Schott Lithotec AG: New production line sets standard for mask blanks
03-Dec-2001
Schott Lithotec AG, Jena, today announced that it put one of the world's most powerful production-plants/order_t/'>production plants for leading edge mask blanks into operation in Meiningen/Thuringia. Mask blanks serve as the basis for photo masks used for the production of semiconductor chips. With the so-called "Advanced Quality Line", which operates under the cleanroom conditions of the chip industry, Schott Lithotec is targeting a leading position as a manufacturer of mask blanks. The company already is a global leader in the production of high-performance materials for lithography/order_t/'>microlithography. As a manufacturer of calcium fluoride crystals with three plants in Jena and Eisenberg, the company plays a key role in development and production of material which is viable for the production of next-generation semiconductor chips (193 and 157 nanometer lithography).
At the opening of the new Advanced Quality Line, Dr. Leopold von Heimendahl, chairman of the board of management of Schott and chairman of the supervisory board of the Schott subsidiary Schott Lithotec AG, pointed out that Schott Lithotec AG is the only mask blank manufacturer to integrate all levels of the value chain from the production of the base material, synthetic fused silica, to polishing and coating. This integration enables the company to control all aspects of product quality. Dr. von Heimendahl also said that Schott Lithotec is well positioned to tap into a market which until today has been dominated by manufacturers from the Far East.
Since its establishment in 1998, Schott Lithotec AG has invested well over EUR 100 million in Thuringia and created more than 300 jobs, 70 of which are located in Meiningen. Despite the continuing recession on the semiconductor market, Schott Lithotec has been able do double its sales annually. The company recorded sales of EUR 40 million in fiscal year 2001 (ended September 30, 2001). Schott Lithotec AG also reached break even for the first time in the past fiscal year.
In view of the fact that the semiconductor crisis has begun to impact the order book of Schott Lithotec, Dr. von Heimendahl said: "Our strategy of speedily developing this new business segment of Schott remains in place. Necessary steps, however, will be adapted to the economic situation." According to Dr. von Heimendahl, this also applies to the option of taking the company public.
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