RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. - Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), the world's leading university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, today announced that Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL), the world's second-largest chip-equipment supplier, has joined the consortium's community of 23 companies and partners plus 100 universities worldwide.

"The implications of TEL's joining ranks with Applied, Novellus and the other segments of the semiconductor industry to help focus university research are promising for the global chip business," said Larry Sumney, CEO and president of the SRC. "Teamwork among those members is unprecedented and will serve to accelerate the industry's efforts worldwide for finding new answers to the increasing barriers for advanced semiconductor manufacturing."

TEL will work with SRC's other members in the Global Research Collaboration (GRC), a program of the SRC that is responsible for narrowing the options for carrying CMOS to its ultimate limit. TEL will take a lead role in collaborating on enhancements to the academic research agenda for materials and processes associated with semiconductor manufacturing.

"The challenges are getting more difficult for the entire semiconductor industry. There's an urgent need for collaboration among all segments of the value chain," said Tetsuro Higashi, chief executive of Japan's TEL. "SRC is the world's leading forum where the equipment makers can partner with the entire spectrum of chipmakers and suppliers in a pre-competitive setting. We expect that our participation there will provide substantial achievements for both TEL and the industry."

As a new member, TEL will quickly join with other SRC GRC companies to plan the next five years of research by the consortium's network.

"SRC's GRC is an outstanding university research consortium where TEL and other key global players can drive integrated collaboration," said Dr. John Kelly III, senior vice president of Technology and Intellectual Property, IBM. "As SRC benefits the entire spectrum of the industry, it's vital to gain inputs from leaders in semiconductor materials and processes like TEL. We welcome TEL to SRC GRC membership."

"R&D costs are increasing and it's no longer possible for one company to provide a complete solution," added Stan Myers, president and CEO of SEMI, the global industry association whose members include equipment suppliers for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. "TEL is the most recent equipment supplier to step up to the responsibility of joining the SRC member community in funding and guiding the future of the semiconductor business."

About SRC
Celebrating 25 years of collaborative research for the semiconductor industry, SRC defines industry needs, invests in and manages the research that gives its members a competitive advantage in the dynamic global marketplace. SRC expands the industry knowledge base and attracts premier students to help innovate and transfer semiconductor technology to the commercial industry. Based in Research Triangle Park, NC, SRC's GRC program drives long-term semiconductor research contracts on behalf of its participating members: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.; Applied Materials, Inc.; Axcelis Technologies, Inc.; Cadence Design Systems; Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Co.; IBM Corp.; Intel Corp.; LSI Logic Corp.; Mentor Graphics Corp.; The Mitre Corp.; Novellus Systems, Inc.; Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials; Texas Instruments Corp. and Tokyo Electron Ltd. SRC also seeks to leverage funding from global government agencies. For more information, visit www.src.org.

About TEL
TEL, established in 1963, is a leading supplier of innovative semiconductor and FPD production equipment worldwide. In Japan, TEL also distributes computer network related products and electronic components of global leading suppliers. To support this diverse product base, TEL is strategically located around the world. TEL is a publicly held company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. www.tel.com.