October 29, 2004 – DuPont Photomasks Inc. said it is installing at its advanced photomask production facility in Round Rock, TX, a leading-edge photomask production line to support semiconductor devices at volume production with 90nm design rules and prototype devices with 65nm design rules. The total investment represents more than $30 million.
The new manufacturing line will build photomasks according to semiconductor makers’ specifications for imaging critical layers of leading-edge chips. The new line includes a JEOL JBX-3030MV e-beam pattern generator, a KLA-Tencor 576 inspection system, a Rave advanced repair system, a next-generation dry etcher and additional upgrades to process equipment.
The new line in Round Rock is expected to come on line quickly and ramp to commercial production volumes by early 2005.