BILTHOVEN, the Netherlands, August 27 --- ASM International NV, a manufacturer of equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices, announced it will make a long-term cooperative agreement with the University of Helsinki to jointly develop atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology, beginning in November. As part of this agreement, ASM intends to relocate its Espoo, Finland, research and development activities to the nearby campus of the University of Helsinki. ALD technology deposits single atomic layers on semiconductor wafers one at a time at low temperatures. The process is used to create ultrathin films of exceptional quality and flatness. Through its Microchemistry subsidiary, ASM has developed ALD applications for the semiconductor industry, and the university conducts leading ALD research. Under the new agreement, ASM International will move equipment and relocate 10 to 15 of its scientists and engineers to the university campus. The company's Microchemistry subsidiary will continue to develop new ALD applications for the semiconductor industry and to transfer these processes to other ASM subsidiaries for commercialization, the company said. ASM also announced it has completed moving the operations of its Polygon atomic layer chemical vapor deposition product line to the US, and has reduced its Finnish subsidiary's work force by 20 to 25, as part of the restructuring of its front-end operations. Markku Leskela, a professor of inorganic chemistry at the university, said, "Although we regret the reduction in size of ASM Microchemistry, nearly doubling ALD researchers and reactors in our premises is a great opportunity for a fruitful cooperation." He continued, "We can now do everything from precursor design to initial manufacturing scale-up, which will increase speed and chances of technology adoption in the industry." For more information, visit: www.asm.com