Nikon debuts inspection group

Nikon Instruments has formed a business unit targeting semiconductor inspection. Based near Phoenix, the new semiconductor inspection technologies group (Nikon Sitech) will enable Nikon to extend its sales and service, support, training capabilities, and product demonstrations, the company says. Takashi Tanzawa, former manager of strategy for Nikon Instruments in Japan, will head the business unit as executive vice president.

Axcelis eyes tool partner

Axcelis Technologies of Massachusetts signed an agreement in July to purchase one of China's leading semiconductor equipment companies. The purchase of Tritek International is part of the "natural progression" in a 20-year partnership between the two companies, says Albert Chiang, president of the Chinese firm. Axcelis manufactures ion implanters, RTP systems, and cleaning tools. Adding Tritek's service personnel will triple the number of workers Axcelis employs in China, the company says. Axcelis recently opened a Chinese headquarters in Shanghai.

The agreement calls for Axcelis to acquire Tritek operations in Tianjin, Beijing, and Shanghai. The Massachusetts supplier says two big customers—Semiconductor Manufacturing International and Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing—are based in Shanghai's Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park.

Philips to sell x-ray unit

Royal Philips Electronics plans to sell its x-ray analytical business to Spectris, the companies announced. Scheduled for completion before the end of 2002, the transaction will cost approximately 150 million Euros, or $146 million. Philips says it wants to focus on its core business and has found in Spectris a company interested in targeting niche businesses with good prospects for long-term growth. Based in Almelo, The Netherlands, Philips Analytical had sales in 2001 of 159 million Euros. The unit is one of 27 businesses that Royal Philips plans to sell or merge.

The company says all employees of the unit and its management team will transfer to Spectris. Based in the United Kingdom, Spectris makes analytical instruments. The company will rename the acquisition PANalytical.

In related moves, Philips Analytical says it will discontinue manufacturing ellipsometry equipment at its plant in Almelo, the Netherlands. The company is negotiating with third parties interested in acquiring the product line. In addition, Philips has sold its operations in Waterloo, Canada, to Accent Optical Technologies of Bend, OR. Accent is a supplier of optoelectronics and silicon process control systems. The Waterloo operation makes two key products, a DCD x-ray diffraction tool and a photoluminescence mapping system. Both systems target compound semiconductor process control.

Veeco, FEI to merge

FEI will become a subsidiary of Veeco Instruments of Woodbury, NY, under the terms of a merger agreement signed in July. Renamed Veeco FEI, the new firm will become the sixth largest semiconductor equipment company in the United States and the third largest vendor of metrology equipment, according to Veeco. Combined sales in 2001 totaled $825 million. The proposed merger is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2002.

Woodbury, NY, will be the site of Veeco FEI's headquarters. FEI's headquarters in Hillsboro, OR, will become an R&D and manufacturing center. Vahe Sarkissian, FEI's chairman, president and CEO, will become chairman of the board and chief strategy officer of Veeco FEI. Edward Braun, Veeco's chairman, president, and CEO will remain CEO and president.

FEI, which specializes in 3-D metrology, had revenues of $376 million in 2001. Veeco manufactures process equipment and metrology systems. The company reported revenues of $449 million in 2001.

Verteq divvies up business

Verteq of Santa Ana, CA, has created separate businesses for its batch and single-wafer cleaning systems. The supplier's batch unit will handle its Sunburst megasonic line, SuperClean rinser-dryer, and Cobra VcS batch cleaners. The Goldfinger unit will handle single-wafer cleaning systems such as the Goldfinger GFM, Mach1, and Mach2. The company believes separating the businesses will improve its ability to manage market opportunities and customer requirements. Verteq notes that the industry shift to single-wafer cleaning has accelerated, and the company expects its Goldfinger line to become the largest portion of its business by 2003.

Rigaku forms semi unit

Rigaku/MSC, a manufacturer of metrology tools, has formed a semiconductor division. The division is housed in a 3200-sq-ft facility in Austin, TX, with a Class 10,000 cleanroom. At Semicon West in July, the unit introduced an integrated vapor-phase decomposition total reflection x-ray fluorescence system for measuring particulates on 300-mm wafers. Long Vu was appointed president of the subsidiary.

Vendors open SIMS lab

ASM America and Accurel Systems International have opened a laboratory for secondary ion mass spectrometry. The SIMS lab is located on ASM's campus in Phoenix. Accurel, which specializes in SiGe analysis, is providing SIMS support for developing ASM's Epsilon reactor. ASM manufactures single-wafer epitaxial systems and related front-end tools.

Gas group moves HQ

The gas purification technology group of Johnson Matthey has moved from Wayne, PA, to a new site with three cleanrooms. The new headquarters in West Chester, PA, is double the size of the previous building. The facility houses Class 100, Class 1000, and Class 10,000 rooms for manufacturing the company's signature line of PureGuard products and related gas-purification products.