07/05/2000  SAN JOSE, Calif.--July 5, 2000--An agreement to extend the life of available optical imaging systems has been struck between Numerical Technologies, a developer of subwavelength design solutions, and lithography equipment manufacturer Nikon Precision Inc. (NPI)

07/05/2000  MIGDAL HAEMEK, Israel--July 5, 2000--Israeli foundry company Tower Semiconductor Ltd. has announced plans to build a new 8-inch wafer fab later this year with the help of a $75 million investment from SanDisk.

06/30/2000  SANTA CLARA, Calif.--June 30, 2000--Taiwan's Nanya Technology has placed an order for multiple CVD systems from Applied Materials for its newest DRAM foundry fab.

06/30/2000  FREMONT, Calif.--June 30, 2000--Mattson Technology has entered into definitive agreements to absorb STEAG Electronic Systems' AG Semiconductor Equipment Division and CFM Technologies. The STEAG purchase excludes STEAG's optical storage and photomask operations.

06/30/2000  SAN JOSE, Calif.--June 30, 2000--KLA-Tencor Corp. has introduced a new generation of in-line CD scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) for next-generation lithography and etch applications. The tools are designed for use as a fab transitions to 0.13-?m node and 300-mm manufacturing.

06/30/2000  SAN JOSE, Calif.--June 30, 2000--In addition to building 300-mm wafer fabs in Germany and Taiwan, Infineon Technologies said today that a new stateside facility could also eventually produce 300-mm wafers.

06/28/2000  SANTA CLARA, Calif.--June 28, 2000--Zoran announces an agreement to acquire PixelCam, a privately held manufacturer of megapixel CMOS image sensors and integrated lens/sensor modules.

06/28/2000  MUNICH, Germany and SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass.--June 28, 2000--Karl Suss has announced a new tool capable of measuring thick and thin films used in a wide range of applications.

06/28/2000  SUNNYVALE, CA--June 27, 2000--An automated 300-mm film metrology system designed for measuring next-generation materials and processes has been introduced by Nanometrics.

06/27/2000  SAN DIEGO, Calif.--June 22, 2000--Cymer has received additional funding from International SEMATECH to develop of production-worthy lasers for lithography applications.

06/27/2000  GRESHAM, OR--June 22,2000--LSI Logic will outsource ion implantation services to Implant Center to support its Gresham, Oregon wafer fab facility.

06/22/2000  JUPITER, FL--June 20, 2000--Photronics and ASML are developing reticles for 0.10-?m imaging technologies.

06/22/2000  SANTA CLARA, Calif.--June 21, 2000--Applied has positioned two new metrology systems, Compass and Excite, as products that increase fab production efficiency.

06/20/2000  MIGDAL HAEMEK, Israel--June 20, 2000--Tower Semiconductor Ltd. has released a 0.35-?m CMOS Image Sensors (CIS) process technology tailored for applications such as digital photography and medical imaging.

06/20/2000  Hillsboro, Ore.--June 19, 2000--FEI Company today announced a circuit-editing tool that combines focused ion beam technology and gas chemistry to deliver uniform milling rates on copper interconnects.

06/20/2000  Veldhoven, Netherlands--June 20, 2000--TSMC has just received an ASM Lithography 300-mm platform. This is ASM's first order received for this new technology.

06/20/2000  LEIXLIP, Ireland--June 19, 2000--Intel Corp. announced plans today to spend $2 billion adding a new wafer fabrication facility at its manufacturing operations in Leixlip, County Kildare, Ireland.

06/20/2000  SANTA CLARA, Calif.,--June 19, 2000--Applied Materials today announced a pair of tools capable of monitoring volume production processes at 0.10 ?m device sizes.

06/16/2000  WILMINGTON, Del.--June 16, 2000--HD MicroSystems has introduced a photodefinable polyimide developed for single mask, stress buffer passivation applications on DRAMs, SRAMs, logic devices, and microprocessors.

06/14/2000  FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif.--June 14, 2000--Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc. announced it will use the assembly and testing capabilities of Kingston Technology to offer end-to-end U.S.-based DRAM manufacturing for all DRAM wafers fabricated at its Manassas, VA. facility.