Daily News Briefs

Therma-Wave Inc., a Fremont, Calif., developer of process control metrology systems used in the manufacture of semiconductors, announced it has received a repeat order from a European semiconductor manufacturer for multiple Opti-Probe systems. The multi-million-dollar order for the thin-film metrology system follows the customer's recent order for several Opti-Probe 7341 tools used to monitor critical diffusion processes at several of its fabrication facilities. . . . CopyTele Inc., a Melville, N.Y., maker of flat panel video displays, announced an agreement with an Asian company to jointly produce prototypes of two products that use a thin-film technology (TFT) color matrix pixel structure based on CopyTele's high-brightness video flat panel display technology. Under the agreement, the Asian company will supply prototypes of the products to CopyTele. The products are modified TFT color matrix structures: 7-inch (diagonal) with 1440 x 234 pixels and 5-inch with 960 x 234 pixels. CopyTele will complete the color displays by adding color phosphors in each pixel in the product matrices and by using its electron emission technology to activate the red, blue and green phosphors. CopyTele said the color displays will be able to accommodate both wide-screen and standard TV formats for digital TV and DVD operation.