Ian,
Thanks for hitting the nail on the head. Unfortunately, I'm the nail. <sigh> Yes, this particular agreement is for implant-related product(s) and activities. (How soon they forget; I've been teaching Quality sessions for a month now at a local PC manufacturer, and as a consequence I'm not sure I can spell "fotolispotrafy" any more.)
I've heard about SCALPEL, but wasn't aware that much was going on there. IMO, ASM Litho would be the best partner, assuming that you want the best overall. However, they ain't cheap, and just because I want the most beautiful girl doesn't mean she wants to dance with ME. UTEK isn't bad (if they were, they wouldn't be selling to semiconductor makers), but you have to admit they aren't ASML either. That should make partnership (or buyout) an easier deal.
And once AMAT gets their hooks into, er, hands on a photo tool maker, then what I said makes more sense.
Make sense? <grin>
Mitch (duly chastised, and re-reading like crazy) |
