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Corning responds to UV need

Corning will focus more manufacturing priorities on ULE ultralow-expansion glass for lithography use in response to advanced chipmaking requirements, the vendor announced. The glass is suitable for use in extreme UV and other next-generation lithography technologies. ULE glass has an extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion. As a result, temperature changes caused by heat exposure have little effect on the glass, Corning says. This characteristic is important for lithography systems using short wavelengths. The extremely smooth finish of the glass, which has no grain structure, makes the substrate particularly useful for photomask blanks and reflective optics, according to the supplier. Based in Corning, NY, the company manufactures fused silica glass for optical lithography and related technologies. The supplier has named Brad Ackerman, manager of advanced lithography materials, to oversee development efforts for ULE glass. His brief includes developing prototypes for lithography tools and metrology, as well as improving ULE glass for mask use. Information: http://www.hpfs.corning.com.

FSI to close West Coast sites

FSI International's recent decision to close two of its California facilities will result in approximately $4.1 million in charges during the company's fiscal fourth quarter. The Minnesota-based manufacturer of microlithography, surface conditioning, and related process tools will shift product design and manufacturing operations from its Mountain View and Fremont, CA, sites to facilities in Allen, TX, and Chaska, MN. FSI also will stop making a nickel iron-plating product for an unnamed thin-film head client. Don Mitchell, president and CEO, reassured California-based customers that FSI would continue to offer sales, service, and application support. Mitchell says the cutbacks will "contribute to improving our operating margins in fiscal 2001." FSI expects to save more than $3 million in the 2001 fiscal year by closing the facilities. The supplier also says contributions from equity in earnings of affiliates should be approximately $3 million in the fourth quarter of FY2000. This result is an improvement over losses of $204,000 from affiliates in the third quarter of FY2000. The vendor's Japanese distributor, m-FSI, reported a "significant increase in revenues from Japanese customers for the quarter," Mitchell notes. Information: http://www.fsi-intl.com.

SEMI inaugurates green award

SEMI is sponsoring the first annual Akira Inoue Award for Outstanding Achievement in Environment, Health, and Safety in the Semiconductor Industry. The late Akira Inoue was past president of TEL and a former member of SEMI's board of directors. Inoue strongly supported environmental protection as well as worker health and safety during his career, SEMI says. The executive helped to establish SEMI's EHS division in 1997. The trade group created the award in his name to honor individuals in industry and academia who have contributed significantly to the semiconductor industry, the environment, and to workers' health and safety. A SEMI awards committee will make its final decision based on the winning candidate's leadership in the industry and on innovation in developing processes, products, or materials that minimize adverse environmental impact. The nomination process closed September 30. SEMI will present the award in December and annually thereafter during Semicon Japan. Information: http://www.semi.org.

Kinetics completes buyout

Kinetics Group has completed a buyout of the company from its parent firm, USFilter. Valued at approximately $550 million, the purchase was led by DB Capital Partners, a primary equity investment arm of Deutsche Bank, and Kinetics' management in partnership with the private equity firm Behrman Capital. Based in Santa Clara, CA, the company makes chemical, slurry, gas, and water delivery systems for the semiconductor and other high-tech industries. USFilter, a subsidiary of the French multinational firm Vivendi, acquired Kinetics in 1998. Kinetics had revenues of $660 million in 1999, and its management expects revenues to exceed $1 billion in FY2000. Information: http://www.kineticsgroup.com.

Report profiles chip industry

More than 400 device manufacturers and suppliers are included in the new edition of an annual report published by Integrated Circuit Engineering (ICE). Titled "Profiles 2000," the publication contains information on more than 500 fab sites and 800 fab lines. The report also focuses on the top 10 global suppliers and ranks them in order with semiconductor-related sales reported separately from corporate sales. Profiles may include company statistics, supplier classification, financial history, overview, company history, and summary of products and processes. A fab list, a summary of alliances, and news items are also featured. The report is available as a two-volume printed set, a CD-ROM with a searchable database, and an on-line version at ICE's Web site, which is updated each month. Information: http://www.ice-corp.com.

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