No severance or other benefits will be paid or provided until the release agreement becomes effective.

 

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(b)    During the period of Mr. Crawford’s employment with the Company and the Continuance Period (as defined herein), Mr. Crawford will not knowingly and materially disparage, criticize, or otherwise make any derogatory statements regarding the Company or any officer, director or agent of the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing contained in this Severance Agreement will be deemed to restrict Mr. Crawford, the Company or any of the Company’s current or former officers and/or directors from providing information to any governmental or regulatory agency (or in any way limit the content of any such information) to the extent they are requested or required to provide such information pursuant to applicable law or regulation.

(c)    Mr. Crawford acknowledges that the nature of the Company’s business is such that if Mr. Crawford were to become employed by, or substantially involved in, the business of a competitor of the Company during the twelve (12) months following the termination of Mr. Crawford’s employment with the Company, it would be very difficult for Mr. Crawford not to rely on or use the Company’s trade secrets and confidential information. Thus, to avoid the inevitable disclosure of the Company’s trade secrets and confidential information, Mr. Crawford agrees and acknowledges that Mr. Crawford’s right to receive the separation payments set forth in Section 3 of this Severance Agreement (to the extent Mr. Crawford is otherwise entitled to such payments) shall be conditioned upon Mr. Crawford not directly or indirectly engaging in (whether as an employee, consultant, agent, proprietor, principal, partner, stockholder, corporate officer, director or otherwise), nor having any ownership interested in or participating in the financing, operation, management or control of, any person, firm, corporation or business that competes with Company or is a customer of the Company. Upon any breach of this section, all severance payments pursuant to this Severance Agreement shall immediately cease.

(d)    Until the date one (1) year after the termination of Mr. Crawford’s employment with the Company for any reason, Mr. Crawford agrees and acknowledges that Mr. Crawford’s right to receive the separation payments set forth in Section 3 of this Severance Agreement (to the extent Mr. Crawford is otherwise entitled to such payments) shall be conditioned upon Mr. Crawford not either directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, attempting to hire, recruiting, encouraging, taking away, hiring any employee of the Company or causing an employee to leave his or her employment either for Mr. Crawford or for any other entity or person.

7.    All payments made pursuant to this Severance Agreement will be subject to standard deductions and the withholding of applicable taxes.

8.    In the event that the severance and other benefits provided for in this Severance Agreement or otherwise payable to Mr. Crawford (i) constitute “parachute payments” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code and (ii) but for this Section, would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code, then Mr. Crawford’s separation payments under this Severance Agreement will be either:

(a)    delivered in full, or

(b)    delivered as to such lesser extent which would result in no portion of such severance benefits being subject to excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code,

 

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whichever of the foregoing amounts, taking into account the applicable federal, state and local income taxes and the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code, results in the receipt by Mr. Crawford on an after-tax basis, of the greatest amount of severance benefits, notwithstanding that all or some portion of such severance benefits may be taxable under Section 4999 of the Code. Unless the Company and Mr. Crawford otherwise agree in writing, any determination required under this Section will be made in writing by the independent public accountants who are primarily used by the Company (the “Accountants”), whose determination will be conclusive and binding upon Mr. Crawford and the Company for all purposes. For purposes of making the calculations required by this Section, the Accountants may make reasonable assumptions and approximations concerning applicable taxes and may rely on reasonable, good faith interpretations concerning the application of Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code. The Company and Mr. Crawford will furnish to the Accountants such information and documents as the Accountants may reasonably request in order to make a determination under this Section. The Company will bear all costs the Accountants may reasonably incur in connection with any calculations contemplated by this Section.

9.    The following capitalized terms shall the meanings set forth herein:

(a)    Cause. For purposes of this Severance Agreement, “Cause” means (i) Mr. Crawford’s willful misconduct; (ii) Mr. Crawford’s unjustifiable neglect of his duties (as determined in the good faith judgment of the Board); (iii) Mr. Crawford’s acting in any manner that has a direct, substantial and adverse effect on the Company or its reputation, (iv) Mr. Crawford’s repeated material failure or repeated refusal to comply with written policies, standards and regulations established by the Company from time to time which failure, if curable, is not cured to the reasonable satisfaction of the Board during the thirty (30 ) day period following written notice of such failure from the Company; (v) any tortious act, unlawful act or malfeasance which causes or reasonably could cause (for example, if it became publicly known) material harm to the Company’s standing, condition or reputation; (vi) any material breach by Mr. Crawford of the provisions of any confidential information agreement with the Company or other material improper disclosure of the Company’s confidential or proprietary information, (vii) Mr. Crawford’s theft, dishonesty, or falsification of any Company records; (viii) Mr. Crawford being found liable in any Securities and Exchange Commission or other civil or criminal securities law action or entering any cease and desist order with respect to such action (regardless of whether or not Mr. Crawford admits or denies liability); or (ix) Mr. Crawford (A) obstructing or impeding; (B) endeavoring to influence, obstruct or impede, or (C) failing to materially cooperate with, any investigation authorized by the Board or any governmental or self-regulatory entity (an “Investigation”). However, Mr. Crawford’s failure to waive attorney-client privilege relating to communications with Mr. Crawford’s own attorney in connection with an Investigation will not constitute “Cause.”

(b)    Code. For purposes of this Severance Agreement, “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

(c)    Continuance Period. For purposes of this Severance Agreement, “Continuance Period” will mean the period of time beginning on the date of the termination of Mr. Crawford’s employment and ending on the date on which Mr. Crawford is no longer entitled to receive severance payments under this Severance Agreement.

 

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10.    This Severance Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of (a) the heirs, executors and legal representatives of Mr. Crawford upon Mr. Crawford’s death and (b) any successor of the Company. Any such successor of the Company will be deemed substituted for the Company under the terms of this Severance Agreement for all purposes. For this purpose, “successor” means any person, firm, corporation or other business entity which at any time, whether by purchase, merger or otherwise, directly or indirectly acquires all or substantially all of the assets or business of the Company. None of the rights of Mr. Crawford to receive any form of compensation payable pursuant to this Severance Agreement may be assigned or transferred except by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Any other attempted assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of Mr. Crawford’s right to compensation or other benefits will be null and void.

11.    This Severance Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties pertaining to the separation of Mr. Crawford from employment with the Company and its subsidiaries, is intended to apply to the exclusion of all other remedies in the event of such separation and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous agreements whether written or oral. The Company and Mr. Crawford agree to work together in good faith to consider amendments to this Severance Agreement and to take such reasonable actions which are necessary, appropriate or desirable to avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition under Section 409A prior to actual payment to Mr. Crawford. No waiver, alteration, or modification of any of the provisions of this Severance Agreement will be binding unless in writing and signed by duly authorized representatives of the parties hereto.

12.    In the event that any provision hereof becomes or is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, unenforceable or void, this Severance Agreement will continue in full force and effect without said provision.

13.    This Severance Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California (with the exception of its conflict of laws provisions).

14.    In the event of disagreement, the parties agree to attempt to work out their differences in good faith. In the event the parties are unable to so work out their differences, any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Severance Agreement, or the breach thereof, shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association, and judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator(s) may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. The parties agree that such arbitration shall be held in Santa Clara County, California and that the Company shall reimburse Mr. Crawford’s reasonable costs and attorneys’ fees.

15.    Mr. Crawford acknowledges and agrees that Mr. Crawford is executing this Severance Agreement voluntarily and without any duress or undue influence by the Company or anyone else. Mr. Crawford further acknowledges and agrees that he has carefully read this Severance Agreement and that he has asked any questions needed for him to understand the terms, consequences and binding effect of this Severance Agreement and fully understand it, including that he is waiving his right to a jury trial. Finally, Mr. Crawford agrees that he has been provided an opportunity to seek the advice of an attorney of his choice before signing this Severance Agreement.

 

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16.    This Severance Agreement may be executed in counterparts, and each counterpart will have the same force and effect as an original and will constitute an effective, binding agreement on the part of each of the undersigned.

17.    All notices, requests, demands and other communications called for hereunder will be in writing and will be deemed given (a) on the date of delivery if delivered personally, (b) one (1) day after being sent overnight by a well established commercial overnight service, or (c) four (4) days after being mailed by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, prepaid and addressed to the parties or their successors at the following addresses, or at such other addresses as the parties may later designate in writing:

If to the Company:

Attn: Chairman of the Compensation Committee

c/o Corporate Secretary

Nanometrics Incorporated

1550 Buckeye Drive

Milpitas, CA 95035

If to Mr. Crawford:

at the last residential address known by the Company.

Executed as of the date first above written.

 

NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED
By:    
 

Bruce C. Rhine

Chief Executive Officer

AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED:

 


Bruce Crawford

 

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EX-10.2 3 dex102.htm SEPARATION AND RELEASE AGREEMENT Separation and Release Agreement

Exhibit 10.2

SEPARATION AGREEMENT AND RELEASE

This Separation Agreement and Release (“Agreement”) is made by and between John D. Heaton (“Employee”) and Nanometrics Incorporated (“Company”) (collectively referred to as the “Parties” or individually referred to as a “Party”).

RECITALS

WHEREAS, Employee was formerly employed by the Company;

WHEREAS, Employee signed the Company’s Employee Patent and Confidential Information Agreement (the “Confidentiality Agreement”) on September 17, 1990;

WHEREAS, the Company and Employee entered into an Employment Agreement effective as of October 4, 2006 (the “Employment Agreement”);

WHEREAS, the Company terminated Employee’s employment with the Company on March 26, 2007 (the “Termination Date”); and

WHEREAS, the Parties wish to resolve any and all disputes, claims, complaints, grievances, charges, actions, petitions, and demands that the Employee may have against the Company and any of the Releasees as defined below, including, but not limited to, any and all claims arising out of, or in any way related to Employee’s employment with, or separation from, the Company;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises made herein, the Company and Employee hereby agree as follows:

COVENANTS

1.    Consideration. The Employee will be entitled to the consideration indicated in the Employment Agreement, as follows:

a.    Cash. The Company agrees to pay Employee the gross sum of $404,250.00 over twelve (12) months commencing on the first Company payroll date that occurs after the Effective Date of this Agreement. Such payments will be made in equal installments, less applicable withholding, in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices. Any and all payments of already made by the Company to Employee since the Termination Date, with the exception of repayment of expenses, shall be deducted from this amount.

b.    Equity. Effective as of the Termination Date, the vesting of each outstanding equity award relating to shares of the Company’s common stock shall accelerate and become immediately exercisable as to that number of shares that would have vested had Employee remained an employee of the Company through the twelve-month anniversary of the Termination Date. Employee’s deadline to exercise is extended to the date before the Company’s first public disclosure of earnings after the Effective Date of this Agreement. Except as provided herein, each of


Employee’s equity awards shall continue to be governed by the terms and conditions of the equity plan under which it was granted and the equity award agreement between Employee and the Company (such plan(s) and agreement(s) the “Stock Agreements”).

c.    COBRA. Provided that Employee timely and validly elects to continue medical care coverage for Executive (and any eligible dependents) under the Company’s benefit plans pursuant to COBRA, the Company shall reimburse Employee for the payments Employee makes for COBRA coverage for continued medical benefits until the earlier of (i) twelve (12) months from the Termination Date, or (ii) the date upon which Employee and Employee’s eligible dependents obtain coverage through some alternative source, whichever occurs first. COBRA reimbursements shall be made by the Company to Employee consistent with the Company’s normal expense reimbursement policy, provided that Employee submits documentation to the Company substantiating his payments for COBRA coverage. For purposes of this Agreement, “COBRA” shall mean the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended and as codified in Section 4980B of the Code and Section 601 et. seq. of ERISA or any similar applicable state law.

2.    Benefits. Employee’s health insurance benefits shall cease on the last day of March 2007 (or, if provided by the Company’s benefits plans, on the Termination Date), subject to Employee’s right to continue his health insurance under COBRA. Employee’s participation in all benefits and incidents of employment, including, but not limited to, vesting in stock options (subject to paragraph 1.b above), and the accrual of bonuses, vacation, and paid time off, shall cease as of the Termination Date.

3.    Payment of Salary. Employee acknowledges and represents that, other than the consideration set forth in this Agreement, the Company has paid or provided all salary, wages, bonuses, accrued vacation/paid time off, housing allowances, relocation costs, interest, severance, outplacement costs, fees, reimbursable expenses, commissions, stock, stock options, vesting, and any and all other benefits and compensation due to Employee.

4.    Release of Claims. Employee agrees that the foregoing consideration represents settlement in full of all outstanding obligations owed to Employee by the Company and its current and former officers, directors, employees, agents, investors, attorneys, shareholders, administrators, affiliates, divisions, and subsidiaries, and predecessor and successor corporations and assigns (collectively, the “Releasees”). Employee, on his own behalf and on behalf of his respective heirs, family members, executors, agents, and assigns, hereby and forever releases the Releasees from, and agrees not to sue concerning, or in any manner to institute, prosecute, or pursue, any claim, complaint, charge, duty, obligation, or cause of action relating to any matters of any kind, whether presently known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, that Employee may possess against any of the Releasees arising from any omissions, acts, facts, or damages that have occurred up until and including the Effective Date of this Agreement, including, without limitation:

a.    any and all claims relating to or arising from Employee’s employment relationship with the Company and the termination of that relationship;

b.    any and all claims relating to, or arising from, Employee’s right to purchase, or actual purchase of shares of stock of the Company, including, without limitation, any claims for

 

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fraud, misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of duty under applicable state corporate law, and securities fraud under any state or federal law;

c.    any and all claims for wrongful discharge of employment; termination in violation of public policy; discrimination; harassment; retaliation; breach of contract, both express and implied; breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, both express and implied; promissory estoppel; negligent or intentional infliction of emotional distress; fraud; negligent or intentional misrepresentation; negligent or intentional interference with contract or prospective economic advantage; unfair business practices; defamation; libel; slander; negligence; personal injury; assault; battery; invasion of privacy; false imprisonment; conversion; and disability benefits;

d.    any and all claims for violation of any federal, state, or municipal statute, including, but not limited to, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Civil Rights Act of 1991; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; the Equal Pay Act; the Fair Labor Standards Act, except as prohibited by law; the Fair Credit Reporting Act; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act; the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974; the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act; the Family and Medical Leave Act, except as prohibited by law; the Sarbanes- Oxley Act of 2002; the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act; the California Family Rights Act; the California Labor Code, except as prohibited by law; the California Workers’ Compensation Act, except as prohibited by law; and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act;

e.    any and all claims for violation of the federal or any state constitution;

f.    any and all claims arising out of any other laws and regulations relating to employment or employment discrimination;

g.    any claim for any loss, cost, damage, or expense arising out of any dispute over the non-withholding or other tax treatment of any of the proceeds received by Employee as a result of this Agreement; and

h.    any and all claims for attorneys’ fees and costs.

Employee agrees that the release set forth in this section shall be and remain in effect in all respects as a complete general release as to the matters released. This release does not extend to any obligations incurred under this Agreement. This release does not release claims that cannot be released as a matter of law, including, but not limited to: (1) your right to file a charge with or participate in a charge by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or comparable state agency against the Company (with the understanding that any such filing or participation does not give you the right to recover any monetary damages against the Company; your release of claims herein bars you from recovering such monetary relief from the Company); (2) claims under Division 3, Article 2 of the California Labor Code (which includes California Labor Code section 2802 regarding indemnity for necessary expenditures or losses by employee); (3) claims prohibited from release as set forth in California Labor Code section 206.5 (specifically “any claim or right on account of wages due, or to become due, or made as an advance on wages to be earned,

 

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unless payment of such wages has been made”); (4) and any claims for indemnity or the advance of defense costs, whether such claims arise under Company instruments (including, but limited to, the Company’s Articles, By-laws, resolutions, policies, and practices), policies of insurance, or the Delaware General Corporation Law.

5.    Acknowledgement of Waiver of Claims under ADEA. Employee acknowledges that he is waiving and releasing any rights he may have under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (“ADEA”), and that this waiver and release is knowing and voluntary. Employee agrees that this waiver and release does not apply to any rights or claims that may arise under the ADEA after the Effective Date of this Agreement. Employee acknowledges that the consideration given for this waiver and release is in addition to anything of value to which Employee was already entitled. Employee further acknowledges that he has been advised by this writing that: (a) he should consult with an attorney prior to executing this Agreement; (b) he has twenty-one (21) days within which to consider this Agreement; (c) he has seven (7) days following his execution of this Agreement to revoke this Agreement; (d) this Agreement shall not be effective until after the revocation period has expired; and (e) nothing in this Agreement prevents or precludes Employee from challenging or seeking a determination in good faith of the validity of this waiver under the ADEA, nor does it impose any condition precedent, penalties, or costs for doing so, unless specifically authorized by federal law. In the event Employee signs this Agreement and returns it to the Company in less than the 21-day period identified above, Employee hereby acknowledges that he has freely and voluntarily chosen to waive the time period allotted for considering this Agreement. Employee acknowledges and understands that revocation must be accomplished by a written notification to the Chairman of the Board of the Company or the General Counsel of the Company that is received prior to the Effective Date.

6.    California Civil Code Section 1542. Employee acknowledges that he has been advised to consult with legal counsel and is familiar with the provisions of California Civil Code Section 1542, a statute that otherwise prohibits the release of unknown claims, which provides as follows:

A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, WHICH IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER MUST HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR.

Employee, being aware of said code section, agrees to expressly waive any rights he may have thereunder, as well as under any other statute or common law principles of similar effect.

7.    No Pending or Future Lawsuits. Employee represents that he has no lawsuits, claims, or actions pending in his name, or on behalf of any other person or entity, against the Company or any of the other Releasees. Employee also represents that he does not intend to bring any claims on his own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity against the Company or any of the other Releasees arising out of acts or omissions occurring prior to the Effective Date of this Agreement.

 

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8.    Application for Employment. Employee understands and agrees that, as a condition of this Agreement, Employee shall not be entitled to any employment with the Company, and Employee hereby waives any right, or alleged right, of employment or re-employment with the Company. Employee further agrees not to apply for employment with the Company.

9.    Trade Secrets and Confidential Information/Company Property. Employee agrees that he will not disclose the Company’s trade secrets and confidential and proprietary information. Employee further agrees to assist the Company, or its designee, at the Company’s expense, in every proper way to secure the Company’s rights in the Company’s trade secrets and confidential and proprietary information and any rights relating thereto in any and all countries, including the disclosure to the Company of all pertinent information and data with respect thereto, the execution of all applications, specifications, oaths, assignments and all other instruments which the Company shall deem proper or necessary in order to apply for, register, obtain, maintain, defend, and enforce such rights and in order to assign and convey to the Company and Releasees the sole and exclusive rights, title and interest in and to such trade secrets and confidential and proprietary information and any rights relating thereto, and testifying in a suit or other proceeding relating to such trade secrets and confidential and proprietary information and any rights relating thereto. Employee has returned all Company property in his possession as of the date he executed this Agreement. Employee specifically confirms that, up to the date that he executes this Agreement, he has had no business relationship (other than as a representative and on behalf of the Company) with Micro Precision Automation, including service as an employee, officer, director, consultant, shareholder, or advisor.

10.    No Cooperation. Employee further agrees that he will not knowingly encourage, counsel, or assist any attorneys or their clients in the presentation or prosecution of any disputes, differences, grievances, claims, charges, or complaints by any third party against any of the Releasees, unless under a subpoena or other court order to do so or as related directly to the ADEA waiver in this Agreement. Employee agrees both to immediately notify the Company upon receipt of any subpoena or court order to compel evidence against the Company, and to furnish promptly thereafter a copy of such subpoena or other court order.

11.    Non-Disparagement. Employee agrees to refrain from any disparaging statements about the Company or any of the other Releasees including, without limitation, the business, products, intellectual property, financial standing, future, or employment/compensation/benefit practices of the Company. Employee agrees to refrain from any defamation, libel, or slander of any of the Company or any of the other Releasees, and agrees to refrain from any tortious interference with the contracts and relationships of the Company and any of the other Releasees.

12.    Breach. Executive’s receipt of continued severance payments will be subject to Executive continuing to comply with the material terms of this Agreement, and the Confidentiality Agreement, provided that a legal action by Employee challenging or seeking a determination in good faith of the validity of the waiver herein under the ADEA shall not be a breach of this Agreement.

13.    No Admission of Liability. Employee understands and acknowledges that this Agreement constitutes a compromise and settlement of any and all actual or potential disputed claims by Employee. No action taken by the Company hereto, either previously or in connection with this Agreement, shall be deemed or construed to be (a) an admission of the truth or falsity of

 

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any actual or potential claims or (b) an acknowledgment or admission by the Company of any fault or liability whatsoever to Employee or to any third party.

14.    Non-Solicitation. Employee agrees that for a period of twelve months (12) months immediately following the Effective Date of this Agreement, Employee shall not directly or indirectly solicit any of the Company’s employees to leave his or her employment at the Company.

15.    Costs. The Parties shall each bear their own costs, attorneys’ fees, and other fees incurred in connection with the preparation of this Agreement.

16.    ARBITRATION. THE PARTIES AGREE THAT ANY AND ALL DISPUTES ARISING OUT OF THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, THEIR INTERPRETATION, AND ANY OF THE MATTERS HEREIN RELEASED, SHALL BE SUBJECT TO ARBITRATION IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY, BEFORE JAMS, PURSUANT TO ITS EMPLOYMENT ARBITRATION RULES & PROCEDURES (“JAMS RULES”). THE ARBITRATOR MAY GRANT INJUNCTIONS AND OTHER RELIEF IN SUCH DISPUTES. THE ARBITRATOR SHALL ADMINISTER AND CONDUCT ANY ARBITRATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH CALIFORNIA LAW, INCLUDING THE CALIFORNIA CODE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE, AND THE ARBITRATOR SHALL APPLY SUBSTANTIVE AND PROCEDURAL CALIFORNIA LAW TO ANY DISPUTE OR CLAIM, WITHOUT REFERENCE TO ANY CONFLICT-OF-LAW PROVISIONS OF ANY JURISDICTION. TO THE EXTENT THAT THE JAMS RULES CONFLICT WITH CALIFORNIA LAW, CALIFORNIA LAW SHALL TAKE PRECEDENCE. THE DECISION OF THE ARBITRATOR SHALL BE FINAL, CONCLUSIVE, AND BINDING ON THE PARTIES TO THE ARBITRATION. THE PARTIES AGREE THAT THE PREVAILING PARTY IN ANY ARBITRATION SHALL BE ENTITLED TO INJUNCTIVE RELIEF IN ANY COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION TO ENFORCE THE ARBITRATION AWARD. THE ARBITRATOR SHALL AWARD ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND COSTS TO THE PREVAILING PARTY, EXCEPT AS PROHIBITED BY LAW. THE PARTIES HEREBY AGREE TO WAIVE THEIR RIGHT TO HAVE ANY DISPUTE BETWEEN THEM RESOLVED IN A COURT OF LAW BY A JUDGE OR JURY. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, THIS SECTION WILL NOT PREVENT EITHER PARTY FROM SEEKING INJUNCTIVE RELIEF (OR ANY OTHER PROVISIONAL REMEDY) FROM ANY COURT HAVING JURISDICTION OVER THE PARTIES AND THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THEIR DISPUTE RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE AGREEMENTS INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE.

17.    Tax Consequences. The Company makes no representations or warranties with respect to the tax consequences of the payments and any other consideration provided to Employee or made on his behalf under the terms of this Agreement. Employee agrees and understands that he is responsible for payment, if any, of local, state, and/or federal taxes on the payments and any other consideration provided hereunder by the Company and any penalties or assessments thereon. Employee further agrees to indemnify and hold the Company harmless from any claims, demands, deficiencies, penalties, interest, assessments, executions, judgments, or recoveries by any government agency against the Company for any amounts claimed due on account of (a) Employee’s failure to pay, or Employee’s delayed payment of, federal or state taxes, or (b) damages sustained by the Company by reason of any such claims, including attorneys’ fees and costs.

 

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18.    Authority. The Company represents and warrants that the undersigned has the authority to act on behalf of the Company and to bind the Company and all who may claim through it to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Employee represents and warrants that he has the capacity to act on his own behalf and on behalf of all who might claim through him to bind them to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Each Party warrants and represents that there are no liens or claims of lien or assignments in law or equity or otherwise of or against any of the claims or causes of action released herein.

19.    No Representations. Employee represents that he has had an opportunity to consult with an attorney, and has carefully read and understands the scope and effect of the provisions of this Agreement. Employee has not relied upon any representations or statements made by the Company that are not specifically set forth in this Agreement.

20.    No Waiver. The failure of the parties to insist upon the performance of any of the terms and conditions in this Agreement, or the failure to prosecute any breach of any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement, shall not be construed thereafter as a waiver of any such terms or conditions. This entire Agreement shall remain in full force and effect as if no such forbearance or failure of performance had occurred.

21.    Severability. In the event that any provision or any portion of any provision hereof becomes or is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction or arbitrator to be illegal, unenforceable, or void, this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect without said provision or portion of provision.

22.    Attorneys’ Fees. Except with regard to a legal action challenging or seeking a determination in good faith of the validity of the waiver herein under the ADEA, in the event that either Party brings an action to enforce or effect its rights under this Agreement, the prevailing Party shall be entitled to recover its costs and expenses, including the costs of mediation, arbitration, litigation, court fees, and reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred in connection with such an action.

23.    Entire Agreement. This Agreement represents the entire agreement and understanding between the Company and Employee concerning the subject matter of this Agreement and Employee’s employment with and separation from the Company and the events leading thereto and associated therewith, and supersedes and replaces any and all prior agreements and understandings concerning the subject matter of this Agreement and Employee’s relationship with the Company, with the exception of the Employment Agreement, to the extent that it does not conflict with the substance or terms of this Agreement, and the Confidentiality Agreement and the Stock Agreements. Executive agrees to work in good faith with the Company to consider amendments to this Agreement which are necessary or appropriate to avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition to Employee under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and any proposed, temporary or final Treasury Regulations and Internal Revenue Service guidance thereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement will be deemed amended, without any consent required from Executive, to the extent necessary to avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition pursuant to Section 409A prior to actual payments under this Agreement to Executive. The parties agree to cooperate with each other and to take reasonably necessary steps in this regard. To the extent that the terms and conditions of the

 

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Employment Agreement, the Confidentiality Agreement or any of the Stock Agreements conflict with this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement shall control.

24.    No Oral Modification. This Agreement may only be amended in a writing signed by Employee and the Company’s Chief Executive Officer.

25.    Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard for choice-of-law provisions.

26.    Effective Date. Employee shall have seven (7) days after Employee signs this Agreement to revoke it. This Agreement will become effective on the eighth (8th) day after Employee signed this Agreement, so long as it has been signed by the Parties and has not been revoked by Employee before that date (the “Effective Date”).

27.    Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts. An electronic image or copy of this Agreement shall have the same force and effect as an original and shall constitute an effective, binding agreement on the part of each of the undersigned.

28.    Voluntary Execution of Agreement. Employee understands and agrees that he executed this Agreement voluntarily, without any duress or undue influence on the part or behalf of the Company or any third party, with the full intent of releasing all of his claims against the Company and any of the other Releasees. Employee acknowledges that:

(a)    he has read this Agreement;

(b)    he has been represented in the preparation, negotiation, and execution of this Agreement by legal counsel of his own choice or has elected not to retain legal counsel;

(c)    he understands the terms and consequences of this Agreement and of the releases it contains; and

(d)    he is fully aware of the legal and binding effect of this Agreement.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have executed this Agreement on the respective dates set forth below.

 

   

JOHN D. HEATON, an individual

Dated:   June 25, 2007       /s/ John D. Heaton
        John D. Heaton

 

   

NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED

Dated:   June 25, 2007       /s/ Edmond R. Ward
       

Edmond R. Ward

Board of Directors

 

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EX-10.6 4 dex106.htm REGISTRANT'S 2005 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN FORM OF STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT Registrant's 2005 Equity Incentive Plan form of Stock Option Agreement

Exhibit 10.6

NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED

2005 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

NOTICE OF GRANT OF STOCK OPTION

Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms defined in the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) will have the same defined meanings in this Notice of Grant of Stock Option (the “Notice of Grant”) and Terms and Conditions of Stock Option Grant, attached hereto as Exhibit A (together, the “Option Agreement”).

 

Participant:        
Address:        
       

Participant has been granted an Option to purchase Common Stock of the Company, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement, as follows:

 

Grant Number       

Date of Grant

      
Vesting Commencement Date       
Number of Shares Granted       
Exercise Price per Share      $
Total Exercise Price      $
Type of Option              Incentive Stock Option
             Nonstatutory Stock Option
Term/Expiration Date       

Vesting Schedule:

This Option will be exercisable, in whole or in part, in accordance with the following vesting schedule:

[One third (1/3) of the Shares subject to the Option shall vest on the one (1)-year anniversary of the Vesting Commencement Date, and one-third (1/3) of the Shares subject to the Option shall vest on

 

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each one year anniversary of the Vesting Commencement Date thereafter, subject to Participant continuing to be a Service Provider through each such date.]

Termination Period:

This Option will be exercisable (to the extent vested) for three (3) months after Participant ceases to be a Service Provider, unless such termination is due to Participant’s death or Disability, in which case this Option will be exercisable (to the extent vested) for twelve (12) months after Participant ceases to be a Service Provider. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, in no event may this Option be exercised after the Term/Expiration Date as provided above and may be subject to earlier termination as provided in Section 17(c) of the Plan.

By Participant’s signature and the signature of the Company’s representative below, Participant and the Company agree that this Option is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement. Participant has reviewed the Plan and this Option Agreement in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior to executing this Option Agreement and fully understands all provisions of the Plan and Option Agreement. Participant hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator upon any questions relating to the Plan and Option Agreement. Participant further agrees to notify the Company upon any change in the residence address indicated above.

 

PARTICIPANT

   

NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED

           
  Signature       By
           
  Print Name       Title

 

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EXHIBIT A

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF STOCK OPTION GRANT

1.    Grant of Option. The Administrator hereby grants to the Participant named in the Notice of Grant (the “Participant”) an option (the “Option”) to purchase the number of Shares set forth in the Notice of Grant, at the exercise price per Share set forth in the Notice of Grant (the “Exercise Price”), subject to all of the terms and conditions of this Option Agreement and the Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference. Subject to Section 19(c) of the Plan, in the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan will prevail.

If designated in the Notice of Grant as an Incentive Stock Option (“ISO”), this Option is intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option as defined in Section 422 of the Code. Further, if for any reason this Option (or portion thereof) shall not qualify as an ISO, then, to the extent of such nonqualification, such Option (or portion thereof) shall be regarded as a NSO granted under the Plan. In no event shall the Administrator, the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary or any of their respective employees or directors have any liability to Participant (or any other person) due to the failure of the Option to qualify for any reason as an ISO.

2.    Exercise of Option.

(a)    Right to Exercise. This Option will be exercisable during its term in accordance with the Vesting Schedule set out in the Notice of Grant and with the applicable provisions of the Plan and this Option Agreement.

(b)    Administrator Discretion to Accelerate. The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the unvested Shares subject to the Option at any time, subject to the terms of the Plan. If so accelerated, such Shares subject to the Option will be considered as having vested as of the date specified by the Administrator.

(c)    Method of Exercise. This Option will be exercisable by delivery of an exercise notice, in the form attached as Exhibit B (the “Exercise Notice”) or in a manner and pursuant to such procedures as the Administrator may determine, which will state the election to exercise the Option, the number of Shares with respect to which the Option is being exercised (the “Exercised Shares”), and such other representations and agreements as may be required by the Company. The Exercise Notice will be accompanied by payment of the aggregate Exercise Price as to all Exercised Shares (as such Exercise Price may be adjusted in accordance with the terms of Section 17 of the Plan), together with any applicable tax withholding. This Option will be deemed to be exercised upon receipt by the Company of such fully executed Exercise Notice accompanied by the aggregate Exercise Price, together with any applicable tax withholding.

No Shares will be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option unless such issuance and such exercise comply with Applicable Laws. Assuming such compliance, for income tax purposes the

 

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Shares will be considered transferred to the Participant on the date on which the Option is exercised with respect to such Shares.

3.    Method of Payment. Payment of the aggregate Exercise Price will be by any of the following, or a combination thereof, at the election of Participant:

(a)    cash;

(b)    check;

(c)    consideration received by the Company under a formal cashless exercise program adopted by the Company in connection with the Plan; or

(d)    surrender of other Shares which (i) have a Fair Market Value on the date of surrender equal to the aggregate Exercise Price of the Exercised Shares, and (ii) must be owned free and clear of any liens, claims, encumbrances or security interests, if accepting such Shares, in the sole discretion of the Administrator, shall not result in any adverse accounting consequences to the Company.

4.    Grant is Not Transferable. This Option may not be transferred in any manner otherwise than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised during the lifetime of Participant only by Participant. The terms of the Plan and this Option Agreement will be binding upon the executors, administrators, heirs, successors and assigns of Participant.

5.    Term of Option. This Option may be exercised only within the term set out in the Notice of Grant, and may be exercised during such term only in accordance with the Plan and the terms of this Option Agreement.

6.    Tax Obligations.

(a)    Withholding of Taxes. The Company will assess its requirements regarding tax, social insurance and any other payroll tax withholding and reporting in connection with this Option, including the grant, vesting or exercise of this Option or sale of Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of this option (“tax-related items”). These requirements may change from time to time as laws or interpretations change.

In the event the Company determines that it and/or a Parent or Subsidiary must withhold any tax-related items as a result of Participant’s participation in the Plan, the Participant agrees as a condition of the grant of this Option to make arrangements satisfactory to the Company to enable it to satisfy all withholding requirements. The Company and/or a Parent or Subsidiary may, in its discretion, withhold all applicable tax-related items from any wages or cash compensation due to Participant. The Company (or the employing Parent or Subsidiary) may instead, in its discretion, withhold a portion of the Shares that have an aggregate market value sufficient to pay the minimum tax-related items required to be withheld by the Company or the employing Parent or Subsidiary with respect to the Shares. No fractional Shares will be withheld or

 

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issued pursuant to the issuance of Shares; any additional withholding necessary for this reason will be done by the Company through Participant’s paycheck.

In the event the withholding requirements are not satisfied through the withholding of Shares or, through Participant’s paycheck, as indicated above), no Shares will be issued to Participant (or his or her estate) unless and until satisfactory arrangements (as determined by the Administrator) have been made by Participant with respect to the payment of any income and other tax-related items which the Company determines must be withheld or collected with respect to the exercise of the option. Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Company may refuse to honor the exercise and refuse to deliver the Shares if such withholding amounts are not delivered at the time of exercise. All income and other tax-related items related to the Option and any Shares delivered in connection with the exercise of the Option are the sole responsibility of the Participant.

(b)    Notice of Disqualifying Disposition of ISO Shares. If the Option granted to Participant herein is an ISO, and if Participant sells or otherwise disposes of any of the Shares acquired pursuant to the ISO on or before the later of (i) the date two (2) years after the Date of Grant, or (ii) the date one (1) year after the date of exercise, Participant will immediately notify the Company in writing of such disposition. Participant agrees that Participant may be subject to income tax withholding by the Company on the compensation income recognized by Participant.

(c)    Code Section 409A. Under Code Section 409A, an Option that vests after December 31, 2004 that was granted with a per Share exercise price that is determined by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) to be less than the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant (a “Discount Option”) may be considered “deferred compensation.” A Discount Option may result in (i) income recognition by Participant prior to the exercise of the Option, (ii) an additional twenty percent (20%) tax, and (iii) potential penalty and interest charges. Participant acknowledges that the Company cannot and has not guaranteed that the IRS will agree that the per Share exercise price of this Option equals or exceeds the Fair Market Value of a Share on the Date of Grant in a later examination. Participant agrees that if the IRS determines that the Option was granted with a per Share exercise price that was less than the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant, Participant will be solely responsible for Participant’s costs related to such a determination.

7.    Death of Participant. Any distribution or delivery to be made to Participant under this Option Agreement will, if Participant is then deceased, be made to the Participant’s designated beneficiary, provided such beneficiary has been designated prior to Participant’s death in a form acceptable to the Administrator or, if no such beneficiary has been designated or survives Participant, the administrator or executor of Participant’s estate. Any such beneficiary, administrator or executor must furnish the Company with (a) written notice of his or her status as transferee, and (b) evidence satisfactory to the Company to establish the validity of the transfer and compliance with any laws or regulations pertaining to said transfer.

8.    Severability. In the event that any provision of this Option Agreement becomes or is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, unenforceable or void, this Option Agreement will continue in full force and effect.

 

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9.    Administrator Authority. The Administrator will have the power to interpret the Plan and this Option Agreement and to adopt such rules for the administration, interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith and to interpret or revoke any such rules (including, but not limited to, the determination of whether or not any Shares have vested). All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made by the Administrator in good faith will be final and binding upon the Participant, the Company and all other interested persons. No member of the Administrator will be personally liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with respect to the Plan or this Option Agreement.

10.    Additional Conditions to Issuance of Stock. The Company shall not be required to issue any certificate or certificates for Shares hereunder prior to fulfillment of all the following conditions: (a) the admission of such Shares to listing on all stock exchanges on which such class of stock is then listed; (b) the completion of any registration or other qualification of such Shares under any U.S. state or federal law or under the rulings or regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental regulatory body, which the Administrator shall, in its absolute discretion, deem necessary or advisable; (c) the obtaining of any approval or other clearance from any U.S. state or federal governmental agency, which the Administrator shall, in its absolute discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable; and (d) the lapse of such reasonable period of time following the date of exercise of the Option as the Administrator may establish from time to time for reasons of administrative convenience.

11.    Address for Notices. Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms of this Option Agreement will be addressed to the Company, in care of its Secretary, at 1550 Buckeye Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035 USA, or at such other address as the Company may hereafter designate in writing.

12.    Entire Agreement; Governing Law. The Plan is incorporated herein by reference. The Plan and this Option Agreement constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and Participant with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to the Participant’s interest except by means of a writing signed by the Company and Participant. This Option Agreement is governed by the internal substantive laws but not the choice of law rules of California. For purposes of litigating any dispute that arises under this Option or this Option Agreement, the parties hereby submit to and consent to the jurisdiction of the State of California, and agree that such litigation shall be conducted in the courts of Santa Clara County, California, or the federal courts for the United States for the Northern District of California, and no other courts, where this Option Award is made and/or to be performed.

13.    No Guarantee of Continued Service. PARTICIPANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE VESTING OF SHARES PURSUANT TO THE VESTING SCHEDULE HEREOF IS EARNED ONLY BY CONTINUING AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT THE WILL OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) AND NOT THROUGH THE ACT OF BEING HIRED, BEING GRANTED THIS OPTION OR ACQUIRING SHARES HEREUNDER. PARTICIPANT FURTHER

 

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ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THIS AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREUNDER AND THE VESTING SCHEDULE SET FORTH HEREIN DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN EXPRESS OR IMPLIED PROMISE OF CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AS A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE VESTING PERIOD, FOR ANY PERIOD, OR AT ALL, AND WILL NOT INTERFERE IN ANY WAY WITH PARTICIPANT’S RIGHT OR THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) TO TERMINATE PARTICIPANT’S RELATIONSHIP AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT ANY TIME, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE.

 

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EXHIBIT B

NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED

2005 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

EXERCISE NOTICE

Nanometrics Incorporated

1550 Buckeye Drive

Milpitas, CA 95035

Attention:                             

1.    Exercise of Option. Effective as of today,             ,             , the undersigned (“Participant”) hereby elects to exercise Participant’s option (the “Option”) to purchase              shares of the Common Stock (the “Shares”) of Nanometrics Incorporated (the “Company”) under and pursuant to the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and the Stock Option Agreement dated              (the “Option Agreement”).

2.    Delivery of Payment. Participant herewith delivers to the Company the full purchase price of the Shares, as set forth in the Option Agreement, and any and all withholding taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Option.

3.    Representations of Participant. Participant acknowledges that Participant has received, read and understood the Plan and the Option Agreement and agrees to abide by and be bound by their terms and conditions.

4.    Rights as Stockholder. Until the issuance of the Shares (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder will exist with respect to the Optioned Stock, notwithstanding the exercise of the Option. The Shares will be issued to the Participant as soon as practicable after the Option is exercised in accordance with the Option Agreement. No adjustment will be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior to the date of issuance except as provided in Section 17 of the Plan.

5.    Tax Consultation. Participant understands that Participant may suffer adverse tax consequences as a result of Participant’s purchase or disposition of the Shares. Participant represents that Participant has consulted with any tax consultants Participant deems advisable in connection with the purchase or disposition of the Shares and that Participant is not relying on the Company for any tax advice.

6.    Governing Law; Severability. This Exercise Notice is governed by the internal substantive laws but not the choice of law rules, of California. In the event that any provision hereof

 

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becomes or is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, unenforceable or void, this Exercise Notice will continue in full force and effect.

7.    Entire Agreement. The Plan and Option Agreement are incorporated herein by reference. This Exercise Notice, the Plan and the Option Agreement constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and Participant with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to the Participant’s interest except by means of a writing signed by the Company and Participant.

 

Submitted by:

      Accepted by:
PARTICIPANT       NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED
         
Signature       By
         
Print Name       Its
Address:       Address:
         
         
         
      Date Received

 

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EX-10.7 5 dex107.htm REGISTRANT'S 2005 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN FORM OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AGREEMENT Registrant's 2005 Equity Incentive Plan form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement

Exhibit 10.7

NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED

2005 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AGREEMENT

NOTICE OF GRANT OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS

Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms defined in the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) will have the same defined meanings in this Notice of Grant of Restricted Stock Units (the “Notice of Grant”) and Terms and Conditions of Restricted Stock Units, attached hereto as Exhibit A (together, the “Agreement”).

 

Participant:        
Address:        
       

Participant has been granted an Award of Restricted Stock Units, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement, as follows:

 

Grant Number        
Date of Grant        
Vesting Commencement Date        
Number of Restricted Stock Units        
     

 

Vesting Schedule:

Subject to any acceleration provisions contained in the Plan or set forth below, the Restricted Stock Units will vest in accordance with the following schedule:

[One-third (1/3rd) of the Restricted Stock Units subject to the Award will vest on the one (1)-year anniversary of the Vesting Commencement Date, and an additional one-third (1/3) of the Restricted Stock Units subject to the Award will vest each annual anniversary thereafter (and if there is no corresponding day, on the last day of the month), subject to Participant continuing to be a Service Provider through each such date.]

In the event Participant ceases to be a Service Provider for any or no reason before Participant vests in the Restricted Stock Unit, the Restricted Stock Unit and Participant’s right to acquire any Shares hereunder will immediately terminate.

By Participant’s signature and the signature of the Company’s representative below, Participant and the Company agree that this Award is granted under and governed by the terms

 

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and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement. Participant has reviewed the Plan and this Agreement in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior to executing this Agreement and fully understands all provisions of the Plan and Agreement. Participant hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator upon any questions relating to the Plan and Agreement. Participant further agrees to notify the Company upon any change in the residence address indicated below.

 

PARTICIPANT

   

NANOMETRICS INCORPORATED

           
  Signature       By
           
  Print Name       Title

 

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EXHIBIT A

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS

1.    Grant. The Company hereby grants to the Participant named in the Notice of Grant (the “Participant”) under the Plan the number of Restricted Stock Units indicated in the Notice of Grant, subject to all of the terms and conditions in this Agreement and the Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference. Subject to Section 19(c) of the Plan, in the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Plan and the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan will prevail.

2.    Company’s Obligation to Pay. Each Restricted Stock Unit represents the right to receive a Share on the date it vests (or at such later time indicated in this Agreement). Unless and until the Restricted Stock Units will have vested in the manner set forth in Sections 3,4 or Section 17 of the Plan, Participant will have no right to payment of any such Restricted Stock Units. Prior to actual payment of any vested Restricted Stock Units, such Restricted Stock Units will represent an unsecured obligation of the Company, payable (if at all) only from the general assets of the Company. Any Restricted Stock Units that vest in accordance with this Agreement will be paid to Participant (or in the event of Participant’s death, to his or her properly designated beneficiary or estate) in whole Shares, subject to Participant satisfying any applicable tax withholding obligations as set forth in Section 6. Subject to the provisions of Section 4, such vested Restricted Stock Units shall be paid in Shares as soon as practicable after vesting, but in each such case no later than the date that is two-and-one-half months from the end of the Company’s tax year that includes the vesting date.

3.    Vesting Schedule. Except as provided in Sections 4 and 11 and Section 17 of the Plan, and subject to Section 5, the Restricted Stock Units awarded by this Agreement will vest in accordance with the vesting provisions set forth in the Notice of Grant. Restricted Stock Units scheduled to vest on a certain date or upon the occurrence of a certain condition will not vest in Participant in accordance with any of the provisions of this Agreement, unless Participant will have been continuously a Service Provider from the Date of Grant until the date such vesting occurs.

4.    Administrator Discretion. The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the unvested Restricted Stock Units at any time, subject to the terms of the Plan. If so accelerated, such Restricted Stock Units will be considered as having vested as of the date specified by the Administrator.

Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or this Agreement to the contrary, if the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the Restricted Stock Units is accelerated in connection with Participant’s termination as a Service Provider (provided that such termination is a “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A, as determined by the Company), other than due to death, and if (x) Participant is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Section 409A at the time of such termination as a Service Provider and (y) the payment of such accelerated Restricted Stock Units will result in the imposition of additional tax under Section 409A if paid to Participant on or within the six (6) month period following

 

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Participant’s termination as a Service Provider, then the payment of such accelerated Restricted Stock Units will not be made until the date six (6) months and one (1) day following the date of Participant’s termination as a Service Provider, unless the Participant dies following his or her termination as a Service Provider, in which case, the Restricted Stock Units will be paid in Shares to the Participant’s estate as soon as practicable following his or her death. It is the intent of this Agreement to comply with the requirements of Section 409A so that none of the Restricted Stock Units provided under this Agreement or Shares issuable thereunder will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities herein will be interpreted to so comply. For purposes of this Agreement, “Section 409A” means Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any proposed, temporary or final Treasury Regulations and Internal Revenue Service guidance thereunder, as each may be amended from time to time.

5.    Forfeiture upon Termination of Status as a Service Provider. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this Agreement, the balance of the Restricted Stock Units that have not vested as of the time of Participant’s termination as a Service Provider for any or no reason will be forfeited and automatically transferred to and reacquired by the Company at no cost to the Company and Participant’s right to acquire any Shares hereunder will immediately terminate.

6.    Death of Participant. Any distribution or delivery to be made to Participant under this Agreement will, if Participant is then deceased, be made to Participant’s designated beneficiary, provided such beneficiary has been designated prior to Participant’s death in a form acceptable to the Administrator or, if no such beneficiary has been designated or survives Participant, the administrator or executor of Participant’s estate. Any such transferee must furnish the Company with (a) written notice of his or her status as transferee, and (b) evidence satisfactory to the Company to establish the validity of the transfer and compliance with any laws or regulations pertaining to said transfer.

7.    Withholding of Taxes. When Shares are issued as payment for vested Restricted Stock Units, the Company (or the employing Parent or Subsidiary) will withhold a portion of the Shares that have an aggregate market value sufficient to pay the minimum federal, state and local income, employment and any other applicable taxes required to be withheld by the Company (or the employing Parent or Subsidiary) with respect to the Shares, unless the Company, in its sole discretion, requires the Participant to make alternate arrangements satisfactory to the Company for such withholdings in advance of the arising of any withholding obligations. The number of Shares withheld pursuant to the prior sentence will be rounded up to the nearest whole Share, with no refund provided for any value of the Shares withheld in excess of the tax obligation as a result of such rounding, all pursuant to such procedures as the Administrator may specify from time to time.

Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this Agreement, no Shares will be issued unless and until all income, employment and other taxes which the Company determines must be withheld or collected with respect to such Shares have been withheld. In addition and to the maximum extent permitted by law, the Company (or the employing Parent or Subsidiary) has the right to retain without notice from salary or other amounts payable to the Participant, cash having a sufficient value to satisfy any tax withholding obligations that the Company determines cannot

 

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be satisfied through the withholding of otherwise deliverable Shares. All income and other taxes related to the Restricted Stock Units and any Shares delivered in payment thereof are the sole responsibility of the Participant.

8.    Rights as Stockholder. Neither Participant nor any person claiming under or through Participant will have any of the rights or privileges of a stockholder of the Company in respect of any Shares deliverable hereunder unless and until certificates representing such Shares (which may be in book entry form) will have been issued, recorded on the records of the Company or its transfer agents or registrars, and delivered to Participant (including through electronic delivery to a brokerage account). After such issuance, recordation and delivery, Participant will have all the rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to voting such Shares and receipt of dividends and distributions on such Shares.

9.    No Guarantee of Continued Service. PARTICIPANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE VESTING OF THE RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS PURSUANT TO THE VESTING SCHEDULE HEREOF IS EARNED ONLY BY CONTINUING AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT THE WILL OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) AND NOT THROUGH THE ACT OF BEING HIRED, BEING GRANTED THIS AWARD OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS OR ACQUIRING SHARES HEREUNDER. PARTICIPANT FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THIS AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREUNDER AND THE VESTING SCHEDULE SET FORTH HEREIN DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN EXPRESS OR IMPLIED PROMISE OF CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AS A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE VESTING PERIOD, FOR ANY PERIOD, OR AT ALL, AND WILL NOT INTERFERE IN ANY WAY WITH PARTICIPANT’S RIGHT OR THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) TO TERMINATE PARTICIPANT’S RELATIONSHIP AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT ANY TIME, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE.

10.    Address for Notices. Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms of this Agreement will be addressed to the Company, in care of its Secretary, at 1550 Buckeye Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035 USA, or at such other address as the Company may hereafter designate in writing.

11.    Changes in Restricted Stock Units. In the event that as a result of a stock or extraordinary cash dividend, stock split, distribution, reclassification, recapitalization, combination of Shares or the adjustment in capital stock of the Company or otherwise, or as a result of a merger, consolidation, spin-off or other corporate transaction or event, the Restricted Stock Units will be increased, reduced or otherwise affected, and by virtue of any such event the Participant will in his or her capacity as owner of unvested Restricted Stock Units which have been awarded to him or her (the “Prior Restricted Stock Units”) be entitled to new or additional or different shares of stock, cash or other securities or property (other than rights or warrants to purchase securities); such new or additional or different shares, cash or securities or property will thereupon be considered to be unvested Restricted Stock Units and will be subject to all of the conditions and restrictions that were applicable to the Prior Restricted Stock Units pursuant to

 

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this Agreement and the Plan. If the Participant receives rights or warrants with respect to any Prior Restricted Stock Units, such rights or warrants may be held or exercised by the Participant, provided that until such exercise any such rights or warrants and after such exercise any shares or other securities acquired by the exercise of such rights or warrants will be considered to be unvested Restricted Stock Units and will be subject to all of the conditions and restrictions which were applicable to the Prior Restricted Stock Units pursuant to the Plan and this Agreement. The Administrator in its absolute discretion at any time may accelerate the vesting of all or any portion of such new or additional shares of stock, cash or securities, rights or warrants to purchase securities or shares or other securities acquired by the exercise of such rights or warrants; provided, however, that the payment of such new or additional awards shall be made at the same time or times as if such awards had vested in accordance with the vesting schedule set forth on the first page of this Agreement (whether or not the Participant remains employed by the Company or by one of its Affiliates as of such date(s)).

12.    Grant is Not Transferable. Except to the limited extent provided in Section 6, this grant and the rights and privileges conferred hereby will not be transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated in any way (whether by operation of law or otherwise) and will not be subject to sale under execution, attachment or similar process. Upon any attempt to transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of this grant, or any right or privilege conferred hereby, or upon any attempted sale under any execution, attachment or similar process, this grant and the rights and privileges conferred hereby immediately will become null and void.

13.    Binding Agreement. Subject to the limitation on the transferability of this grant contained herein, this Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs, legatees, legal representatives, successors and assigns of the parties hereto.

14.    Restrictions on Sale of Securities. The Shares issued as payment for vested Restricted Stock Units under this Agreement will be registered under U.S. federal securities laws and will be freely tradable upon receipt. However, Participant’s subsequent sale of the Shares may be subject to any market blackout-period that may be imposed by the Company and must comply with the Company’s insider trading policies, and any other applicable securities laws.

15.    Additional Conditions to Issuance of Stock. The Company shall not be required to issue any certificate or certificates for Shares hereunder prior to fulfillment of all the following conditions: (a) the admission of such Shares to listing on all stock exchanges on which such class of stock is then listed; (b) the completion of any registration or other qualification of such Shares under any U.S. state or federal law or under the rulings or regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental regulatory body, which the Administrator shall, in its absolute discretion, deem necessary or advisable; (c) the obtaining of any approval or other clearance from any U.S. state or federal governmental agency, which the Administrator shall, in its absolute discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable; and (d) the lapse of such reasonable period of time following the date of vesting of the Restricted Stock Units as the Administrator may establish from time to time for reasons of administrative convenience.

16.    Plan Governs. This Agreement is subject to all terms and provisions of the Plan. In the event of a conflict between one or more provisions of this Agreement and one or more

 

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provisions of the Plan, the provisions of the Plan will govern. Capitalized terms used and not defined in this Agreement will have the meaning set forth in the Plan.

17.    Administrator Authority. The Administrator will have the power to interpret the Plan and this Agreement and to adopt such rules for the administration, interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith and to interpret or revoke any such rules (including, but not limited to, the determination of whether or not any Restricted Stock Units have vested). All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made by the Administrator in good faith will be final and binding upon Participant, the Company and all other interested persons. No member of the Administrator will be personally liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with respect to the Plan or this Agreement.

18.    Electronic Delivery. The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to Restricted Stock Units awarded under the Plan or future Restricted Stock Units that may be awarded under the Plan by electronic means or request Participant’s consent to participate in the Plan by electronic means. Participant hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agrees to participate in the Plan through any on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or another third party designated by the Company.

19.    Captions. Captions provided herein are for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for interpretation or construction of this Agreement.

20.    Agreement Severable. In the event that any provision of this Agreement becomes or is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, unenforceable or void, this Opton Agreement will continue in full force and effect.

21.    Modifications to the Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding of the parties on the subjects covered. Participant expressly warrants that he or she is not accepting this Agreement in reliance on any promises, representations, or inducements other than those contained herein. Modifications to this Agreement or the Plan can be made only in an express written contract executed by a duly authorized officer of the Company. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan or this Agreement, the parties agree to work in good faith to revise this Agreement as necessary or advisable to comply with Section 409A or to otherwise avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition under Section 409A in connection to this Award of Restricted Stock Units.

22.    Amendment, Suspension or Termination of the Plan. By accepting this Award, Participant expressly warrants that he or she has received an Award of Restricted Stock Units under the Plan, and has received, read and understood a description of the Plan. Participant understands that the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time.

23.    Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of California, without giving effect to the conflict of law principles thereof. For purposes of litigating any dispute that arises under this Award of Restricted Stock Units or this Agreement, the parties hereby submit to and consent to the jurisdiction of the State of California, and agree

 

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that such litigation shall be conducted in the courts of Santa Clara County, California, or the federal courts for the United States for the Northern District of California, and no other courts, where this Award of Restricted Stock Units is made and/or to be performed.

 

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EX-31.1 6 dex311.htm SECTION 302 CEO CERTIFICATION Section 302 CEO Certification

Exhibit 31.1

I, Timothy J. Stultz, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Nanometrics Incorporated;

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

  a. Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

  b. Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, 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;

 

  c. Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

  d. Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

  a. All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

  b. Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: November 8, 2007

 

By:   /s/ Timothy J. Stultz
  Timothy J. Stultz
  Chief Executive Officer
EX-31.2 7 dex312.htm SECTION 302 CFO CERTIFICATION Section 302 CFO Certification

Exhibit 31.2

I, Gary C.Schaefer, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Nanometrics Incorporated;

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

  a. Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

  b. Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, 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;

 

  c. Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

  d. Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

  a. All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

  b. Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: November 8, 2007

 

By:   /s/ Gary C. Schaefer
  Gary C. Schaefer
  Chief Financial Officer
EX-32.1 8 dex321.htm SECTION 906 CEO AND CFO CERTIFICATION Section 906 CEO and CFO Certification

Exhibit 32.1

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Timothy J. Stultz, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that the Quarterly Report of Nanometrics Incorporated on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 29, 2007 fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and that information contained in such Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q fairly presents in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of Nanometrics Incorporated.

 

November 8, 2007       /s/ Timothy J. Stultz
        Timothy Stultz
        Chief Executive Officer

I, Gary Schaefer, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that the Quarterly Report of Nanometrics Incorporated on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 29, 2007 fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and that information contained in such Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q fairly presents in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of Nanometrics Incorporated.

 

November 8, 2007       /s/ Gary C. Schaefer
        Gary C. Schaefer
        Chief Financial Officer
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