FWIW, Cohr is in a diffcult race to be the 2nd source
of a semi equipments niche. Tough going so far!
electronicnews.com
ambda Physik ramps 248nm excimer lasers
Dec 02, 1999 --- Lambda Physik is ramping up production of its NovaLine K2010 excimer lasers, 248nm lasers that put them on par with competitors Cymer and Komatsu. The Coherent Inc. subsidiary said it has stepped up production to meet its first multiple unit order for the lithography components and expected additional orders from IC manufacturers. Lambda Physik has the unenviable task of breaking into the semiconductor laser market dominated by Cymer Inc. without the connections that Komatsu maintains to Japan's conglomerates.
With Cymer having bottled up the lion's share of the 248nm semiconductor laser market, both Lambda Physik and Komatsu targeted the 193nm node as a strategic entry point into the marketplace, according to analysts. In July, Lambda Physik shipped a line-narrowed 2 kHz, 193nm excimer laser, the NovaLine A2010. The NovaLine laser is targeted at wide field, 193nm production step and scan systems.
Recent breakthroughs extending 248nm lithography tools down to the 0.15-micron level, however, forced both Cymer competitors to re-evaluate their plans. With the K2010, a Krypton-Fluoride (KrF), 248nm laser operating at a 2 kHz repetition rate with an output power of 20 Watts, Lambda Physik joins Cymer and Komatsu in supplying systems at this node.
Despite the resilience of 248nm systems, the laser maker said it will ship additional units of its 193nm laser in the fourth quarter and will ramp up production to meet an anticipated increase in demand for the stepper component.
Analysts remain cautious on Lambda Physik's prospects. The company has technology equivalent to its Cymer and Komatsu, but one analyst noted that Cymer has put in place the infrastructure necessary to satisfy the demanding semiconductor industry and its equipment suppliers while Lambda Physik's remains less robust. It is believed this infrastructure question would have to be addressed for the laser maker to carve out any space from within Cymer's more than 90 percent share of the market.
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