excellent roly. didn't know you owned Cymer stock. would like to point out a few of the articles facts:
<<Lithography system
vendors maintained they are hard-pressed now trying to build enough 0.25-micron
deep-UV 200-mm tools>>
we know this continues to be true for the combined total of lithography manufacturers. no confusion here.
<<The picture may have changed dramatically, however, in recent weeks. At least one
supplier, Nikon Corp. of Japan, touched off a market flurry in September when its
managers confirmed the company had to stretch out its order delivery schedule over the
next year due to overly-optimistic forecasting...He wouldn't say how many or what percentage of step-and-scan and step-and-repeat
tools were cut back>>
Question: what is it about the Nikon stepper that caused demand for its lithography tools to shrink while demand for other manufacturers lithography tools grew? Is it that SVG and Cannon are doing a better job of marketing their tools since they were able to pick up the slack created by Nikon?
<<Cymer President Robert Akins also said his company was able to quickly restructure its
1998 shipment schedule, with other lithography system vendors picking up the delivery
spots freed up by the Nikon slippage>>
okay, we know that demand has remained constant for Cymer. no change. since the overall need for smaller mu and lithography tools is growing, why would Bret H. change his forcast from 435 to 400 given that lessened demand for Nikon tools were picked up by the greater demand at other manufacturers?
<<But there is even greater confusion now in the market over what production-ready
lithography tools will be ready when chip makers want to begin building their 300-mm
production fabs>>
yes, certainly confusion. However, this shouldn't affect Cymer given that Cymer's laser is needed regardless of what production ready lithography is created. the Cymer tool is needed regardless since it is currently the only animal that can hunt with .25mu and lower, thus the manufactuers will order the Cymer laser in anticipation of building their 300mm. The Cymer laser is the instrument around which the manufacturers are fashioning capacity for 300mm. They are working out the details around with the Cymer laser will be instrumental. The Cymer laser, then, is the backbone of this capacity or the building block. A human body doesn't exist without a backbone and their new production fabs won't work without Cymer's tools.
please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong specialist or maxwell or whomever |
