USA

06/01/1997

USA

Lam Research Corp., Fremont, CA, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire OnTrak Systems Inc., San Jose, CA, in a stock swap deal worth $225 million. The transaction augments Lam`s solid position in etch and entries in CVD with OnTrak`s well-regarded CMP cleaning technology, as well as its new linear CMP polishing unit. The deal was approved unanimously by both firms` boards of directors. Terms call for each share (or option) of OnTrak stock to be exchanged for 0.83 shares (or options) of Lam stock; about 6.1 million new shares will be issued, plus warrants for about 400,000 more. At the stock market close on the day of the deal, OnTrak was trading at $28, up from $23 a week earlier; Lam was at $32.25. OnTrak shareholders will end up owning some 19% of Lam after the deal is concluded. If all approvals and filings go smoothly, the buyout could be concluded by July 1.

Varian Associates` Ion Implant Systems unit plans to build its first demonstration medium-current 300-mm implanter, with an eye toward making first beta-site deliveries in 4Q98 or 1Q99. The single-wafer system, dubbed the VIISta, will derive a number of subsystems from the company`s SHC-80 high-current tool, which currently has three beta units in the field, and is expected to begin volume production by late 1997 or early 1998.

Applied Materials Inc., Santa Clara, CA, has received an order worth $47 million from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. for Centura and Precision 5000 etch systems, Endura PVD systems, and Centura CVD systems. Delivery is to take place in the third fiscal quarter of the year.

Aetrium Inc., St. Paul, MN, has acquired the business of Forward Systems Automation Inc. (FSA), Grand Prairie, TX, a maker of automated test handlers, for $6.5 million in cash and common stock. All 60 of FSA`s employees have become Aetrium employees. In addition, Aetrium received orders totaling nearly $2 million for a model 5050QTS quad test site test handler. The test handlers will be configured to accommodate a variety of IC package types and put into production in an Asian test facility belonging to a US producer of nonmemory ICs.

Osmonics Inc., Minnetonka, MN, a maker of high-technology water purification and filtration systems, has acquired AquaMatic Inc., Rockford, IL, a supplier for the water treatment equipment market. AquaMatic`s specialty valves and controllers will complement Osmonics` Autotrol product line.

Eaton Semiconductor Equipment Operations (SEO), Beverly, MA, has signed Siemens, Dresden, Germany, as a beta site partner for its new ultra low energy ion implanter, the NV-GSD/ULE. Siemens installed the system in late 1996; the next phase involves integrating the system into its production line. The implanter is designed specifically for advanced DRAM and logic manufacturing processes. In addition, Eaton has won a contract valued at more than $20 million from one of Europe`s largest semiconductor manufacturers. Eaton will provide six implanters from its High Energy and High Current product lines. The implanters, which will be installed in Catania and Agrate, Italy; Crolle, France; and Phoenix, AZ, will be used for advanced microprocessor and memory equipment.

Kulicke & Soffa Industries Inc., Willow Grove, PA, and Tokyo Seimitsu Co. Ltd. have signed a broad technology-sharing agreement to develop the next generation of automatic saws for dicing 300-mm silicon wafers. The companies will share their design and development resources, with engineering teams from both to work on the 300-mm wafer automatic saw.

Microchrome Technology Inc., San Jose, CA, a supplier of microphotolithography products, has acquired the PolEdged high-resolution emulsion photographic plate operations from IMTEC, Sunnyvale, CA. IMTEC has provided a complete technology transfer of its proprietary PolEdge cutting and cleaning methodologies to Microchrome. In addition, Microchrome has agreed to purchase the manufacturing assets of West America Group Inc., Palo Alto, CA, a maker of photolithography chemical products.

Advanced Delivery & Chemical Systems (ADCS), Austin, TX, a supplier of high-purity CVD and diffusion chemicals, has been awarded a patent in automated liquid chemical delivery. The patented ADCS technology provides constant, automated refilling of a process equipment chemical canister from a bulk canister without operator intervention and interruption of processing.

In addition, Advanced Technology Materials Inc. (ATMI), Danbury, CT, has agreed to merge with ADCS and related entities. ATMI`s NovaMOS business will be combined with ADCS. ATMI hopes to close the transaction by mid-1997. ADCS will become a subsidiary of a new holding company of ATMI. About 5,500,000 common shares of the new ATMI holding company would be exchanged for the interests in ADCS.

Kopin Corp., Taunton, MA, has introduced what is claimed to be the world`s smallest FPD. Kopin`s CyberDisplay, a 0.24-in. diagonal transmissive AMLCD, is 1000 times smaller and consumes 100 times less power than AMLCDs used in notebook computers. The FPD displays e-mail, graphics, and video from the Internet at 320 ? 240 pixel resolution and 1700 lines/in. in amber or black and white. United Microelectronics Corp. and affiliate Unipac Optoelectronics will partner on CyberDisplay manufacturing; the companies said they are now ramping up production.

Etec Systems Inc., Hayward, CA, has purchased IBM`s e-beam microcolumn technology, and may use it to develop direct-write applications. Under the technology transfer, Etec also acquired a variety of e-beam microcolumn equipment and has hired two senior researchers who led the microcolumn research at IBM`s Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

Watkins-Johnson Co. (W-J), Scotts Valley, CA, will sell off its California-based defense electronics unit as part of corporate refocusing onto the semiconductor equipment and wireless communications infrastructure industries. The sale is expected to be completed by the end of the calendar year. Proceeds will be used to strengthen the company`s financial condition, according to a statement. Fab equipment is already the majority of

W-J`s revenue, accounting for sales of $272 million in 1996 out of a company total of $438 million.

In a deal to acquire Texas Instruments` chemical operations department, industrial gas supplier Air Liquide America Corp. will form what is believed to be the first total chemical and gas management system for a semiconductor manufacturer. The transaction extends the well-established pattern of chipmakers` outsourcing of chemical handling chores. Dallas-based TI said it will sell its chemical operations department with bases in Houston, Dallas, Lubbock, and Sherman to Air Liquide. All 200 of the chemical operations department`s employees will become employees of Air Liquide America.

Veeco Instruments Inc., Plainview, NY, has acquired certain assets and personnel of the Media and Magnetics Applications (MMA) Division of Materials Research Corp. for a purchase price including cash plus assumption of certain liabilities. MMA is developing a line of high-performance physical vapor deposition sputtering equipment used in advanced MR/GMR thin-film head and magnetic disk fabrication. In addition, Veeco Surface Metrology has installed 300-mm wafer measurement equipment -the DEKTAK V 300-Si and TMS-3000W systems -for the I300I consortium.

Under a multiyear agreement, Technology Modeling Associates, Sunnyvale, CA, and Toshiba Corp. will develop software for three-dimensional simulation of semiconductor processes. The tool will perform advanced modeling for diffusion, oxidation, ion implantation, rapid thermal annealing, silicidation, and point defect modeling. Under the agreement, Toshiba will provide funding, deep submicron process technology development requirements, and test data.

MRS Technology Inc., Chelmsford, MA, a supplier for the flat panel display industry, and VCB, the venture capital company of Siemens AG, have sold Ebetech Electron-Beam Technology GmbH to a wholly owned subsidiary of Etec Systems Inc., Hayward, CA. Ebetech develops focused electron-beam test systems for FPDs; Etec supplies pattern generation equipment for the semiconductor and electronics industries.

Temescal, part of BOC Coating Technology, Fairfield, CA, a unit of The BOC Group, has shipped the first phase of a multimillion dollar contract with Motorola`s new Flat Panel Display Division. The order includes the Temescal FCE-7000 modular cluster tool, which uses sequential layer electron beam evaporation for the field emission display cone deposition process. In addition, BOC Gases, Murray Hill, NJ, will invest $25 million to construct an advanced electronic cylinder gas plant in Medford, OR.

Silicon Valley Group (SVG), San Jose, CA, has received more than $25 million in combined orders for its Series 8000 advanced vertical processors (AVP) from two Taiwanese chip manufacturers. The AVP systems will be used in the production of SRAMs and 64-Mbit and next-generation 256-Mbit DRAMs. Shipments have begun and will continue through 1997.

Mattson Technology Inc., Fremont, CA, has received a multimillion dollar order for multiple photoresist strip systems from United Integrated Circuit Corp. for use mainly on logic devices at its Hsinchu, Taiwan, location. United will use Mattson`s Aspen Strip tools for ashing and in situ "all dry" stripping.

Therma-Wave Inc., Fremont, CA, has received an order to supply metrology equipment to Samsung Austin Semiconductor, which is building its first US wafer manufacturing facility in Austin, TX. Therma-Wave will install its Opti-Probe 2600 and 2600DUV, and Therma-Probe 500 metrology systems. The Samsung facility, which will produce memory products, including DRAMs, is on schedule for completion in the second half of 1997.

Electroglas Inc., Santa Clara, CA, has received multiple orders for its Horizon 4080X wafer prober system, totaling more than $4 million. The systems will be used in the production of various memory, microprocessor, and ASIC devices. Shipment is underway to European fabs. Electroglas has also received multiple orders for its Horizon 4090 wafer prober system, totaling nearly $9 million. The Horizon 4090 is designed to meet the performance demands of 0.25-?m processes.

FSI International Inc., Minneapolis, MN, has received an order totaling $7.8 million from a Japan-based manufacturer for use in US facilities. The order includes MERCURY MP surface conditioning systems, EXCALIBUR ISR vapor phase processors, ChemFill 500 and 1500 series chemical delivery modules, and model 100 chemical blending systems. The equipment will be used for production of 64-Mbit DRAM devices.

Equipe Technologies Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, a maker of high-precision robotic systems, has delivered its first production-ready VPR series In-Vacuum 300-mm Pre-Aligner, a key component of the company`s vacuum cluster tool platform. The platform, recently shipped to three key customers, also includes the VAC 400 Direct Drive Robot, the VXR Magnetically Coupled Indexer/Loadlocks, and the ESC 300 Transport Module Controller.

Candescent Technologies Corp., San Jose, CA, will use a ProbeLine System from Display Technology Systems (DTS), St. Paul, MN, in its development of thin CRT flat panel displays. DTS is a maker of ultrahigh vacuum systems used to manufacture FEDs. The market for flat panel displays is expected to reach $20 billion by 2000. Within that market, thin CRTs/FEDs will compete with the current LCDs used in laptops, video cameras, and other devices.