Shanghai, China – DuPont Photomasks Inc. plans to upgrade the capability of DuPont Photomasks Co. Ltd., Shanghai, its joint venture photomask manufacturing facility.

The facility, located at the CaoHeJing Hi-Tech Park, is being upgraded to better serve the growing semiconductor market in China.

Through this initiative, DuPont Photomasks will become the first merchant photomask producer in China to install an advanced manufacturing line capable of producing photomasks supporting semiconductor design rules of 180nm, the company said. The line will be anchored by an Etec Systems (an Applied Materials company) Alta 3700 laser pattern generator.

Improvements to the facility and the export licensing process will begin during this quarter and are a prelude to additional expansion plans that DuPont Photomasks currently has under development.

“We are launching these latest plans for the Shanghai facility from a position of strength,” said Peter Kirlin, chairman and CEO of DuPont Photomasks. “Through our partnership with the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology and our investment in the Shanghai facility over the years, we have a solid foundation of experience and expertise that will enable us to capitalize on the new opportunities presented by the semiconductor market in China.”

Kirlin added, “By enhancing our existing operations in Shanghai now, we will be well prepared to meet the more advanced photomask needs of semiconductor manufacturers located in China. Strengthening our presence in China is integral to our core strategy of developing and globally deploying advanced microimaging solutions.”