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

To: Wolf 2 who wrote (795)	2/24/1999 10:55:00 PM
From: Duane L. Olson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 955

Wolf...Sorry I was gone. No, I don't think there is any dilution there. DuPont is the seller of shares it holds, just as it does every year. It has a practice of releasing some of it's DPMI shares into the market periodically. There are no NEW shares to cause dilution, unless I missed something different this year.. HOWEVER, I exited my DPMI shares again for a couple fast points, or so. I'm moving out of several "ripe" positions, hoping to re-enter at lower levels.. Cheers! tso

To: Wolf 2 who wrote (795)	6/30/1999 11:37:00 PM
From: Duane L. Olson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 955

Wolf, Some time ago we were discussing mask cost escalation as we traversed downward in design widths... Here is an extract from an EE Times article which refers to that cost. And it adds a BIG boost for the CMYI investment that the E! and I hold -- unless someone else is doing 248 nm lasers for that market.. Alex Hinnawi, a UMC manager, said that in the 0.18-micron generation, where some 150 million transistors can be placed on a single die, foundries must take a more "comprehensive solution" view of their business, ranging from IP, embedded DRAM and flash, and test services. UMC has programs under way to move embedded-DRAM capabilities from today's 0.35-micron to UMC's 0.25-micron offerings, though he declined to name the technology partners. Also, UMC is working with NexFlash (Sunnyvale) to jointly develop an embedded-flash technology at the 0.25-micron generation. Discussions with NexFlash have not started on 0.18-micron flash development yet. One problem ahead for UMC is mask costs. Hinnawi said a 0.18-micron mask set can cost half a million dollars or more, a situation that may inhibit smaller customers. UMC is buying deep-ultraviolet (DUV) scanners at the 248-nm resolution to fabricate the 0.18-micron circuits, rather than the DUV steppers used for its 0.25-micron generation parts. For some back-end layers where the critical dimensions are less stringent, DUV steppers with optical-proximity correction can still be used. "With the scanners we can move forward to even smaller shrinks, into 0.15-micron and 0.12-micron processes," Cisneros said. The Taiwan-based foundries have been competing fiercely to claim bragging rights as being ahead in 0.25-micron capacity. Both TSMC and UMC are investing billions. UMC is building an enormous fab in the Hsinchu Science Industrial Park this year. Plans call for the nearly finished Fab 5 building to be equipped by mid-year, beginning a 0.18-micron ramp that will quickly shift to 0.15-micron design rules in 2000. That fab, when fully equipped, will be able to process 45,000 eight-inch wafers per month. USIC, the UMC Group's newest fab, is now in initial operation. Another joint venture, USC, will reach 37,000 wafers per month when it hits peak capacity. Are you back into DPMI? ... have you ever considered CYMI? TSO