INDUSTRY NEWS

EXPANSIONS AND ACQUISITIONS

DuPont, Hyundai unmask pact

DuPont Photomasks (DPI) has teamed with Hyundai Electronics Industries to codevelop advanced photomask technology. Completed in March, the pact also calls for DPI to act as long-term supplier of photomasks to Hyundai's chip plants. The terms of the agreement are confidential. The use of an outside supplier will enable the semiconductor manufacturer "to focus its internal resources on...the design and manufacture of industry-leading semiconductor devices," says Kye Hwan Oh, the executive vice president of Hyundai, which ranks itself as the world's fourth largest supplier of DRAMs.

Talon moves into new plant

Talon Engineering recently moved to a new facility in Sauk Rapids, MN, northwest of Minneapolis. The 21,000-sq-ft plant was "designed with ultra-high-purity manufacturing taken into consideration," says Mark Eriksson, company president and CEO. The manufacturer of UHP stainless-steel gas- and fluid-handling components has 6000 sq ft of cleanroom area rated at Class 100 or better, with room to grow as market conditions warrant. "This is the first of four phases of planned expansion," explains Eriksson. "Ultimately, the facility could grow to 65,000 sq ft, with about 40% of that as cleanroom."

KLA to buy SEM vendor

KLA-Tencor has signed an agreement to purchase Amray, a privately owned manufacturer of scanning electron microscopes. The acquisition will enable KLA-Tencor to integrate high-resolution SEM capabilities with its advanced patterned wafer inspection tools and automated defect classification software, the vendor says. The transaction, which will be recorded as a pooling of interests, was expected to conclude by the end of April. Amray will become a division of KLA-Tencor and continue to conduct operations such as manufacturing, service, and R&D at its facility in Bedford, MA. Gerald T. Cameron, Jr., Amray's president, will report to Scott Landstrom, vice president and general manager of KLA-Tencor's defect review and classification division. Founded in 1958, Amray has introduced more than 30 SEM models for a variety of high-tech applications.

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