Daily News Briefs

FANUC Robotics America Inc., a subsidiary of FANUC Ltd. in Japan, and Biomation, of Madison, Ala., announced they will jointly market FANUC Robotics' LR Mate 200iB cleanroom robot and related software products to life science manufacturers and diagnostic laboratories. Biomation is the life sciences group of CTA Inc., a robotic systems integrator specializing in precision coating and robotic material handling applications for the aerospace, defense and plastics industries. . . . Precision optics manufacturer Nikon Instruments Inc. announced it has entered into a cooperative marketing agreement with Q3DM Inc., which has integrated Nikon's TE2000 inverted research microscope as the optical platform for its EIDAQ 100 High Throughput Microscopy system. Nikon Instruments Inc. will be the liaison for technical support for the TE2000, and Q3DM will process sales requests and provide support for the EIDAQ 100 HTM. . . . Bookham Technology, a supplier of GaAs MMICs (gallium arsenide monolithic microwave devices) and foundry services from its Caswell, England, facility, said it is launching one of the first European-based commercial processes to use 6-inch-GaAs-wafer technology. The new 6-inch-wafer technology will increase per-wafer device volumes by up to a factor of four, said the company, which displayed a sample 6-inch wafer at the 2003 International Microwave Symposium last week in Philadelphia.