July 23, 2008--Gigaphoton (Oyama, Japan), a lithography light-source manufacturer for the semiconductor industry, installed its 100th GigaTwin argon-fluoride (ArF) light source platform at a major semiconductor foundry in Taiwan. The company says the milestone is a testament to the success and growing adoption of Gigaphoton's dual-chamber platform, which also features the company's injection-locking laser technology.

Gigaphoton reports that its 100th GigaTwin will be used in the production of 55-65 nm devices. Gigaphoton president Yuji Watanabe said, "The installation our 100th GigaTwin light source is yet another example of the growing confidence surrounding our ArF platforms' capabilities and advantages, which contributed largely to our sales in 2007. We're excited to be sharing this milestone installation with one of our most-valued customers, but more importantly, are extremely pleased to be a part of enabling this important foundry's leading-edge lithography processes."

Since its inception in 2000, Gigaphoton's laser shipments and market share have rapidly grown at a double-digit pace, fueled considerably by continued adoption in its ArF business.

Gigaphoton was founded in 2000 as a joint venture of Komatsu, the world's #2 construction machinery manufacturer, and Ushio, the world's #1 lithography lamp manufacturer. Since then, Gigaphoton has been developing and marketing laser light sources that meet the stringent requirements of the ultra-fine circuit patterns of the gigabit era.

For more information, visit www.gigaphoton.com.

Tue Jul 22 21:07:00 CDT 2008