ZEISS expands at the Rossdorf research and development site

• ZEISS is expanding its site in Rossdorf by 300 square meters with new cleanrooms.
• Besides investing over 20 million euros in buildings and equipment in the period to the end of 2026, new jobs are also being created.
• ZEISS is demonstrating its commitment to Hesse as a business location.

The ground-breaking ceremony has taken place. The ZEISS Group’s Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) segment is investing in its Rossdorf site in the German state of Hesse. The technology company is responding to the strong demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment by creating new cleanrooms and additional jobs.

The expansion at the Rossdorf site will provide an additional 300 square meters of cleanroom areas – a 50 percent increase. In addition to this, the existing building is being extensively modernized, the parking facilities and the logistics warehouse are being extended, and an office building is planned to be added at a later date. “Our new cleanrooms will benefit from further enhanced cleanroom quality and provide a virtually vibration-free environment. That is vital to create optimal conditions for the future development of mask repair technology,” says Dr. Patrick Villwock, Site Manager in Rossdorf. In the period to the end of 2026, ZEISS is investing a total of over 20 million euros in the construction project and the site’s technical equipment.

“Our workforce at the Rossdorf site has grown significantly over the past ten years. By expanding the site, we are looking to create space for further growth so that we can increase our headcount to as many as 300 employees in the long term if the market continues to develop as it has in recent years,” explains Villwock. Rossdorf’s mayor Norman Zimmermann is delighted about ZEISS SMT’s investment plans. “Today’s ground-breaking ceremony represents the logical continuation of a successful concept and a commitment to this location. In times when companies are increasingly toying with the idea of quitting Germany as a business location and moving to other countries around the globe, the signal this gives out is all the stronger,” he insists.

With its semiconductor manufacturing optics, ZEISS is driving digitalization worldwide and is on a growth trajectory. “We are committed to Hesse as a business location, so we are investing in our sites in Rossdorf and Wetzlar and creating new jobs. By doing so, we are looking to strengthen the entire region over the long term and attract job seekers,” says Andreas Pecher, Member of the ZEISS Executive Board and President & CEO of ZEISS SMT. These investments are also part of a long-term growth strategy for the entire ZEISS Group. ZEISS is growing both in Germany and at many international locations to make room for further innovations and increasing employee numbers. “The expansion of the building infrastructure and the modernization of existing buildings will safeguard our long-term competitiveness and the innovative edge of our research and development activities,” adds Pecher.

At its site in Rossdorf, ZEISS SMT primarily carries out research into nanostructuring and develops mask repair systems for the global semiconductor industry. ZEISS’s MeRiT® system, which is based on electron-beam technology, can repair the tiniest photomask defects with nanometer precision. “Photomasks are rather like a slide that provides the structural pattern during the lithographic exposure process when manufacturing microchips,” explains Villwock. “All the world’s major semiconductor manufacturers use our systems to repair photomasks,” he reveals. Since microchips are becoming ever smaller, more powerful and more energy-efficient, the ongoing development of mask repair systems is also a must. “We need highly qualified staff for our research and development activities in Rossdorf, and that makes our proximity to research facilities such as the Technical University of Darmstadt a real benefit,” concludes Villwock.