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| Entering the FPD-Market |
| Cymer, Inc. and Carl Zeiss SMT AG Form Joint Venture, TCZ GmbH, to improve low Temperature Poly-Silicon Processes for FPD Market | Downloads and Links | ||
| Laser and Optics Powerhouses Fill FPD Manufacturing Void with Cost-Effective, Volume-Production Poly-Silicon Technology | RTF Documents
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Deutsche Version
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| OBERKOCHEN/Germany, SAN DIEGO/California/USA, 19.07.2005. Cymer, Inc. (Nasdaq NM: CYMI), a leading supplier of deep ultraviolet (DUV) light sources used in semiconductor manufacturing, and Carl Zeiss SMT AG, a leading supplier of versatile optical systems for chip manufacturing and process control, today announced the creation of TCZ GmbH (Team Cymer Zeiss), a joint venture focused on innovative production equipment for the emerging flat panel display (FPD) market. Based on their combined laser and optics expertise the companies have developed a production tool to improve Low Temperature Poly Silicon (LTPS) processes for thin film transistor (TFT) displays. Large-scale introduction of active matrix LCD displays with integrated logic devices, referred to as System On Panel (SOP), and Organic Light Emitting Diode displays (OLEDs) has been held back to a large extent by the lack of a cost effective LTPS solution. TCZ´s thin-beam crystallization tool will fill that void. Operational headquarters of TCZ will be located in San Diego, and led by CEO Brian Klene, former executive vice president of Emerging Technologies and Applications at Cymer. Klene will report to the TCZ Board of Directors, consisting of both Cymer and Carl Zeiss SMT executives. 60 percent of the shares of the Joint Venture will be owned by Cymer, Carl Zeiss SMT is a 40 percent owner. “Current FPD manufacturing processes will not meet the growing requirements for cost-effective displays, which demand both higher yield and better performance,” said Brian Klene, president and CEO of TCZ. “We identified an opportunity to enable display makers to realize the technical benefits of Poly-Silicon by combining the strengths of our technology, customer service and support infrastructure to provide a reliable, high yield, high performance, process solution. Our solution means that LTPS is no longer too expensive for FPD manufacturers to utilize, and consumers will ultimately reap the benefits of brighter, higher resolution displays in a growing number of products.” TCZ will leverage the powerful union of Cymer’s market-leading excimer light source technology, Carl Zeiss SMT´s best-in-class optics and the proven motion and control competency of Carl Zeiss IMT to deliver thin-beam crystallization tools that harness low temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) technology. A quantum leap forward from previous poly-silicon attempts, LTPS can increase yield and quality up to a twofold and hence provide considerable cost savings. “The Cymer-Carl Zeiss SMT relationship is built on a solid tradition of innovation and success, which has been proven through our partnerships on several technology initiatives,” said Dr. Hermann Gerlinger, president and chief executive officer of Carl Zeiss SMT AG. “Our shared vision of being a dependable provider of innovative solutions for the FPD market is enhanced by the seamless vertical integration of our technology products, expertise and services. We’re confident this joint venture will be a winning combination for flat panel display makers.” “For nearly 20 years, Cymer’s light sources have been used to produce smaller circuit geometries, enabling faster chips that power the most advanced electronic devices on the market today, ” said Cymer Chairman and CEO, Bob Akins. “Although we remain solidly committed to the lithography market, we plan on carrying over our history of success into TCZ, a venture that draws upon our core strengths – technology and service. This is a great opportunity to broaden our reach and fill a much-needed void, in a complementary market with significant growth potential.” TCZ today is also unveiling the details of the industry’s first cost-effective, thin beam crystallization tool, the TCZ 900X. “The FPD market is estimated to expand from worldwide revenues of $62.2 billion in 2004 to $93.4 billion by 2008. The LTPS LCD and AMOLED segments are currently expected to grow at compound annual growth rates of 13% and 362% respectively between 2004 and 2008, and the introduction of TCZ’s technology solutions has the potential to enable even faster growth of these two extremely promising emerging display technologies,” said Ross Young, president of DisplaySearch, the worldwide leader in FPD market research and consulting.” Members of management from Cymer, Carl Zeiss SMT and TCZ will provide a videotaped message beginning at 7:30 am (PDT) today, July 19, 2005, in which they will discuss the formation of the joint venture and its first product offering in more detail. This press release and the video may be accessed on Cymer’s Web site, on the Carl Zeiss SMT Web site, and on the TCZ GmbH Web site. Further details of this joint venture will be discussed during Cymer’s regularly scheduled quarterly conference call on Tuesday, July 19 at 2:00 p.m. PDT.  Photo: Visual Inspection of a processed Gen4 panel Markus Wiederspahn Carl Zeiss SMT AG Marketing Phone: +49 7364 20-2194 Fax: +49 7364 20-9206 E-Mail: 
wiederspahn@smt.zeiss.comCymer Media Contact Meggan Powers Public Relations Cymer, Inc. Phone: +01 858 385-6327 Fax: +01 858 385-6045 Cymer Investor Relations Contact Terry Slavin Director, Corp. Comm. & IR Cymer, Inc Phone: +01 858 385-5232 Fax: +01 858 385-6090 Number: 060/05 SE Number of Words: 803 Number of Characters: 5430 |
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