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Technology Stocks : Cymer (CYMI) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ScotMcI who wrote (8135)	11/4/1997 6:45:00 PM
From: FJB	Respond to of 25960

Sounds like that Kalista character is on the pipe. Doesn't even know who Cymer competes with or what they make. Bob

To: ScotMcI who wrote (8135)	11/4/1997 6:49:00 PM
From: Curlton Latts	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 25960

ScotMcI: Yes that's a non-existent Australia firm owned by Barney <eom> Good Luck To Each And All Curly ~~~~~~^^ [6.6] ....> [_]

To: ScotMcI who wrote (8135)	11/5/1997 1:19:00 AM
From: Maxwell	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 25960

Tunable Laser Diode from Laser Photonics in Steppers? <<"Cliff Kalista of the Pennsylvania Merchant Group voiced concern that one of Cymer's arch rivals was on the verge of introducing a competitive ultraviolet laser that would cost 40 percent less." >> A. From the business point of view: 1) DUV stepper costs about $6.5M with the CYMI excimer laser. ---Stepper with alternative laser for 40% less costs $6.35M. ---You save $150K or 2.3% to try out something that is not yet proven. 2) If you are the manager would you want to take a risk of saving 2.3% when you know that just about everyone is using an excimer laser in 0.25um production??? Is your product worth more than $150K/stepper which will be depreciated in 4 years? 3) For Komatsu and LP excimer laser, the saving will be less than 2.3%. Will you be comfortable to have some steppers in your fab with CYMER and some with Komatsu/LP? If you do be ready to spent alot of engineer time to match the two systems and even if you match. You don't want to introduce another variable in your already complex manufacturing process. Hell, if I was a manager I would stick to CYMER and insisted that stepper makers give me CYMER laser if they have a choice. CYMI is already in production and a proven technology. I am not sticking my neck out to jeopardize my company product that worth million dollars. B. From the technology point of view: Problems with tunable diode laser: 1) Diode laser has lower output than gas excimer laser. Thus throughput is suffered in manufacturing. 2) In diode laser you get a broad spectra and you need a filter to filter the narrow DUV linewidth. Broad spectra has to do with the impurity in the lasing crystal. This is thus no better than UV bulb with filter. Broad wavelength leads to aberration problem with lens. 3) Laser is tunable. At first you may think tunable laser is good because you can choose the wavelength at your disposable. However tunable is no good in manufacturing. Tunable means the laser wavelength output can drift. Drifting cause instability in the dosage as you expose wafer to wafer. I don't think Laser Photonics will introduce a tunable diode laser in stepper. I think they will use in some other application in semiconductor industry such as sensors. I think they will get into excimer laser if they are going into lithography, but that field is already too crowded with LP and Komatsu. Maxwell