Jena, Germany, June 18, 2003. Schott Lithotec and Veeco Instruments have signed a joint development agreement to focus on advanced photomask technology and particle reduction for next generation photomask blanks. The research work will take place in New York State, where both parties maintain production and R&D facilities, as well as in Germany.
The project was officially started with a kick off meeting last month, where representatives of Veeco and SCHOTT Lithotec showed strong commitment to the project and the semiconductor community.
Emmanuel Lakios, President of Veeco's NY Process Equipment Group commented, "This joint work is a strategic step towards excellence in leading edge photomask blank production, which is critical for enabling the semiconductor industry to produce next generation integrated circuits with reduced feature sizes and improved performance."
Dr. Robert Kuba, Corporate Technical Officer of Schott Lithotec commented, "We have been working with Veeco since 2000 on advanced photomask manufacturing technologies. This collaboration is now strengthened by the joint development agreement. Schott Lithotec will provide materials and process technology expertise in next generation photomask blanks, and Veeco will provide expertise in low defect ion beam deposition."
Schott Lithotec, a substantial majority of which is owned by Schott Glas, a leading technology group (Mainz, Germany), is the only worldwide supplier offering the entire range of optical materials and components for microlithography applications. The company is already recognized as market and technology leader in the field of the key optical material Calcium Fluoride and aims to take a leading position in the field of advanced photomask blanks. Headquartered in Jena, Germany, Schott Lithotec has production facilities in Germany and the US and representatives in various countries.
For more information about Schott, visit www.schott.com/lithotec .
Veeco Instruments Inc. provides solutions for nanoscale applications in the worldwide semiconductor, data storage, telecommunications/wireless and scientific research markets. Its Metrology products are used to measure at the nanoscale and our Process Equipment tools help create nanoscale devices. Veeco's manufacturing and engineering facilities are located in New York, California, Colorado, Arizona and Minnesota. Global sales and service offices are located throughout the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia Pacific.
For additional information on Veeco, visit www.veeco.com
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