Elpida Memory Signs Agreement with Toppan Printing for the Production of Photomasks for Semiconductors and the Joint Development of Advanced Masks
TOKYO, Japan, August 27, 2003 - Elpida Memory, Inc. ("Elpida" - Head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Yukio Sakamoto) and Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. ("Toppan" - Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Naoki Adachi) announced today that they will sign an agreement regarding the joint development and production of photomasks for semiconductors. The two companies will jointly develop advanced masks for semiconductor circuit patterns with a width finer than 100 nm. In addition, Toppan will supply photomasks to Elpida for use in its production facilities, including the portion of Elpida's production that is commissioned to third party foundries.
Photomasks have become increasingly important as a key technology for the design, development, test and production of leading-edge semiconductors, and this partnership between Elpida and Toppan aims to help both companies build a better manufacturing system which enables them to supply leading-edge products ahead of their competitors.
Outline of the agreement
- Elpida and Toppan will jointly develop advanced masks for patterns finer than 100 nm.
- Elpida and Toppan will jointly develop the production infrastructure for the preparation of photomasks.
- Elpida will purchase the jointly developed photomasks from Toppan.
Expected Benefits for Elpida
- Joining resources with a proven photomask manufacturer will speed up Elpida's development cycle. The partnership also secures a stable supply of photomasks to Elpida.
- Joint development will reduce Elpida's development costs.
Expected Benefits for Toppan Printing
- As Elpida develops memories for the high-end DRAM market with its leading-edge technology, this joint development will help to improve Toppan's mask technology for advanced memory products.
- Joint development will reduce Toppan's development costs.
About Elpida Memory, Inc.
Elpida Memory, Inc. is a manufacturer of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) with headquarters based in Tokyo, Japan, and sales and marketing operations located in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. Elpida offers a broad range of leading-edge DRAM products. Elpida is a joint venture company formed by NEC and Hitachi on December 20, 1999, and has been in operation since April 2000.
About Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.
Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. is the second largest printing company in the world, ranked number 462 among the Fortune International 500, with sales over 10 billion dollars. The seed of printing technology has branched out into a variety of areas of business including: Securities and Smart Cards, commercial printing, publication printing, packaging, industrial materials, electronics, and multimedia. To learn about Toppan Printing, visit our website at www.toppan.co.jp.
Information in this news release is current as of the timing of the release, but may be revised later without notice.