Cymer/Carl Zeiss target FPDs
Cymer (San Diego, CA), a supplier of deep-UV light sources used in semiconductor manufacturing, and Carl Zeiss (Oberkochen, Germany), a supplier of optical systems for chip manufacturing and process control, have formed the joint venture TCZ (Team Cymer Zeiss; San Diego, CA), to pursue opportunities in the flat-panel-display (FPD) industry.
Their combined laser and optics expertise has enabled the companies to develop a production tool that improves low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) processes for thin-film-transistor displays.
Cymer will hold 60% of TCZ and Carl Zeiss 40%. “Current FPD manufacturing processes will not meet the growing requirements for cost-effective displays, which demand both higher yield and better performance,” said Brian Klene, president and CEO of TCZ and former executive vice president of emerging technologies and applications at Cymer. “We identified an opportunity to enable display makers to realize the technical benefits of polysilicon by combining the strengths of our technology, customer service, and support infrastructure to provide a reliable, high-yield, high-performance process solution.”
Kodak alliances enable new products
The first CMOS image-sensor (CIS) devices have arisen from Eastman Kodak Company’s (Rochester, NY) manufacturing alliance with IBM, as well as a reference design that incorporates these new image sensors with multimedia processors from Texas Instruments. In addition, Kodak has already signed an agreement to license key CIS manufacturing technologies to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
Kodak’s new 3- and 5-megapixel CIS devices-the KODAK KAC-3100 and KAC-5000 Image Sensors-are targeted to camera-phone and consumer applications. The new products are manufactured at IBM’s Burlington, VT, plant as part of the manufacturing collaboration announced last year between Kodak and IBM.
Aktelux captures Malaysian aircraft upgrade
Aktelux (Mississauga, ON, Canada), a wholly owned subsidiary of Luxell Technologies, has been selected by IGTEC SDN BHD of Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia, to provide a major technology upgrade for the Engine Monitoring Panels (EMP) used on the Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Hawk combat aircraft. Aktelux designs and manufactures high-performance flat-panel-display systems for defense and avionics applications worldwide.
The program involves the replacement of discrete electromagnetic pulse (EMP) instrumentation with Aktelux’s integrated active-matrix LCD display system solution, which may be readily tailored to accommodate nonstandard installations representative of the Hawk crew-station. Offering full compatibility with the aircraft’s legacy systems, the new EMP offers future growth options and reduced life-cycle costs.
Flir to provide thermal imaging system to Korea
Flir Systems (Portland, OR) announced that it received a contract from a team led by Korea Aerospace Industries to supply its most advanced airborne thermal imaging system, the Star SAFIRE, to the Republic of Korea as part of the Korean Navy’s P-3 Lot II Maritime Patrol Aircraft program.
Deliveries will begin in 2006, with total contract value in excess of $5 million, with the potential to be in excess of $10 million including follow-on options. This contract also provides for potential future deliveries of additional systems in support of the Republic of Korea Navy’s existing P-3 aircraft.
“The selection of the Star SAFIRE system for this program underscores our leading position in providing stabilized airborne imagers to the international P‑3 community,” said Earl Lewis, CEO and president of Flir Systems.”
Gail Overton
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Micro-Metric (San Jose, CA), a manufacturer of high-accuracy, noncontact measurement and assembly systems, announced its alliance with HTL (Tokyo, Japan), a distributor of semiconductor and flat-panel-display-related equipment. HTL will be Micro-Metric's exclusive distributor for the Japanese market. . . . Opto-Knowledge Systems (OKSI; Torrance, CA), a hyperspectral and infrared technology R&D company, is relocating to a larger facility located at 19805 Hamilton Avenue in Torrance, to accommodate its fast growth. . . . e2v technologies (Chelmsford, England) acquired Gresham Scientific Instruments, based near High Wycombe, England, to grow its imaging-sensors product line. Gresham is a leading independent manufacturer of x-ray detectors and associated products for energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) and x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry. . . . Comet(Flamatt, Switzerland) opened its service and repair center at its recently expanded U.S. headquarters in Stamford, CT, to ensure high-quality repair of all Comet x-ray tubes, RF products, and Feinfocus microfocus x-ray systems.