The Canon USA Semiconductor Equipment Division, San Jose, Calif., supplies step-and-repeat and step-and-scan photolithography tools manufactured by the Semiconductor Production Equipment Group of Canon Inc. This group has been contributing significantly to Canon's overall corporate growth for three decades.

Since the 1970's, the division has had a strong presence in the United States, where it is responsible for marketing and sales, customer process development, technical support, training and administrative operations. Its customers are manufacturers of integrated circuit (IC) devices, thin film heads for data storage drives, and microelectromechanical devices (MEMS).

Semiconductor chipmakers use ultraprecision Canon lithography tools to align and focus a high intensity beam of light that passes through a master pattern of the chip's circuitry and exposes small areas of a silicon wafer, each of which will eventually become an individual chip. The positioning, focusing and exposure steps occur at very high speed and within dimensions of only a few ten-millionths of an inch.

Photolithography is a key enabling technology in IC production, so Canon seeks to be the preferred partner for its customers by providing compelling leading edge technology, products and solutions. This requires not only close support at customer sites, but also substantial ongoing investment in R&D, and close collaboration with other suppliers of IC design and processing equipment, materials and services.