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Technology Stocks : VLSI Technology - Waiting for good news from NASDAQ !!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Linda Kaplan who wrote (6365)	5/3/1999 9:03:00 AM
From: Linda Kaplan	Respond to of 6565

Headline: VLSI Technology and Numerical Technologies in Strategic Partnership for 0.15 Micron and Beyond; VLSI to Support NumeriTech Phase-Shifting ====================================================================== SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 3, 1999--VLSI Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VLSI) and Numerical Technologies, Inc. (NumeriTech) today announced a joint development relationship targeted at the design and manufacture of sub-0.15 micron circuits (0.12-micron Leff). Under the partnership, the two companies will jointly develop technology, processes and flows that will enable VLSI customers to design high-performance, subwavelength(1) ICs. To enable manufacturing of silicon with 0.15-micron circuit (0.12-micron Leff) feature sizes with existing process equipment, VLSI will use NumeriTech's optical proximity correction (OPC) product, and is also evaluating NumeriTech's phase shifting product. VLSI expects to put this technology into production use by the second half of 2000. The Subwavelength Challenge The current generation of optical lithography equipment prints IC designs onto wafers at the wavelength of light, 248 nanometers. When IC features such as the gates on transistors are smaller than the wavelength of light, features become distorted or disappear altogether. This problem adversely affects yield and degrades chip performance. NumeriTech is addressing this subwavelength problem by integrating phase shifting and OPC throughout the process, all the way through design layout, mask manufacturing, process development, and silicon fabrication. VLSI's customers will be able to use the industry's most advanced process technologies to achieve the performance advantages of 0.15-micron (0.12 Leff). Throughout the design-to-manufacturing flow they will receive NumeriTech's support for subwavelength designs that require the application of OPC and phase shifting, technologies that together enable semiconductor device features to be printed at subwavelength dimensions while improving yield and performance. "We believe that NumeriTech is uniquely positioned in its technology and business model to solve the critical problem of subwavelength design and manufacturing," said Ashwin Shah, vice president of Technology Development at VLSI. "They have a comprehensive proven solution that makes them an ideal partner for critical technology " "VLSI is the leader in designing and manufacturing cell-based ICs," said Y. C. (Buno) Pati, president and CEO of NumeriTech. "We expect this partnership to help VLSI customers hit the performance goals critical for their prime wireless and ASIC markets. The aggressive roadmap we expect to achieve ratifies that a combination of phase-shifting and OPC is the only viable production technology for efficiently producing sub-0.15 micron ICs." About NumeriTech Numerical Technologies Inc. (NumeriTech) develops and markets software applications and services that enable integrated circuit designers and manufacturers to produce ICs with subwavelength feature sizes (i.e. below the wavelength of the DUV optical light sources used in steppers to transfer designs onto silicon wafers). NumeriTech's products and services provide a critical link between IC design and manufacturing for the world's leading systems companies and semiconductor foundries. This year NumeriTech formed strategic alliances with KLA-Tencor (NASDAQ:KLAC), Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT), Zygo (NASDAQ:ZIGO), DuPont Photomasks (NASDAQ:DPMI) and Duet. Additional information about NumeriTech is available on the Web at www.numeritech.com. About VLSI VLSI Technology, Inc. designs and manufactures custom and semicustom integrated circuits for leading firms in the wireless communications, networking, consumer digital entertainment and computing markets. VLSI's value proposition is based on full-service customer support, deep libraries of vertical market-focused IC intellectual property, unparalleled custom circuit design expertise enabled through the Velocity Rapid Silicon Prototyping design style, and one of the world's most flexible and efficient custom circuit manufacturing facilities in San Antonio, Texas. The Company is based in San Jose, California with 1998 revenues from continuing operations of $547.8 million, and approximately 2,200 employees worldwide. For more information, visit the VLSI homepage, www.vlsi.com. Note 1: Subwavelength feature sizes are below the wavelength of the optical light sources used in steppers to transfer designs onto silicon wafers. CONTACT: NumeriTech Susan Lippincott, 408/919-1910 x 344 susan@numeritech.com or Cayenne Communication LLC Lois DuBois, 650/854-5485 ldubois@batnet.com or VLSI Technology Earle Speranza, 408/922-5268 earle.speranza@sanjose.vlsi.com KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMED COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS PRODUCT Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet with Hyperlinks to your home page. URL: businesswire.com Copyright 1999, Business Wire