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To: Ian@SI who wrote (2289)	6/28/1999 10:05:00 PM
From: Ian@SI	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3813

Perhaps this story from SemiBizNews might be having an effect... ++++++++++++++++++ semibiznews.com 204.247.196.14 ASM to acquire ALCVD tool supplier for 0.13-micron technologies A service of Semiconductor Business News, CMP Media Inc. Story 9 a.m. EST/6 a.m., PST, 6/25/99 BILTHOVEN, The Netherlands -- ASM International NV here said it has agreed to acquire Microchemistry Ltd., a producer of atomic layer chemical vapor deposition (ALCVD) which is believed to be an enabling technology for semiconductors with feature sizes below 0.13 micron. ALCVD deposits films of material by atomic layers, and it is expected to play a role in processes for high-k dielectrics in next-generation transistor gates and DRAM storage cells as well a barrier and seed layers in copper interconnects, according to ASM. Microchemistry is a subsidiary of Findland's Fortum Corp. The company has been developing ALCVD technology since 1987, and it was founded by Tuomo Suntola, who invented the basic principals of the deposition technique in 1973, said ASM. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed by the companies. ASM said Microchemistry's systems will fill out its current range of CVD tools, which are now aimed at both low-k and high-k dielectric deposition. Microchemistry's products include the F120 and F200 ALCVD systems for semiconductor applications as well as the F450 and F950 for flat-panel displays. ALCVD's ability to control the thickness of film deposition by the number of atomic layers enables it to handle a range of materials with precisely controlled uniformity, even over irregular-shaped surfaces, according to ASM. The technology can be used on oxides, nitrides and metals as well as III-V compounds.