You are correct on all fronts but you and I see stuff a bit differently. the GCA stepper was a workhorse of a system and was improved by ISI which implemented all of the design revisions GCA wouldn't. I have faith that UTEK may very well surprise the industry here.
Mix and Match - no excuses for feloow lithographers that just were too dense and too egotistical to embrace it. EVERY company that used mix and match saved considerable money and was able to improve internal production capacity. When drive a Chevy when you can get your company to buy you a Corvette. We cannot fault UTEK in their efforts in this arena. They just ran up against a bunch of artificial roadblocks that my peers put up since everyone wanted the glitziest toy to play with. you can't fault anyone for another person's stupidity. And I do not use that term lightly. Now, mix and match is dead because technology moved on. This strategy was just as viable as the Pioneer Laser disc which was ahead of its time and never took off. Mix and match was a dismal failure to you and others as investors but it was a glowing success for those comapnies that implemented the strategy years ago. Personally, it saved us millions of dollars in reticle costs per year for ASIC production. The savings alone was enough to buy another ASML stepper<GGG>.
V2000 - you are 100% correct but I still believe this is really the platform for a direct write wafer system down the road. If not, UTEK was stupid (there is that word again) for trying to get into a business that is dominated by two industry heavyweights. I see this as a strategic error by UTEK if this was their plan.
PGILD is an interesting subject but I am not at liberty to discuss it openly other than to suggest you have a good deal of merit there.
My comment was never meant to say UTEK was a flag waving success (I do not own shares at the present time), I just give UTEK as good a chance of being successful with the DUV stepper they have as SVGI. The ISI stepper is a proven stepper that is in use on a limited scale. And it works well. The problem was the inability of ISI to take it to the next production manufacturng level. It remains to be seen if UTEK can do that while growing a customer base.
We also forget that UTEK did have some great times with MEMS, and TFH systems which are also waning as those geomtries shrink. Out of the carnage that will probably occur with UTEK, there will be some significant gems that will be of great use to the industry.
BTW - PGILD was never high on my list of things I felt they would be successful at. My vision weas always the cost effective apporach to manufacturing. Make no mistake about it, UTEK is a second tier company(probably third tier), at best, relative to ASML, AMAT, LRCX, etc. and most certainly SVGI has NOT earned the right to be considered top tier.
And yes, I do think that ASML was able to ramp due to better management. ASML was not focusing on selling the company as SVGI has been in the past. ASML made damn sure of their supply chain for components and worked with their vendors. ASML did not need to be funded by SEMATECH to improve their product portfolio.
SVGI may finally make something of itself but over the years, they have tripped over themselves by letting the competition catch up ans pass them. Now, all of a sudden, they have most of their eggs in the Micrascan basket. If it works, it WILL be a rocket to the moon.
I humbly siggest you look at the Micrascan family tree and trace it back a good 15 years to see its horrid history.<GGG> There was a time when IBM had the only Micrascans in existence from Perkin Elmer, until they donated a crapy system to SEMATECH.<GGG> There was a time when the SVG Coater and Developers were the #1 system and no one could come close. Now, it would be 3rd or 4th on my personal list. The SVG(Thermco) furnances are an institution but if they do not watch out, someone could come up from behind.
My radar is as tuned as it needs to be for the moment.
However, I do have enough vision to see the potential for SVGI and that is why I have invested there and why I have yet to re-enter UTEK. But I will say that the DUV systems from UTEK stand equally as viable as the Micrascan.
Good Investing to all and I will be the first to congratulate everyone (including myself) if and when SVGI takes off. I just had better place for my investments up until now and going forward for awhile.<GGG>
AV |
