Companies such as IBM and Intel use complicated processes and equipment to manufacture computer chips. As many as 20 to 30 different types of equipment are needed to produce these devices, and Nikon Corp. manufactures a vital element in the process: integrated circuit and liquid crystal display technology. The manufacturing of integrated circuits requires two basic components: wafers and microlithography photomasks. Nikon produces equipment for the photolithograpic imaging of wafers and the measurement, inspection, and cleaning of photomasks. This photolithography process demands highly accurate, reliable, high-volume production systems capable of producing integrated circuits.
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