Micronic expands SLM licensing agreement

Micronic expands SLM licensing agreement Täby, Sweden, December 20, 2001 -- Micronic Laser Systems AB (OM Stockholm Exchange: MICR), a company at the forefront of semiconductor and display laser pattern generators for the production of photomasks for worldwide electronic industries, today announced that it has signed an agreement in principle to expand and strengthen its cooperation with Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems (IMS). The agreement extends by three years the development collaboration between Micronic and Fraunhofer IMS and expands Micronic's present exclusive license rights for spatial light modulator (SLM) technology for direct write and photomask writing with inspection and measurement. The cooperation covers several SLM component generations aimed to support future semiconductor design nodes. Micronic first licensed the SLM technology, which is based on a MEMS circuit with a flat, mirror-like surface, in 1998. The agreement was expanded in 2000 to include direct write applications. "We are very pleased to extend the development cooperation with Fraunhofer IMS, and to broaden our license rights to include new applications," said Sven Löfquist, Micronic president and CEO. "The SLM technology has a broad scope of potential applications, including inspection and measurement for the electronic industry. "This agreement with Micronic strengthens the position of Fraunhofer IMS as the leading research institute in the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)," said Dr. Huber Lakner, head of department and program manager of Fraunhofer IMS. About Micronic Laser Systems AB Micronic Laser Systems AB is a Swedish high-tech company engaged in the development, manufacture and marketing of a series of extremely accurate laser pattern generators for the production of photomasks. The technology involved is known as microlithography. Micronic's systems are used by the world's leading electronics companies in the manufacture of television and computer displays, semiconductor circuits and semiconductor packaging components. Micronic is located in Täby, north of Stockholm and at present has subsidiaries in the United States and Japan and a service office in Taiwan. Micronic's net sales for 2000 amounted to MSEK 704 (MSEK 213 in 1999) and the company has 325 employees. Micronic maintains a web site at: http://www.micronic.se About Fraunhofer IMS The Fraunhofer Gesellschaft is Europe's leading organization for applied research, with its headquarters located in Munich, Germany. It operates 56 research institutes with some 11,000 employees, half of them scientists and engineers. The Fraunhofer Gesellschaft has expanded into a worldwide network with locations in Germany, the USA and Asia. Company contact: Agency contact: Sven Löfquist Dylan McGrath President & CEO The Loomis Group, Inc. Tel: +46 8 638 52 00 Tel: +1 415 882 9494 sven.lofquist@micronic.se dylan@loomisgroup.com ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/12/20/20011220BIT01120/bit0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/12/20/20011220BIT01120/bit0001.pdf