SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 23, 2007 -- Agilent Technologies Inc. said it is entering the growing ultraviolet (UV) optics market by offering deep-UV coating capabilities for optics used in medical and semiconductor photolithography systems. The company made the announcement yesterday at SPIE Photonics West 2008 in San Jose, Calif.

"UV-wavelength lasers and lamps are driving high-volume requirements for optical components," said Vince Barich, operations and marketing manager for Agilent's precision optics group. "Challenges for system designers include coating compaction and optic lifetime. Agilent has developed proprietary high-throughput UV coatings that increase component lifetime while minimizing compaction, thereby extending the time between maintenance cycles and reducing system downtime."

Reflectivity and damage-threshold testing have been successfully completed, and in independent tests Agilent has qualified multiple coating chambers, which ensures product availability, the company said.

Agilent said its vertically integrated design-to-production facility includes in-house fabrication (shaping, grinding and polishing) and coating (deep-UV to near-IR) capabilities. Comprehensive metrology and use of the latest equipment to monitor and control pressure, temperature and rate ensure accurate and repeatable production processes.

Agilent is showcasing its new UV optics in Booth 1037 at Photonics West.

For more information, visit: www.agilent.com/find/optics; e-mail: optics-info@agilent.com

Agilent Technologies Inc.
5301 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95051
Phone: (877) 424-4536
Fax: (408) 345-8474

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