Dec. 13, 2001 – Tokyo, Japan – Tokyo Seimitsu Co. has turned its affiliate, Leepl Corp., into a subsidiary, raising its stake in the unit from 49% to 67%.
By making the developer of the next-generation steppers a subsidiary, Tokyo Seimitsu will become more involved in Leepl’s management and begin full-fledged R&D of the steppers, reported the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
This will also allow the parent to lead efforts to commercialize the steppers, which the firms aim to do as early as 2003.
Leepl, which developed the basic technology for the next-generation steppers that use an electron beam, and Tokyo Seimitsu are members of a consortium set up to jointly develop stepper technology.