ASML cracks Japanese market, ships to Seik

02/01/2001

ASML cracks Japanese market, ships to Seiko
Working with Japan-based sales agent Nissei Sangyo, ASM Lithography, Veldhoven, The Netherlands, has shipped its first lithography tools to the Japanese market, the first step in ASML's goal to achieve significant market share in Japan.

According to Nissei sources, Seiko Epson, the 12th largest semiconductor house in Japan (in terms of sales volume), has purchased a PAS5500/400C i-line lithography system and a PAS5500/750E KrF excimer laser system. The tools will be used for volume production of logic and memory devices, and plans call for more systems to be installed this year.

"In addition, we are further negotiating with Seiko Epson for more advanced model sales for R&D purposes," a Nissei Sangyo source said. A second Japanese customer has also ordered ASML systems, but Nissei Sangyo could not disclose details about the sale.

Nissei Sangyo will provide field support to Japanese customers in combination with ASML's Tokyo office. The firm began marketing ASML's steppers in Japan in 1996, but faced stiff competition from local litho suppliers Nikon and Canon, which have traditionally been preferred by Japan's chipmakers.

Meanwhile, ASML has voluntarily withdrawn its petition for US Treasury Dept. approval of its plan to acquire Silicon Valley Group (San Jose, CA). ASML was expected to re-file the petition by the end of January. The withdrawal followed the raising of national security concerns by Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah).

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Mattson, STEAG and CFM merger on track
Equipment supplier Mattson Technology, Fremont, CA, says the company, along with STEAG Electronic Systems AC's Semiconductor Division, Essen, Germany, and CFM Technologies, Exton, PA, have recognized satisfaction of key closing conditions and waived all rights to terminate agreements. Completion of the mergers of Mattson with STEAG and CFM took place last month.

Valued at $500 million, the merger was announced in late June. Mattson shareholders will hold 56% of the new company, with STEAG and CFM shareholders holding 32% and 12%, respectively.

Upon completion of the deal, Mattson will be the fourteenth largest semiconductor manufacturing equipment supplier worldwide and the second largest manufacturer of rapid thermal processing systems globally.

Additionally, Mattson has appointed Ludger Viefhues as CFO, effective immediately. Previously, Viefhues was CFO of STEAG RTP Systems GmbH. He has held positions at Monsanto Electronic Materials Co, MEMC, and Huels AC, Germany. Viefhues will be responsible for the strategic development and management of all Mattson financial, investor relations and merger and acquisition programs.

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SEZ's thinner, stronger 300mm wafers
The SEZ Group, based in Villach, Austria, has produced 300mm wafers as thin as 80 microns. The company claims that the wafers have excellent uniformity and are four times stronger than those that have undergone only a grinding process to achieve that thickness. These results were achieved as part of the company's effort to enhance wafer-thinning techniques and to quantify the strength enhancement of 200mm and 300mm wafers.

"SEZ is actively working to determine the issues surrounding 300mm wafer thinning and to address those issues that are under our control," says Herwig Petschnig, SEZ's COO. "We will need the industry's cooperation to resolve many issues once 300mm wafers have been thinned. Our Bernoulli handler can transfer ultrathin 300mm wafers, but currently the wafer cassettes and assembly area tools cannot accommodate them. "

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ASM, IHP cooperate
ASM America has entered into an exclusive agreement with Innovations for High Performance (IHP) Microelectronics, a German development center for semiconductor technology, to commercialize silicon germanium carbon epitaxy technology, a process initially developed by IHP. The process allows extremely high-speed SiGe:C hetero-junction bipolar transistors to be integrated into standard and advanced CMOS chips.

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EURO BRIEFS
ICOS Vision Systems Corp. N.V. (Heverlee, Belgium) expects revenue for 4Q00 to total approximately $24.5 million with an EPS of about $0.45. This revenue estimate is under the company's previous expectations of more than $28.2 million, which the company reached in 3Q00. ICOS cited a slowdown in orders and push-outs of existing orders primarily due to soft market conditions as causes for the anticipated revenue shortfall.

STMicroelectronics, Geneva, Switzerland, has announced it will acquire Portland Group, Inc., Portland, OR, a compiler and software development tool supplier. ST will invest $17.1 million to acquire full ownership of PGI's operations, which include the company's product portfolio, technologies, and know-how. The companies have been working to develop compiler technology for ST's Digital Signal Process core family. n