FEBRUARY 22--The name change is a result of last year's takeover of Leica's semiconductor business by Golden Gate Capital, an investment company located in San Francisco, CA. Vistec Semiconductor Systems (www.semiconation.com) consists of three internationally active business units providing key production technology used by all semiconductor manufacturers and many research institutes around the world:
* Vistec Semiconductor Systems GmbH--previously Leica Microsystems Semiconductor GmbH, located in Wetzlar, Germany
* Vistec Electron Beam GmbH--previously Leica Microsystems Lithography GmbH, located in Jena, Germany
* Vistec Lithography Ltd.--previously Leica Microsystems Lithography Ltd., located in Cambridge, UK

The product portfolio includes inspection systems, defect detection and classification, and metrology systems for mask and wafer manufacturing. The company's electron-beam systems are used for microchip production and integrated optics, as well as for scientific and commercial research.

In addition to the production facilities in Germany and the UK, the company also maintains support centers in the USA, Japan, China, Singapore, Taiwan, and Korea. In 2005 the company generated revenues of about €94 million ($112.5 million).

Wed Feb 22 13:27:00 CST 2006