Corning Ramping Lens Material Production, Offerings
Staff -- Electronic News, 5/8/2002
e-insite.net
In anticipation of a cyclical upturn, Corning Inc.’s semiconductor materials business is beefing up production of fused silica and calcium fluoride as part of company-wide product and business expansions.
"The downturn in the economy hit the semiconductor industry faster than anyone anticipated, and is lasting longer than anyone expected," Ray Leinen, VP and business manager of Corning Semiconductor Materials, said in a statement. "We’ve taken this time to re-evaluate our business plan and product portfolios, making adjustments that will put us in a better position once the market fully recovers."
Corning plans to introduce prism-grade fused silica to its customers by the fourth quarter, as the result of recent manufacturing upgrades, the company said. This three-axis fused silica material is used in traditional optics applications, including laser optics for lithography applications and satellite navigation and guidance systems.
Corning is also investing in manufacturing upgrades for its current product lines, including its HPFS fused silica glass material, which will feature better transmission, index homogeneity, and birefringence, according to Corning. The company is expanding metrology capabilities at its Canton, N.Y., and Charleston, S.C., fused silica glass manufacturing facilities. |
