News Briefs (Jan. 6, 2006)

Friends and colleagues at Cymer Inc. today are mourning the loss of Pascal Didier, who served most recently as the company's strategy advisor and formerly as president and chief operating officer. Diagnosed with cancer in 2004, Didier, 47, died yesterday in San Diego. He is survived by his wife, Patricia, and daughter, Cindy. Employees at Cymer, a provider of excimer laser illumination sources for deep-ultraviolet photolithography systems used in semiconductor manufacturing, say Didier will be remembered for his significant contributions to the company's development, growth and vision over the past 10 years. . . . Essex Corp. of Columbia, Md., said it received its first production order for a microwave transceiver assembly (MTA), made by its Commercial Communications Products Div. at its Melbourne, Fla., office. The initial order is for approximately $500,000; units will be delivered beginning in the 2006 second quarter. The MTA is a fiber optic analog module for defense and commercial point-to-point microwave applications. Typical applications are remote antenna interconnects, secure analog transmission, broad bandwidth signal transmission, signal distribution in environments with high electromagnetic interference, and in phased-array applications. Essex said it plans to produce more MTAs this year based on demand. . . . Jabil Circuit, a St. Petersburg, Fla., provider of electronics design, manufacturing and product management services to electronics and technology companies, announced it will develop optical modules as part of a joint venture with Carl Zeiss. Jabil, which will have the majority interest in the joint venture, said the partnership will enable it to add optical module capability to its Display Technologies business unit. Carl Zeiss will provide digital light-processing technology expertise in the development, technology, marketing, sales and production of display applications. It said the deal will ensure the long-term competitiveness of its Display Technologies Div. . . . Keithley Instruments Inc., a Cleveland, Ohio-based maker of test and measurement equipment, announced the availability of its 2006 test and measurement product catalog. The desktop reference guide offers details and specifications on Keithley's general-purpose and sensitive sourcing and measurement products, DC switching, radio frequency switching and measurement, data acquisition solutions, semiconductor test systems and optoelectronics test hardware and tutorials for specific applications. To request a free copy, visit: www.keithley.com