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To: Starlight who wrote (17381)	5/6/1998 9:55:00 PM
From: BillyG	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25960

Ultratech seeks $450 million for EUV lithography partnership By Jack Robertson WASHINGTON--Ultratech Stepper Inc. today confirmed it has set up a separate operation to partner with other companies in the development of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography as a tool for next-generation chip processing. During a press conference here, Ultratech chairman and CEO Arthur W. Zafiropoulo said the new United States Advanced Lithography Limited Liability Co. (USAL) has entered into a non-exclusive agreement to develop EUV tools for the Extreme Ultraviolet Limited Liability Co. (EUV LLC), a consortium formed last year by Intel Corp., Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Motorola Corp. (see Sept. 11, 1997, story). The new USAL unit will be based in San Jose, where Ultratech is headquartered, and it will be headed up by Zafiropoulo. The Ultratech chief executive said new company will require $450 million in capital funding, and he was now soliciting potential partners to join the effort. On Tuesday, industry sources said Ultratech would launch the subsidiary to help develop EUV technology as a leading exposure tool for 0.10-micron and below feature sizes (see April 5 story). Zafiropoulo said at today's press conference that Ultratech was backing the effort because it wanted to help the U.S. semiconductor equipment industry strengthen and expand its competitiveness in the world. "When the transition to post-optical lithography takes place, EUV lithography systems could command a selling price as high as $15-$20 million each, representing a significant market opportunity--clearly a valuable benefit to the U.S. economy," Zafiropoulo said. "Many experts agree that EUV is emerging as a main contender in the post-optical lithography era, and as such we believe that USAL is well positioned to take advantage of what could be the future of the IC industry." Zafiropoulo said USAL will be the first company to focus solely on post-optical lithography. Earlier, wafer stepper maker Silicon Valley Group Inc. of San Jose also struck a non-exclusive licensing agreement with the Intel-led EUV LLC consortium to develop functions for EUV tools. The Intel-initiated EUV consortium has agreed to work with foreign-owned lithography firms, but only if they provide technology on a share-and-share-alike basis. So far the foreign tool makers have balked at these conditions. A service of Semiconductor Business News, CMP Media Inc. Story posted at updated 6:45 p.m. EDT/3:45 p.m., PDT, 5/6/98 pubs.cmpnet.com