December 5, 2001 — ROUND ROCK, TX — DuPont Photomasks has added a 7,000 square foot cleanroom to its Corbeil-Essonnes, France facility.

The cleanroom will be used to support future production of photomasks below 70-nanometer design rules. The Corbeil plant is undergoing a major upgrade to include advanced binary and phase-shift mask production capabilities, supporting 130-nanometer design rules and dry-etch capabilities.

DuPont officials say the upgrade is a critical part of the company’s plan to better serve it customers around the world.

“Our European customers will be able to rely on the Corbeil facility to meet their future photomask needs, even as the semiconductor industry moves deeper into the subwavelength era,” said Jacques Bonnet, vice president of European operations and director of the plant. “Building a cleanroom with this kind of foresight and planning marks DuPont Photomasks as a true leader.”

The cleanroom, located inside Altis Semiconductor, currently hosts 90 workers, but that number could reach 150.