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Asia

Varian, TEL retool pact

Varian Associates of Palo Alto, CA, and Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TEL) are revamping their 18-year-old business relationship to give Japanese clients better access to Varian's products and services, the companies announced. Under the new arrangement Varian will directly sell its line of process equipment in Japan. The vendor will also service the tools itself. TEL will continue to service the installed base of more than 1100 Varian systems sold under the previous joint venture. Varian and TEL will divide responsibilities in the new arrangement, which the two companies will begin implementing in April. Varian will take over ion implantation activities at a manufacturing facility in Nirasaki, while TEL will take over worldwide responsibility for the MB² CVD systems at its Tokyo Electron Yamanashi subsidiary, also located in Nirasaki. Hide Yamashita, president of Varian's semiconductor equipment unit in Japan, will oversee the vendor's equipment activities.

Taiwan litho center opens

ASM Lithography (ASML) has opened a training center in Taiwan to provide hands-on instruction for stepper operators, service personnel, and process engineers. The 4500-sq-ft facility is located at the site of Hermes Systems, the European vendor's regional representative in Hsinchu Science Park. The new center houses two training rooms as well as a PAS 2500 stepper and PAS 5500 system in a Class 10 lithography cell. Two full-time instructors can conduct sessions in Mandarin.

Therma-Wave chooses rep

Seki Technotron of Tokyo has been named Therma-Wave's exclusive sales representative in Japan. Seki Technotron will distribute the vendor's Opti-Probe film thickness measurement and its Therma-Probe ion implant monitoring system in Japan, where 20% of Therma-Wave's global sales originate. The Fremont, CA­based manufacturer of metrology equipment has operated in Japan since 1985. Seki Technotron has extensive experience in semiconductor industry­related sales, marketing, and distribution in the country.

Emcore opens Taiwan office

Deposition system manufacturer Emcore of Somerset, NJ, has opened an Asian office in Taipei. The office will coordinate sales and marketing of the vendor's TurboDisc MOCVD tool in the Asia/Pacific region. Heading the office will be Robert Haak, the company's director of international business, Asian sector. Haak has seven years of experience in the Asian semiconductor business and has managed offices in Seoul and Singapore. Sales and service of Emcore's MOCVD technology will continue to be handled through the company's network of distributors throughout the region.

W-J's center debuts

Watkins-Johnson International Japan was set to open its new headquarters and technology center last month following completion of the facility two weeks ahead of schedule. The 41,000-sq-ft building in Kawasaki houses an applications laboratory with the capacity to support six of the vendor's dielectric-deposition systems. A training area, spare parts depot, and service center are also housed at the site.

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