Company News
-- Semiconductor International, 10/1/1999
Tosoh SMD (Grove City, Ohio)
purchased a 25% ownership stake in SET. SET provides PVD shielding for
sputtering tools with services ranging from design, manufacture, cleaning and
advanced surface treatments to full shield management programs. Tosoh will be
selling SET shielding products and services under the Tosoh brand name.
Floratech Industries Inc.
(Syracuse, N.Y.) acquired the air conditioning manufacturing business of
Clestra Cleanroom Inc. (Syracuse, N.Y.). The acquired business makes air
conditioning units for cleanroom and environmental control units for
mini-environments.
AlliedSignal Inc. (Sunnyvale,
Calif.) and SEZ Group (Phoenix) signed a technical collaborative
agreement to jointly develop planarization alternatives for ultra low-k
materials. The collaboration will combine AlliedSIgnal's knowledge of low-k
materials and chemical process development with SEZ's expertise in backside and
frontside wafer preparation technology. As part of the working agreement,
AlliedSignal has taken delivery of an SEZ Spin-Processor 203 in the Sunnyvale
facility.
Photon Dynamics Inc. (San Jose,
Calif.) signed a definitive agreement to acquire CR Technology (Laguna
Niguel, Calif.) in exchange for ~2M shares of newly issued Photon Dynamics
common stock. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this
year and is subject to approval by regulatory agencies, Photon Dynamic and CRT
shareholders, and other closing conditions.
Micronic Laser Systems AB (Taby,
Sweden) received a repeat order from a major Japanese customer for a laser
writer used to produce photomasks for displays. Delivery is planned for the
fourth quarter of this year.
Asyst Technologies Inc. (Fremont,
Calif.) signed an agreement to acquire privately held Palo Alto Technologies
Inc. (PAT, Mountain View, Calif.). Asyst will acquire all equity in PAT in a
security purchase transaction for ~$4.5M plus future earn-out based on transport
automation product revenue in excess of certain defined threshold amounts.
PRI Automation Inc. (Billerica,
Mass.) received an order from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Korea) for
the multi-site Encore! FAbuilder software. It will be used to implement the
integration of manufacturing, assembly/test and LCD operations.
Three-Five Systems Inc. (Tempe,
Ariz.) has completed an agreement with S-Vision Inc. acquiring the rights
to S-Vision's XGA microdisplay technology. Under terms of the agreement,
Three-Five holds a worldwide license for all intellectual property rights
associated with the XGA MicroLCD Imager design, XGA MicroLCD Driver ASIC design
and Nova optical engine design.
Praxair Inc. (Danbury, Conn.) and
Merck KGaA Electronic Chemicals (Darmstadt, Germany) agreed to jointly
develop new semiconductor process materials. The agreement leverages the R&D
expertise of both partners to develop liquid and gas-phase materials. *
STAEG Electronic Systems (San
Jose, Calif.) received a multi-million-dollar order for four Heatpulse 8800 RTP
systems and five automated wet processing systems from a leading U.S. chip
manufacturer. The systems will be installed in a 200 mm wafer fab in Europe. In
addition, STEAG RTP Systems (San Jose, Calif.), a unit of STEAG
Electronic Systems, received a follow-on order from Silicon Manufacturing
Partners (Singapore) for the AST 2800 RTP tool.
Extraction Systems Inc.
(Franklin, Mass.) received an order for multiple VaporSorb II advanced amine
control filter systems from AMD's Fab 25 facility (Austin, Texas). AMD
will equip its DUV track equipment with the filters.
ProTek Devices (Tempe, Ariz.)
acquired a wafer fab, Silica Tek (Tempe, Ariz.). The fab will be used
primarily for new products under development at ProTek.
ASAT Ltd. (Hong Kong) was awarded
the QS-9000 certification certificate. The certification program provides a
system of requirements and standards for suppliers to describe products or
services developed in accordance with an established quality management system.
Orbotech Ltd. (Yavne, Israel)
received an order from Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd. totaling
~$4.0M, for the FPI-7000 automated optical inspection systems. The systems are
to be used in the Korean LCD production operation.
FSI International (Chaska, Minn.)
completed the sale of its Chemical Management Division (CMD) for ~$38M, subject
to certain post-closing adjustments. CMD will become part of BOC Edwards.
FSI expects to use the net proceeds for working capital and to fund future
investments.
Mattson Technology Inc. (Fremont,
Calif.) received several multi-million-dollar orders for its Aspen strip systems
from major foundries in Taiwan and the U.S.
