INDUSTRY NEWS

EXPANSIONS AND ACQUISITIONS

Moto’s mask unit to be sold

Photronics, a photomask manufacturer based in Jupiter, FL, has signed an agreement in principle to purchase Motorola’s internal photomask manufacturing operations for an undisclosed sum. The companies also plan to sign an agreement requiring Photronics to meet all of Motorola’s photomask requirements as they existed prior to the sale. Located in Mesa, AZ, Motorola’s photomask plant houses a range of advanced tools, including Mebes 4500 electron-beam pattern generation systems and a KLA 351 inspection tool, according to Photronics. The vendor will operate the plant at the Motorola location until the company can move it to another site in the Mesa area. The company said the 95 employees at the Motorola site will be offered positions with Photronics.

Deal extends robot reach

PRI Automation says its planned acquisition of Equipe Technologies will enable the vendor to optimize process automation capabilities for both end-users and OEM clients. Billerica, MA—based PRI manufactures fab automation tools and is noted in particular for its wafer transport systems. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, Equipe manufactures wafer-handling robots for process equipment and has an installed base of 9000 units. Set for completion in January, the $172-million deal extends PRI’s automation capabilities from bay-to-bay transport to the process chamber as well. The acquisition also gives PRI better access to its West Coast customers. James Cameron, Equipe’s president, will become president of the Equipe division of PRI Automation.

Commenting on the merger, Mord Weisler, PRI’s chairman and CEO, took note of the crucial role automation will play in processing 300-mm wafers. Uniting the two vendors will combine their material-handling expertise with the scheduling software capabilities of PRI’s recently acquired Interval Logic subsidiary, offering “an integrated automation solution to optimize wafer flow throughout the fab.”

BOC forms new unit

The BOC Group is combining parts of its gases and vacuum subsidiaries to form a new business. Called BOC Edwards, the new unit will combine the semiconductor operations of Edwards High Vacuum, Systems Chemistry, and BOC Gases. Systems Chemistry manufactures wet chemical distribution systems. BOC bought the company last August. BOC Edwards will form the core of BOC’s new semiconductor and vacuum technology division.

Korean firm opens U.S. biz

A $140-million South Korean supplier of semiconductor materials and systems has established a subsidiary in the United States. The subsidiary, called K.C. America-Tech, was opened by K.C. Tech Co., a company founded in 1987 in South Korea. Located in Fremont, CA, the American business unit will supply high-purity gas, chemical, environmental, and water systems as well as related services. Equipment sold by the subsidiary will be made at K.C. Tech’s factory in Anseong. The company is headed by industry veterans G. Burt Lancaster and Robert Welch.

Gresham set as mask site

DuPont Photomasks (DPI) has selected a site in Gresham, OR, for a $75-million photomask plant. DPI cited the location’s closeness to semiconductor manufacturers in the Pacific Northwest, the region’s infrastructure, and the results of vibrational analysis studies among the reasons for choosing Gresham. The 65,000-sq-ft plant will be built on 13 acres leased from LSI Logic. The facility will contain 15,000 sq ft of sub—Class 1 space. Scheduled to begin production near the end of 1998, the plant will employ 200 people when fully operational.

Vendor licenses mask method

A mask-related technology designed to improve device yields will be offered by Benchmark Technologies as part of a recently signed licensing agreement with the technology’s developer. MicroUnity Systems licensed the optical proximity correction (OPC) technology called MaskTools as well as LineSweeper test reticles and design services. MaskTool OPC software helps yields by enhancing pattern fidelity, depth of focus, and critical dimension control, according to Sunnyvale, CA—based MicroUnity. Analysis of OPC data gives chipmakers the ability to dramatically increase both depth of focus and printability of features measuring 0.25 µm and smaller, the company says. As part of the agreement, Benchmark will distribute MaskTools in Europe and market OPC reticles and services throughout the world.

OnTrak opens training facility

A multimedia training facility featuring a projection system for video and computer displays has been opened by OnTrak Systems. The equipment supplier opened the renovated site at its headquarters in San Jose. The facility offers touch-screen computer-based training that will offer students and instructors immediate feedback about the students’ understanding of CMP topics.

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