We are the world's leading supplier of light sources used in the photolithography process for semiconductor, or chip, manufacturing. We provide state-of-the-art light sources designed to help enable the performance of leading edge wafer steppers and wafer scanners built by our lithography tool manufacturers. Additionally, we provide installed base products in support of chipmaker customers who use our light sources in their advanced wafer patterning production processes. We currently supply deep ultraviolet ("DUV") light sources to our lithography tool manufacturer customers ASML, Canon and Nikon, who integrate the light source into their wafer steppers and scanners which they then provide to chipmakers. In addition, we sell replacement parts and support to lithography tool manufacturers as well as directly to chipmakers, who include all of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers. Our light source systems constitute a substantial majority of all DUV light sources incorporated in lithography stepper and scanner tools at chipmakers worldwide. As the leading supplier of these light sources, the majority of consumer electronics devices manufactured in the last several years contain a semiconductor manufactured using our light sources. Our installed base of light sources totaled 3,374 light sources as of December 31, 2008.
We are the 60% owner of our joint venture entity, TCZ Pte. Ltd., which is a Singapore corporation that is targeting the growing market for low-temperature poly-silicon ("LTPS") processing used in the manufacture of organic light emitting diode ("OLED") flat panel displays. We formed our joint venture entity, which we refer to as "TCZ" (for Team Cymer Zeiss), with Carl Zeiss SMT AG, a German corporation, and Carl Zeiss Laser Optics Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, a German limited liability company (which we refer to collectively with their affiliated entities as "Zeiss"). Zeiss owns 40% of TCZ.
|
