Etec Announces New System Upgrades to Increase Maskmaking Productivity
HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2000--Etec Systems, Inc., an Applied Materials company, the leading supplier of semiconductor maskmaking solutions, today announced new product upgrades for its volume production ALTA(R) 3000 and MEBES(R) 4500 mask patterning systems. These upgrades provide significant improvements in system productivity to enable increased customer return on investment and reduced cost of ownership.
The ALTA 3000HT system upgrade enables increased flexibility, allowing customers to switch between 4-pass and 8-pass writing modes. Users can choose to maximize print quality features or increase system throughput, depending on their applications.
Frank Abboud, general manager of the Mask Patterning Product Group stated, "This upgrade is exciting for our customers because it can maximize the productivity of the 34 ALTA 3000 systems that are installed around the world today. Maskmakers can add incremental capacity on their existing installed systems, saving the time and costs associated with new system purchases."
The MEBES 4700 system, a new upgrade for the more than 25 installed MEBES 4500 systems, includes a 320 MHz data path that enables up to twice the throughput of the MEBES 4500S or up to eight times the throughput of the earlier generation MEBES 4500 systems. The upgrade has been field proven, and several upgraded MEBES 4500 systems are in use worldwide. The MEBES upgrades are offered as field upgrades or completely new MEBES 4700 or 4700S systems.
"Upgrades to the ALTA and MEBES products reflect Etec's commitment to enhance our customers' substantial investment in existing systems," stated Steve Cooper, Etec's president. "The upgraded systems increase productivity while leveraging existing mask shop personnel and equipment. These new ALTA and MEBES upgrades allow our customers greater flexibility in their pattern generation options and add new value to their installed systems."
Etec Systems Inc., an Applied Materials company, is the world's leading supplier of semiconductor maskmaking equipment solutions. Masks produced with Etec's mask pattern generation and inspection systems enable the production of the faster, smaller and cheaper semiconductor chips necessary for today's electronics. Founded in 1970, the company has manufacturing facilities in California, Oregon and Israel, with sales and service offices worldwide. The company's World Wide Web site can be accessed at http://www.etec.com.
Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) is a leader of the Information Age and the world's largest supplier of products and services to the global semiconductor and flat panel display industries. Applied Materials' web site is http://www.appliedmaterials.com.
CONTACT: Etec Systems, Inc., An Applied Materials Company
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