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UMC Allies with DNP
to Secure Long-term Mask Supply
Agreement Includes
Joint Engineering Effort for the Development of 0.10um Advanced
Masks
Hsinchu, Taiwan, December 19, 2000
United Microelectronics
Corporation (UMC, NYSE: UMC), a leader in the semiconductor
foundry industry, and Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP),
a leader in photomask manufacturing, have announced the finalization
of a multi-year agreement for UMC to secure advanced mask
services from DNP. The agreement also includes a joint specification
optimization effort for masks at the 0.10um generation, generally
considered to be the next major milestone in semiconductor
process technologies.
Under the terms of the agreement, the leading
photomask manufacturer will meet UMC's high-end mask demands,
concentrating on the 0.15 and 0.13um process generations and
with emphasis on advanced high quality Optical Proximity Correction
(OPC) Phased Shift Masks (PSM). The 0.10um co-development
will consist of engineering teams from both companies to research
the technology and mask specifications for this high-end process,
which will eventually include a very wide range of applications
for UMC customers.
"This joint engineering
effort gives UMC a major head start in preparing for our transition
to 0.10um," said Dr. Fu Tai Liou, Senior Vice President
& Chief Technology Officer at UMC
. "By working with
an industry leading mask provider such as DNP, our customers
can be assured that their mask requirements will be met when
this advanced process generation is ready."
Yoshiyuki Nakagawa, Director of DNP Semiconductor
Division said, "We appreciate the high evaluation of our advanced
photomask production technologies from the leading semiconductor
foundry, UMC. The finalization of this long-term supply agreement
will prove mutually beneficial from a cooperative as well
as a business standpoint. Moreover, regarding production,
our objective is to optimize 0.10um mask specification through
a direct dialogue between users and suppliers, enabling a
cost effective and practical supply of photomasks. This will
no doubt bring substantial results to both companies."
About DNP
Dai Nippon Printing
Co., Ltd. is the world's leading comprehensive printing company
and the leading manufacturer of high-tech photomask, produced
by applying fundamental printing techniques and technologies.
DNP account for about 50% of Japan's photomask market and
25% of the world market. DNP has 35,000 employees and its
net sales in fiscal 2000 were over US$12 billion. For more
information on DNP, please visit our web site at http://www.dnp.co.jp
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