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Technology Stocks : Dupont Photomasks (DPMI) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Katherine Derbyshire who wrote (396)	3/19/1998 12:13:00 PM
From: jeffbas	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 955

Thank you Katherine. You still might be able to be of some help on the investment side relative to ETEC vs DPMI or PLAB. ETEC sells the high end mask making equipment that the others use. DPMI and PLAB have a major part of their business in larger feature size mask making, and having a degree of stability and razor blade aspects to their businesses that ETEC does not have. It seems to me that if DPMI can earn a good return on the investment, they will buy the ETEC machines. If they can't they will buy the minimum necessary, but will have their existing mask making operations. Thus ETEC seems to be the company more leveraged on the profitability of high end mask making. Do you think this is an accurate view of things and do you have any comments?

To: Katherine Derbyshire who wrote (396)	3/19/1998 2:12:00 PM
From: Investor2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 955

Do you have a comparison of ETEC and UTEK equipment and/or stock? Thanks, I2

To: Katherine Derbyshire who wrote (396)	3/19/1998 3:30:00 PM
From: Larry Brew	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 955

Katherine, << I stand corrected on 193nm >> Although TI is working with 193nm, you are correct as it is not yet in production. It's working with the next generation c6x and drams. I know .18 dram prototypes are being evaluated at IBM, strongly suggesting 193nm processing. The below is from the Cymer web site. I apologize to all for the mis-communication. Also, X-ray being attractive from my point of view was not suggesting it to be the next generation. Most likely ebeam. CYMI abstract below. Excimer lasers are recognized throughout the semiconductor industry as the light source replacement for mercury arc lamps. Increasingly, chipmakers are relying on excimer lasers as the illumination source for volume production of semiconductors with critical geometries below 0.35 micron (æm). According to the Semiconductor Industry Association's Technology Roadmap, leading-edge 0.25æm devices will be produced in volume by 1998 and 0.18æm devices will be in production by 2001, making the excimer laser key to the next several generations of chips. Next-Generation Technology Progress in laser technology for semiconductor manufacturing can be measured by a reduction in light wavelength. Currently, KrF lasers with a 248 nanometer (nm) wavelength are used to produce chips with critical features of 0.35æm and smaller. Future generations of lithography systems are expected to use a 193nm argon fluoride laser (ArF) to achieve 0.18æm and smaller features. Cymer, in conjunction with its customers, has embarked on an extensive R&D program to develop ArF lasers and other next-generation illumination technologies for use on the manufacturing floor. Larry