TOKYO, JAPAN -Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL; Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; C.E.O., President: Tetsuro Higashi), has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Timbre Technologies, Inc. (Head Office: Fremont, California; CEO & Chairman: Alan Nolet).

The broad spread of digital home appliances and mobile information terminals has spurred diversification, finer design rules and faster speed in semiconductor devices, requiring technologies used to manufacture semiconductor devices to become more sophisticated and complex. Timbre Technologies has developed the most advanced measurement software technology, which is essential for manufacturing semiconductor chip patterns at the sub-100nm level. By fusing TEL's broad line of products and world wide customer support with Timbre's technologies, TEL adds to their ability to supply process control technologies to meet diverse customer needs throughout the semiconductor production process.

Timbre's Optical Digital Profile (ODP) technology is a breakthrough computer software approach which yields critical dimension (CD), cross sectional profile and film thickness in a single measurement. It enables precise device pattern cross-section to be generated with high repeatability in seconds. In addition to conventional SEM measurement technology, ODP will become a required measurement technology in sub 130nm processing.

The acquisition of Timbre's technology will allow TEL to incorporate the most advanced process controls and yield management technologies required for future markets into its next-generation wafer processing equipment.

About Timbre

Timbre Technologies, established in 1998, has developed the breakthrough to the long sought solution for the use of penetrating, broad band light for internal profiling of semiconductor device structures. Timbre was incubated at the University of California, Berkeley Micro Lab and has quickly become the leading approach and supplier of Optical Digital Profiles-digital cross sections, of advanced geometries.

Timbre is a privately held company based in Fremont, Ca. engaged in the development, manufacture and marketing of advanced software solutions for the semiconductor and other solid state industries.