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Leading Japanese Digital Camera Producer Reorders Tegal 6500 Series Etcher
Thursday April 3, 9:00 pm ET
biz.yahoo.com
CCD Growth Fueled by High Resolution Digital Cameras and New Camera Ready Cellular Phones
PETALUMA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 3, 2003-- Tegal Corporation (Nasdaq:TGAL - News) today announced that it has received a repeat order from a leading Japanese charge-coupled device (CCD) manufacturer for a model 6510 HRe-(TM) advanced etch system. The system is needed to meet rapidly expanding production requirements for CCD arrays. CCDs are critical components used in many high resolution digital imaging applications including digital cameras, video recorders, and the new picture-taking cellular phones.
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The 6510 system, scheduled for installation in June 2003, includes two high-density plasma modules configured in a high throughput cluster platform. It includes Tegal's patented dual frequency reactor technology. The system will be used for critical polysilicon and silicon nitride etch process steps used in the production of the novel high resolution CCD devices, which were pioneered by this well known camera and film maker.
"Amateur and professional photographers alike have quickly embraced the convenience of digital picture taking," said Jim McKibben, Tegal's vice president of worldwide marketing and sales. "Couple this demand with innovations like the digital camera cell phone and you can see why there is burgeoning demand for high resolution CCDs. Highly integrated digital imaging electronics are definitely a bright spot in the current high technology marketplace."
The first Tegal 6510 HRe-(TM) system for CCD production at this fabrication site came online in 1999 and has been running in round-the-clock production ever since. The model 6510 incorporates many of Tegal's key patented technologies. CCD devices are very sensitive to electrical damage during the processing steps used in their production and the Tegal 6510 is uniquely suited to provide damage free etching for these critical camera components.
The 6500 series etchers were first introduced for volume production in the mid-1990s and they have gained acceptance in a wide variety of demanding applications for cell phones, wireless devices and other emerging electronic technologies. Tegal has long been recognized for outstanding customer support, winning the prestigious VLSI Research Ten Best Supplier award for the fifth consecutive year.
Safe Harbor Statement
The statements in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. As discussed in Tegal's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2002, assumptions relating to the foregoing involve judgments with respect to, among other things, the ability of Tegal to successfully implement its business strategy; future economic, competitive and market conditions, including those in Europe and Asia and those related to Tegal's strategic markets; whether the products offered by Tegal will continue to achieve customer acceptance, and future business decisions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of which are beyond the control of Tegal. Although Tegal believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove inaccurate and, therefore, there can be no assurance that the results contemplated in the forward-looking statements will be realized. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking information included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by Tegal or any other person that Tegal's objectives or plans will be realized. Tegal undertakes no obligation to revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect such events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
About Tegal
Tegal Corporation, headquartered in Petaluma, California, is a leading designer and manufacturer of plasma etch and deposition systems used in the production of smart cards, opto-telecom devices, integrated circuits (ICs), and other related microelectronics devices. Both etching and deposition are key process steps and must be repeated multiple times in the production of these devices. Tegal markets and services its systems in all major IC-producing regions of the world. More information is available on the Internet at: www.tegal.com.
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