Daily News Briefs

Newport Corp. announced it has received three orders for semiconductor capital equipment with a total value of $6 million. One system, purchased by a semiconductor equipment manufacturer, is a precision motion platform that will be incorporated into a laser-based processing tool. The system uses the advanced motion control technology of Newport's DynamYX wafer positioning stages to deliver movement in multiple axes. The other two orders, from a producer of semiconductor metrology tools, are for integrated opto-mechanical subassemblies. One forms part of an in-line wafer inspection system and the other is incorporated into a reticle metrology tool. The subassemblies feature high-performance laser optics, manufactured with Newport's magnetorheological finishing technology, and precision optical mounts. Newport said it expects to complete shipment of the orders this fall.. . .C. Mark Melliar-Smith has been appointed COO of Molecular Imprints Inc. (MII), an Austin, Texas, manufacturer of step and flash imprint lithography. Melliar-Smith, who is also a member of MII's board, was formerly CEO and president of International Sematech. Prior to that, he was CTO of Lucent Technologies Microelectronics, the forerunner of Agere Systems.