GLOUCESTERSHIRE, UK, Sep 2, 2026 – Renishaw, a global leader in engineering technologies, will present its new family of RLE laser interferometer encoder systems at SEMICON Taiwan 2026, Taipei City and SEMICON West 2026, San Francisco. The new product range comprises three systems RLE100, RLE200 and RLE300 providing precision position feedback for a wide range of semiconductor manufacturing motion control applications.
Building on the proven technology platforms of Renishaw’s established RLE10 and RLE20 laser encoders, the new family is designed to meet the increasing demands of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment. As device feature sizes continue to shrink, manufacturers require higher levels of positioning accuracy, stability and productivity from their motion control systems. The new RLE laser encoder range delivers enhanced metrology performance, flexible design integration and fast system set-up and optimisation, enabling machine builders to meet these evolving requirements.
A key advantage of the next-generation technology is its modular plug-and-play architecture. Laser units, detector heads and fibre assemblies can be replaced independently, reducing maintenance overheads and simplifying inventory management. New detachable optical fibres allow laser units to be replaced without disturbing the installed fibres or detector heads, enabling quick servicing without lengthy realignment procedures.
The new laser encoder family also introduces enhanced diagnostics and condition monitoring capabilities. To help improve predictive maintenance and maximise machine uptime, users can access real-time system information through an integrated diagnostic interface, including signal quality, operating status, and fault reporting.
The RLE100 system is the direct successor to the RLE10 system, offering enhanced measurement performance (laser frequency stability) for in-air applications. The RLE200 system replaces the RLE20 system as the recommended solution for higher-performance applications, particularly those operating in vacuum environments, and incorporates new automatic Sub-Divisional Error (SDE) correction.The new systems are compatible with existing mechanical mounting arrangements, allowing users to upgrade with minimal disruption and without machine redesign.
Completing the range, the new RLE300 laser encoder provides even higher metrology performance for the most demanding semiconductor manufacturing applications. Enhanced frequency stability, reduced electronic noise, and automatic SDE correction enable the system to achieve exceptionally low measurement uncertainty down to ±0.2 nm. This enables highly reliable position feedback for high-precision, thermally-critical, or ultra-stable environments.
The operating range of these new laser encoders has been doubled to an angular range of ±400 µrad and linear range of 2 m. Further improvements include simplified beam alignment through a redesigned beam-steering mechanism, improved clean-room compatibility, and support for higher stage velocities through new detector head options. These enhancements make the laser encoders easier to integrate, faster to commission, and more robust in demanding semiconductor manufacturing environments.
Renishaw’s new RLE laser encoder family has been developed to give semiconductor equipment manufacturers a straightforward upgrade path from existing systems while providing the enhanced performance, serviceability and flexibility needed for future generations of precision motion platforms, said Dr Costantino Corbari, Laser Encoder Design Manager at Renishaw. From the drop-in replacement capabilities of the RLE100 and RLE200 through to the ultra-high performance of the RLE300, the range is designed to help customers achieve greater precision with less complexity.
Speak to a Renishaw expert at SEMICON Taiwan 2026 from 2-4 September (Booth R8112), and at SEMICON West 2026 from 13-15 October (Booth 140), to learn more about the new RLE100, RLE200 and RLE300 laser encoder systems and how they support advanced semiconductor manufacturing applications.
For further information on the next generation of RLE laser interferometer encoders, visit www.renishaw.com/laserencoders.
About Renishaw
Renishaw is a world leading supplier of measuring systems and manufacturing systems. Its products give high accuracy and precision, gathering data to provide customers and end users with traceability and confidence in what they’re making. This technology also helps its customers to innovate their products and processes.
It is a global business with over 5,000 employees located in the 36 countries where it has wholly owned subsidiary operations. The majority of R&D work takes place in the UK, with the largest manufacturing sites located in the UK, Ireland and India.
For the year ended June 2025 Renishaw recorded sales of £713 million of which 95% was due to exports. The company’s largest markets are China, USA, Japan and Germany.
Renishaw is guided by its purpose: Transforming Tomorrow Together. This means working with its customers to make the products, create the materials, and develop the therapies that are going to be needed for the future.
Further information at www.renishaw.com.
