UTEK backed away from the advanced processing of critical layers, but it still is a leading edge provider of lithographic equipment. their equipment can be used in any leading edge fab in a mix and match strategy. More than 40% of the layers in a leading edge fab can still be run on the 2244i steppers. And for the record, the trailing edge label is a misnomer sine they are currently in the 157nm stepper arena. How can they be trailing edge when few equipment providers have a working 157nm system.
Finally, since the company has re-engineered itself, it is leading edge in at least 3 ther market (TFH, MEMS, BUMP). UTEK never provided trailing edge technology in my opinion. they always provided leading edge solutions to mainstream processing. If we were to sacrifice some of the field size and depth of focus, bringing it down to the levels of the "competitive" products, UTEK was leading edge until 0.25u-0.35u, where it moved into other more lucrative market sectors. And of course, UTEK must be trailing edge to be involved in EUV technology.
Because certain companies and engineers refused to believe and put out the effort to make the systems viable in production, due to misplaced and egotistical desires to work on the "latest and greatest" reduction steppers, UTEK got a bad rap. As I have stated on so many occasions, the smart companies (and there were only a few of them, including mine) were able to make these steppers work in production, at a most attractive COO, knocking the socks off the competiotn. Until you walked in my shoes and proved it did not work in your fab, we should not consider anything that UTEK procided as trailing edge. People were running 0.50u devices on 1X steppers at half the equipment cost and 1/3 the reticle costs than their 5X counterparts. Because people did not want to believe and accept this (since more expensive had to be better), it was deemed trailing edge by perception and not by experience.
We will be very curious as to how this company is perceived if they ever decide to litigate some of the patents they hold. we will also be very curious to see how frantic the competition will become if the 157nm system takes off and UTEK decides to invade the big three stepper cartel, and go into full production on this advanced "trailing edge" system. |
