SII NanoTechnology and KLA-Tencor Establish a New Business Relationship
SII NanoTechnology to Supply AFM Heads for KLA-Tencor "Profiler"

SII NanoTechnology and KLA-Tencor have established a new business relationship. As a result, SII Nanotechnology will begin supplying its Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) heads for the KLA-Tencor’s next generation IC process profiler AF-LM300. KLA-Tencor has already begun shipment of AF-LM300 to major semiconductor manufacturers.

In recent years, semiconductor miniaturization has increasingly underscored the critical significance of wafer pattern profile measurement for successful 90 and 60nm node IC designs. For this type of advanced measurement AFM-based profilers have proven effective, but until now have lacked the required throughput and stability.

By utilizing an AFM head designed with SII Nanotechnology’s enhanced, cutting-edge technology, KLA-Tencor has been able to achieve high reliability and significantly increased throughput when compared to conventional AFMs. In addition, the difficulties of conventional AFMs – automation and high speed – have been solved by KLA-Tencor by implementing an advanced production line profiler technology based platform design.

SII NanoTechnology and KLA-Tencor will continue to develop and enhance their cooperative relationship based on their respective state-of-the-art technology and know-how.

About KLA-Tencor
KLA-Tencor is the world leader in yield management and process control solutions for semiconductor and related industries. With its headquarters in San Jose, California, U.S.A, KLA-Tencor conducts operations around the world. KLA-Tencor is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol KLAC. The company was ranked #6 on S&P’s 2002 index of the top 500 companies in the US. For more information, visit http://www.kla-tencor.com

About SII NanoTechnology
SII NanoTechnology, a subsidiary of Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII), is a world leader in the development of advanced, cutting edge measurement and analysis instruments headquartered in Chiba prefecture, Japan. The company, the former Scientific Instruments Division of SII, was established in December 2003. It was the first company in Japan to produce Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) and Focused Ion Beam (FIB) System. In recent years, many of the company’s products have been utilized on the frontiers of nanotechnology research and development, including the development and manufacture of semiconductors, and have achieved high acclaim in the marketplace. Additional information about the company is available on the internet at http://www.siint.com/en


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