Corning, NY, May 9, 2002 -- As the semiconductor industry climbs out of a severe economic downturn, Corning has announced new product offerings, systems upgrades, and expanded e-business capabilities that will enable the company to effectively meet the needs of this changed marketplace.
"The downturn in the economy hit the semiconductor industry faster than anyone anticipated, and is lasting longer than anyone expected," said Ray Leinen, vice president and business manager, Corning Semiconductor Materials. "We've taken this time to re-evaluate our business plan and product portfolios, making adjustments that will put us in a better position once the market fully recovers."
As a result of recent manufacturing process improvements, Corning plans to introduce Prism-grade fused silica to its customers by fourth quarter 2002. This three-axis fused silica material is used in traditional optics applications, including laser optics for lithography applications and satellite navigation and guidance systems.
In addition to new products, Corning is also investing in manufacturing upgrades for its current product lines. Customer demand is driving the need to manufacture HPFS fused silica glass material with better transmission, index homogeneity, and birefringence. In response to this demand, Corning is expanding metrology capabilities at its Canton, N.Y., and Charleston, S.C., manufacturing facilities in order to continually improve the quality of its HPFS fused silica.
Meanwhile, calcium fluoride development and capacity expansions continue at Corning's Canton and North Brookfield, Mass., manufacturing facilities. With the industry focused on perfecting the 193nm calcium fluoride process, Corning is preparing for the leap to 157nm lithography. The capacity expansions will enable Corning to meet customer demand for calcium fluoride optics.
Corning is also actively working on the development of materials for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography that are still five years from implementation on the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). The properties of Corning's ULE(r) zero expansion glass are being tailored to meet the needs of EUV lithography. Some improvements to the material will include reduced inclusion levels, reduced striae, and improved metrology capabilities.
As a global company, Corning wanted to obtain greater control over its worldwide manufacturing processes. The company recently implemented a worldwide order management network to upgrade every Corning facility to a global standard.
Corning adopted real-time application integration technology that now allows the global facilities to share information and resources. The system improved the way in which changing customer requirements could be managed across sales, customer service, development, and manufacturing; adjusting capacity due to market fluctuations; and sharing information tools across multiple locations for time and cost efficiencies.
Another way that Corning is helping its customers reduce cycle times and increase efficiency is through extranet sites. Secure extranet sites were developed for individual customers that want to retrieve order information from Corning in a more expedient way.
Whether customers use the extranet sites for data transfer or to view material availability, the sites offer them a way to retrieve information quickly and easily. Corning can post manufacturing and shipping schedules for a particular material on the extranet sites. Customers can then reference the sites and retrieve the information immediately.
More information is available at www.corning.com
Laser Focus World