August 4, 2006 – Brion Technologies says it is expanding its management roster following “considerable” growth over the past year, to help support work with partners spanning design to manufacturing and wafer metrology. New hires include Neal Callan, senior director of product marketing, and Jim Burdorf, director of product engineering. In addition, Christian Desplat has been promoted to VP of worldwide sales and field operations, and Doug Burnham to director of US and Europe sales and field operations, both with over 20 years of semiconductor industry experience in sales, marketing, applications and research and development.

Brion also said that Tadahiro Takigawa, chairman of the board of wholly owned Japanese subsidiary Brion Technologies KK, would also assume the role of corporate executive for technology and business development for the entire company. Also, Paul Hsieh has been hired as director of Asia sales and field operations.

Callan, a 19-year industry veteran, was senior director of new business development at Applied Materials responsible for yield and DFM business opportunities. Prior to Applied Materials, Callan spent the majority of his career at LSI Logic in lithography-related positions. Burdof, who will oversee Brion’s OPC+ product engineering group, has held prior positions at Synopsys, KLA-Tencor, Micron, and Takumi, spanning OPC, reticle inspection, and photomask R&D. Both Desplat and Burnham have over 20 years of semiconductor industry experience in sales, marketing, applications and research and development.