Ian -
You may well be correct that the COHR announcement is just PR. However, based on the current litigenous nature of some law firms, I suspect that there is substance to this press release, which I have pasted below. For example, the PR firm representing a local biotech company (Ribozyme Pharm.) released a press release stating that Ribozyme had some major news to be released. The stock price jumped significantly, but then it turned out that the major news was that a potential drug was entering phase II trials or somesuch thing. The stock price then dropped, and needless to say, some law firm decided to sue them.
I am not expert enough to judge their technology. However, I do not think that it is distinctly inferior to CYMI since at least 3 of the stepper manufacturers (ASML, SVGI and ??) have qualified their lasers. Also, it has been rumored that Micron has gone exclusively to COHR lasers, although I stress that this is just a rumor.
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Lambda Physik, a majority owned subsidiary of Coherent, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) (Nasdaq: COHR -
news), is ramping up production of its NovaLine© K2010 lithography excimer lasers. With outstanding performance, an aggressive cost of ownership, high
uptime, and a flexible support plan, NovaLine litho lasers have demonstrated their ability to meet the stringent demands of the semiconductor industry. The first
multiple unit orders for a fab environment have been received and more are expected from major IC manufacturers. Shipments for the first production orders
have already begun.
The NovaLine K2010 is a Krypton-Fluoride, 248 nm laser operating at a 2 kHz repetition rate with an output power of 20 Watt. The laser provides an
ultra-narrow linewidth of less than 0.6 pm, and is combined with a high NA, high throughput scanner.
After shipping the world's first fully line-narrowed 2 kHz, 193 nm excimer laser, NovaLine A2010 in July 1999, and additional units in the fourth quarter of
fiscal 1999, Lambda Physik is ramping up production to meet expected increased demand in the current fiscal year. The NovaLine A2010 was developed as part
of a strategic partnership within the European ELLIPSE II project. Careful selection of materials has improved transmission characteristics of the internal
resonator optics and substantially improved maintenance intervals and related operating costs over other existing technologies. With a 2 kHz repetition rate and
10 W output power, NovaLine lasers enable increased scan speeds and maximized throughput. The NovaLine laser is used with high throughput, wide field,
193 nm step and scan systems.
Lambda Physik is a worldwide manufacturer of high power, pulsed UV and tunable laser sources for lithographic, industrial, scientific and medical
applications.
``Safe Harbor' Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties,
including risks associated with uncertainties related to currency adjustments, contract cancellations, manufacturing risks, competitive factors, uncertainties
pertaining to customer orders, demand for products and services, development of markets for the Company's products and services and other risks identified in
the Company's SEC filings. Actual results, events and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to
these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Readers are encouraged to refer to the risk disclosures described in the Company's reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8K, as applicable.
Founded in 1966, Coherent, Inc. is a Standard & Poor's SmallCap 600 company and a world leader in the design and manufacture of lasers and systems for
medical, scientific and commercial applications. Please direct any questions to Peter Schuman, Director of Investor Relations at 408-764-4174. For more
information about Coherent, visit their Web site at cohr.com for product and financial updates. |
