Monday November 2, 9:30 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Cymer, Inc.
Cymer Unveils Program to Reduce Customers'
Cost of Operation; Recent Technological Breakthroughs Allow
Greater Chipmaker Cost Efficiencies
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Cymer, Inc. (Nasdaq: CYMI - news), the world's leading supplier of excimer
laser illumination sources essential for deep ultraviolet (DUV) photolithography, today announced a program aimed at
reducing chipmakers' cost to operate Cymer's lasers. The program, which is part of Cymer's ongoing effort to support its
installed base and improve efficiency, is a result of a series of recent technological breakthroughs as well as continuous
improvement engineering verified by field data obtained from Cymer's installed base of over 500 excimer lasers in
production worldwide. This initiative, combined with Cymer's proven machine dependent laser uptime of 98 percent in
mass production, clearly demonstrates Cymer's global leadership position in the DUV laser market.
Under the program, extended lifetime warranties will be offered to Cymer customers for all major components of its
ELS-5000, EX-5000 and the newly released ELS-5010 krypton fluoride (KrF) lasers. The new warranties immediately
apply to all existing 5000 Series lasers in the field and to all 5010 Series lasers shipped after November 1, 1998. In
addition, Cymer is offering customers the opportunity to upgrade their existing 5000 Series lasers to a lower cost of
operation model 5005 laser through the purchase of upgrade kits. The upgrade allows customers to utilize common spare
parts between the 5005 and the 5010 and extends warranties and expected lifetimes on the 5005 to equal those of the
5010. This program is designed to reduce chipmakers' cost of operation by as much as 45 percent.
''For chipmakers, reducing operating costs has become increasingly critical, especially in today's difficult economic
environment,'' said Pascal Didier, Cymer's senior vice president of worldwide customer operations. ''With the newly
introduced ELS-5010, Cymer continues to make technological breakthroughs in the laser's core modules, like the new
high efficiency chamber, allowing us to increase expected lifetimes and thereby reducing chipmakers' cost of operation.
The development and production of the upgrade package was a natural extension of these achievements as we strive to
support and improve our existing tools the field.''
With respect to the ELS-5010 lasers shipped after November 1, 1998, chamber expected lifetime will increase from 3 to
5 billion pulses, line narrowing module expected lifetime will increase from 3 to 6 billion pulses and the wavelength
stabilization module expected lifetime will increase from 5 to 10 billion pulses.
''Cost reductions can be achieved either through revolutionary technology breakthroughs or by extending the capability
of existing tools,'' added Didier. ''Cymer's worldwide service and support organization is committed to both and will
continue to meet customer requirements with technology-based value-added solutions.''
Cymer, Inc. is the world's leading supplier of excimer laser illumination sources, the essential light source for deep
ultraviolet (DUV) photolithography systems. DUV lithography is a key enabling technology that has allowed the
semiconductor industry to meet the exact specifications and manufacturing requirements for volume production of today's
most advanced semiconductor chips. Further information on Cymer may be obtained from the Company's SEC filings,
the Internet at cymer.com or by contacting the Company directly.
SOURCE: Cymer, Inc. |
