<s>
The	O
Perkin-Elmer	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
was	O
a	O
family	O
of	O
aligners	B-Algorithm
introduced	O
in	O
1973	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Micralign	B-Algorithm
was	O
the	O
first	O
projection	O
aligner	B-Algorithm
,	O
a	O
concept	O
that	O
dramatically	O
improved	O
semiconductor	B-Architecture
fabrication	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
addressed	O
a	O
significant	O
problem	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
integrated	O
circuit	O
(	O
IC	O
)	O
industry	O
,	O
that	O
the	O
vast	O
majority	O
of	O
ICs	O
printed	O
contained	O
defects	O
that	O
rendered	O
them	O
useless	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
improved	O
this	O
to	O
over	O
50%	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
great	O
as	O
70%	O
in	O
many	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
doing	O
so	O
,	O
the	O
price	O
of	O
microprocessors	B-Architecture
and	O
dynamic	O
RAM	O
products	O
fell	O
about	O
10	O
times	O
between	O
1974	O
and	O
1978	O
,	O
by	O
which	O
time	O
the	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
had	O
become	O
practically	O
universal	O
in	O
the	O
high-end	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
predicting	O
to	O
sell	O
perhaps	O
50	O
units	O
,	O
Perkin-Elmer	O
eventually	O
sold	O
about	O
2	O
,	O
000	O
,	O
making	O
them	O
the	O
by	O
far	O
largest	O
vendor	O
in	O
the	O
semiconductor	B-Architecture
fabrication	I-Architecture
equipment	O
space	O
through	O
the	O
second	O
half	O
of	O
the	O
1970s	O
and	O
early	O
1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
was	O
slow	O
to	O
respond	O
to	O
the	O
challenge	O
of	O
the	O
stepper	B-Algorithm
,	O
which	O
replaced	O
the	O
projection	O
aligners	B-Algorithm
in	O
most	O
roles	O
starting	O
in	O
the	O
mid-1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
move	O
to	O
extreme	O
ultraviolet	B-Application
as	O
a	O
response	O
failed	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
technology	O
was	O
not	O
mature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
attempt	O
,	O
buying	O
a	O
European	O
stepper	B-Algorithm
company	O
,	O
did	O
nothing	O
to	O
reverse	O
their	O
fortunes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Integrated	O
circuits	O
(	O
ICs	O
)	O
are	O
produced	O
in	O
a	O
multi-step	O
process	O
known	O
as	O
photolithography	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
process	O
begins	O
with	O
thin	O
disks	O
of	O
highly	O
pure	O
silicon	O
being	O
sawn	O
from	O
a	O
crystalline	O
cylinder	O
known	O
as	O
a	O
boule	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
initial	O
processing	O
,	O
these	O
disks	O
are	O
known	O
as	O
wafers	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
IC	O
consists	O
of	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
layers	O
of	O
lines	O
and	O
areas	O
patterned	O
onto	O
the	O
surface	O
of	O
the	O
wafer	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
wafers	B-Architecture
are	O
coated	O
in	O
a	O
chemical	O
known	O
as	O
photoresist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
layer	O
of	O
the	O
ultimate	O
chip	O
design	O
is	O
printed	O
on	O
a	O
"	O
mask	O
"	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
a	O
stencil	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
mask	O
is	O
placed	O
over	O
the	O
wafer	B-Architecture
and	O
an	O
ultraviolet	B-Application
(	O
UV	O
)	O
lamp	O
,	O
typically	O
a	O
mercury	O
arc	O
lamp	O
,	O
is	O
shone	O
on	O
the	O
mask	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
result	O
is	O
a	O
duplication	O
of	O
the	O
pattern	O
from	O
the	O
mask	O
onto	O
the	O
surface	O
of	O
the	O
wafer	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
the	O
purpose	O
of	O
the	O
aligner	B-Algorithm
,	O
a	O
task	O
that	O
was	O
originally	O
completed	O
manually	O
using	O
a	O
microscope	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
a	O
strong	O
economic	O
argument	O
to	O
use	O
larger	O
wafers	B-Architecture
,	O
as	O
more	O
individual	O
IC	O
's	O
can	O
be	O
patterned	O
on	O
the	O
surface	O
and	O
produced	O
in	O
a	O
single	O
series	O
of	O
operations	O
,	O
thereby	O
producing	O
more	O
chips	O
during	O
the	O
same	O
period	O
of	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
larger	O
wafer	B-Architecture
gave	O
rise	O
to	O
significant	O
optical	O
issues	O
;	O
focussing	O
the	O
light	O
over	O
the	O
area	O
while	O
maintaining	O
very	O
high	O
uniformity	O
was	O
a	O
major	O
challenge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
early	O
1970s	O
,	O
wafers	B-Architecture
had	O
been	O
about	O
2.5inches	O
in	O
diameter	O
for	O
some	O
time	O
and	O
were	O
just	O
moving	O
to	O
3inches	O
,	O
but	O
existing	O
optical	O
systems	O
were	O
having	O
problems	O
with	O
this	O
size	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Every	O
time	O
a	O
new	O
wafer	B-Architecture
size	O
was	O
introduced	O
,	O
the	O
optical	O
systems	O
have	O
to	O
be	O
redesigned	O
from	O
scratch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
1960s	O
,	O
the	O
most	O
common	O
way	O
to	O
hold	O
the	O
mask	O
during	O
the	O
exposure	O
processes	O
was	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
contact	O
aligner	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
name	O
implies	O
,	O
the	O
purpose	O
of	O
this	O
device	O
was	O
to	O
precisely	O
align	O
the	O
mask	O
between	O
each	O
patterning	O
step	O
,	O
and	O
once	O
aligned	O
,	O
hold	O
the	O
mask	O
directly	O
on	O
the	O
surface	O
of	O
the	O
wafer	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reason	O
for	O
holding	O
the	O
mask	O
on	O
the	O
wafer	B-Architecture
was	O
that	O
at	O
the	O
scale	O
of	O
the	O
lines	O
being	O
drawn	O
,	O
diffraction	O
of	O
the	O
light	O
around	O
the	O
edges	O
of	O
the	O
lines	O
on	O
the	O
mask	O
would	O
blur	O
the	O
image	O
if	O
there	O
was	O
any	O
distance	O
between	O
the	O
mask	O
and	O
the	O
wafer	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
annoying	O
was	O
that	O
any	O
dust	O
that	O
reached	O
the	O
aligner	B-Algorithm
's	O
interior	O
might	O
stick	O
to	O
the	O
mask	O
and	O
would	O
be	O
imaged	O
on	O
subsequent	O
wafers	B-Architecture
as	O
if	O
it	O
were	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
pattern	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Equally	O
annoying	O
was	O
that	O
uncured	O
photoresist	O
would	O
stick	O
to	O
the	O
mask	O
,	O
and	O
when	O
the	O
mask	O
was	O
lifted	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
pull	O
off	O
the	O
top	O
surface	O
from	O
the	O
wafer	B-Architecture
,	O
destroying	O
that	O
wafer	B-Architecture
and	O
once	O
again	O
adding	O
spurious	O
images	O
on	O
the	O
mask	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
any	O
particular	O
wafer	B-Architecture
could	O
be	O
damaged	O
at	O
any	O
given	O
masking	O
step	O
,	O
the	O
chance	O
that	O
any	O
one	O
wafer	B-Architecture
would	O
make	O
it	O
through	O
to	O
production	O
without	O
damage	O
was	O
a	O
function	O
of	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
steps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microprocessors	B-Architecture
,	O
in	O
particular	O
,	O
were	O
complex	O
multi-layer	O
designs	O
that	O
had	O
extremely	O
low	O
yield	O
,	O
with	O
perhaps	O
1	O
in	O
10	O
of	O
the	O
patterns	O
on	O
a	O
wafer	B-Architecture
delivering	O
a	O
working	O
chip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
traces	O
its	O
history	O
to	O
a	O
1967	O
contract	O
with	O
the	O
US	O
Air	O
Force	O
for	O
a	O
higher-resolution	O
aligner	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
was	O
a	O
second	O
type	O
of	O
aligner	B-Algorithm
in	O
use	O
,	O
the	O
proximity	O
aligner	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
name	O
implies	O
,	O
these	O
held	O
the	O
mask	O
in	O
close	O
proximity	O
to	O
the	O
wafer	B-Architecture
rather	O
than	O
in	O
direct	O
contact	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
improved	O
the	O
life	O
of	O
the	O
mask	O
and	O
allowed	O
more	O
complex	O
design	O
,	O
but	O
had	O
the	O
downside	O
that	O
diffraction	O
effects	O
limited	O
its	O
use	O
to	O
relatively	O
large	O
features	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
contact	O
aligners	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
annoying	O
was	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
the	O
mask	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
aligned	O
in	O
three	O
axes	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
perfectly	O
flat	O
relative	O
to	O
the	O
wafer	B-Architecture
,	O
which	O
was	O
a	O
very	O
slow	O
process	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
to	O
hold	O
the	O
mask	O
in	O
such	O
a	O
way	O
that	O
it	O
did	O
n't	O
sag	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
resulting	O
system	O
could	O
produce	O
2.5μm	O
features	O
,	O
100millionths	O
of	O
an	O
inch	O
,	O
equal	O
to	O
the	O
best	O
contact	O
aligners	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combined	O
with	O
the	O
desire	O
to	O
move	O
to	O
the	O
larger	O
3-inch	O
wafers	B-Architecture
,	O
a	O
mirror	O
would	O
be	O
a	O
difficult	O
solution	O
in	O
spite	O
of	O
its	O
advantages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Scanning	O
requires	O
the	O
light	O
to	O
shine	O
on	O
the	O
photoresist	O
for	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
as	O
it	O
would	O
for	O
the	O
entire	O
wafer	B-Architecture
in	O
a	O
contact	O
aligner	B-Algorithm
,	O
so	O
this	O
implied	O
that	O
a	O
scanner	O
would	O
be	O
much	O
slower	O
to	O
operate	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
imaged	O
only	O
a	O
small	O
portion	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Offner	O
's	O
original	O
design	O
required	O
the	O
mask	O
and	O
wafer	B-Architecture
to	O
be	O
scanned	O
horizontally	O
in	O
precisely	O
the	O
same	O
motion	O
as	O
the	O
mask	O
passed	O
over	O
the	O
active	O
area	O
of	O
the	O
mirror	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
developed	O
a	O
new	O
layout	O
where	O
both	O
the	O
mask	O
and	O
wafer	B-Architecture
were	O
held	O
on	O
opposite	O
ends	O
of	O
a	O
C-shaped	O
holder	O
,	O
at	O
right	O
angles	O
to	O
the	O
main	O
mirror	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
mirrors	O
reflected	O
the	O
light	O
through	O
right	O
angles	O
so	O
vertical	O
motion	O
of	O
the	O
holder	O
was	O
translated	O
into	O
horizontal	O
scanning	O
over	O
the	O
main	O
mirror	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
roof	O
prism	O
flipped	O
the	O
final	O
image	O
so	O
that	O
the	O
mask	O
and	O
wafer	B-Architecture
did	O
not	O
produce	O
mirror	O
images	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
pre-launch	O
sales	O
effort	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
ran	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
wafers	B-Architecture
for	O
Texas	O
Instruments	O
,	O
which	O
they	O
then	O
used	O
as	O
their	O
"	O
golden	O
wafers	B-Architecture
"	O
to	O
show	O
to	O
potential	O
clients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
showed	O
the	O
wafers	B-Architecture
to	O
Raytheon	O
who	O
rejected	O
them	O
,	O
National	O
Semiconductor	O
who	O
were	O
impressed	O
,	O
and	O
Fairchild	O
Semiconductor	O
who	O
produced	O
electron	O
microscope	O
images	O
of	O
the	O
wafers	B-Architecture
which	O
showed	O
they	O
had	O
"	O
horrible	O
edges	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
time	O
they	O
returned	O
to	O
company	O
headquarters	O
in	O
Norcross	O
,	O
Raytheon	O
had	O
indicated	O
that	O
the	O
problem	O
might	O
not	O
be	O
with	O
the	O
aligner	B-Algorithm
itself	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
photoresist	O
layers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
sent	O
one	O
of	O
their	O
experienced	O
operators	O
to	O
Perkin-Elmer	O
and	O
began	O
sorting	O
out	O
the	O
practical	O
problems	O
of	O
fabrication	B-Architecture
that	O
the	O
company	O
had	O
not	O
had	O
to	O
deal	O
with	O
previously	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
sale	O
of	O
what	O
was	O
now	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
100	O
was	O
in	O
1974	O
to	O
Texas	O
Instruments	O
,	O
which	O
paid	O
$	O
98,000	O
for	O
the	O
machine	O
,	O
,	O
about	O
three	O
times	O
that	O
of	O
existing	O
high-end	O
contact	O
aligners	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
simple	O
single-layer	O
ICs	O
like	O
the	O
7400-series	O
,	O
yields	O
improved	O
from	O
75	O
percent	O
with	O
contact	O
printing	O
to	O
90	O
percent	O
with	O
the	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Results	O
were	O
more	O
dramatic	O
for	O
larger	O
chips	O
;	O
a	O
typical	O
four-function	O
calculator	O
chip	O
yielded	O
30	O
percent	O
using	O
contact	O
printing	O
,	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
yielded	O
65	O
percent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microprocessors	B-Architecture
were	O
only	O
truly	O
useful	O
after	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Intel	B-Device
8088	I-Device
had	O
yields	O
of	O
about	O
20%	O
on	O
older	O
systems	O
,	O
improving	O
to	O
60%	O
on	O
the	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
microprocessors	B-Architecture
were	O
designed	O
from	O
the	O
start	O
specifically	O
for	O
fabrication	B-Architecture
on	O
the	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Motorola	B-Device
6800	I-Device
was	O
produced	O
using	O
contact	O
aligners	B-Algorithm
and	O
sold	O
for	O
$295	O
in	O
single	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Motorola	O
management	O
refused	O
to	O
fund	O
development	O
,	O
he	O
left	O
and	O
moved	O
to	O
MOS	B-Architecture
Technology	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
MOS	B-General_Concept
6502	I-General_Concept
was	O
designed	O
specifically	O
for	O
the	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
in	O
mind	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
high	O
yield	O
and	O
smaller	O
feature	O
set	O
allowing	O
them	O
to	O
hit	O
their	O
design	O
cost	O
of	O
$5	O
per	O
unit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
introduced	O
the	O
6502	B-General_Concept
only	O
a	O
year	O
after	O
the	O
6800	O
,	O
selling	O
it	O
for	O
$25	O
in	O
singles	O
,	O
and	O
selling	O
both	O
the	O
6502	B-General_Concept
and	O
RIOT	B-Device
to	O
Atari	O
for	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
$12	O
per	O
pair	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
Model	O
110	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
an	O
automated	O
wafer	B-Architecture
loader	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
the	O
operators	O
to	O
rapidly	O
mask	O
many	O
wafers	B-Architecture
in	O
a	O
row	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Model	O
111	O
was	O
a	O
single-wafer	O
model	O
that	O
replaced	O
the	O
100	O
,	O
and	O
could	O
be	O
adapted	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
2-	O
,	O
2.5	O
-	O
or	O
3-inch	O
wafers	B-Architecture
,	O
and	O
optionally	O
4×	O
4-	O
,	O
3.5	O
×	O
3.5	O
-	O
or	O
3×	O
3-inch	O
masks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Model	O
120	O
was	O
a	O
111	O
with	O
automatic	O
wafer	B-Architecture
loading	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
130	O
worked	O
with	O
100mm	O
wafers	B-Architecture
and	O
5×	O
5-inch	O
masks	O
on	O
a	O
single	O
wafer	B-Architecture
system	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
140	O
added	O
wafer	B-Architecture
loading	O
to	O
the	O
130	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Any	O
existing	O
model	O
could	O
be	O
adapted	O
to	O
other	O
wafer	B-Architecture
and	O
mask	O
sizes	O
,	O
or	O
add	O
wafer	B-Architecture
loading	O
,	O
through	O
conversion	O
kits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second-generation	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
1979	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
offered	O
higher	O
resolutions	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
larger	O
wafers	B-Architecture
,	O
but	O
also	O
cost	O
much	O
more	O
at	O
$250	O
,	O
000	O
,	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
higher	O
price	O
was	O
offset	O
by	O
its	O
ability	O
to	O
print	O
more	O
chips	O
per	O
wafer	B-Architecture
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
smaller	O
feature	O
sizes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
1981	O
's	O
Model	O
500	O
increased	O
throughput	O
to	O
100	O
wafers	B-Architecture
an	O
hour	O
,	O
offsetting	O
its	O
$	O
675,000	O
price	O
,	O
via	O
improved	O
throughput	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
early	O
1980s	O
,	O
Perkin-Elmer	O
was	O
firmly	O
in	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
aligner	B-Algorithm
market	O
,	O
in	O
spite	O
of	O
concerted	O
efforts	O
on	O
the	O
parts	O
of	O
many	O
companies	O
to	O
enter	O
the	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Perkin-Elmer	O
was	O
introducing	O
the	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
,	O
several	O
other	O
companies	O
were	O
working	O
on	O
different	O
solutions	O
to	O
the	O
same	O
basic	O
problem	O
of	O
focussing	O
a	O
light	O
across	O
the	O
ever-growing	O
wafers	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
GCA	O
,	O
formerly	O
Geophysical	O
Corporation	O
of	O
America	O
,	O
had	O
been	O
working	O
on	O
a	O
concept	O
that	O
focused	O
on	O
only	O
a	O
small	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
wafer	B-Architecture
at	O
a	O
time	O
,	O
magnifying	O
the	O
image	O
of	O
the	O
mask	O
about	O
10-to-1	O
so	O
it	O
could	O
shine	O
more	O
light	O
through	O
a	O
much	O
larger	O
mask	O
and	O
make	O
up	O
for	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
it	O
used	O
only	O
a	O
single	O
band	O
of	O
UV	O
light	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
had	O
purchased	O
one	O
at	O
about	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
the	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
came	O
to	O
market	O
,	O
but	O
gave	O
up	O
on	O
the	O
system	O
and	O
concluded	O
it	O
could	O
never	O
work	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1981	O
,	O
GCA	O
had	O
solved	O
the	O
problems	O
in	O
the	O
stepper	B-Algorithm
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
was	O
running	O
out	O
of	O
resolution	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
additional	O
magnification	O
in	O
the	O
GCA	O
system	O
allowed	O
it	O
to	O
operate	O
at	O
finer	O
feature	O
sizes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
roughly	O
the	O
same	O
speed	O
that	O
the	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
ended	O
sales	O
of	O
contact	O
printers	O
,	O
GCA	O
's	O
stepper	B-Algorithm
ended	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
of	O
steppers	B-Algorithm
,	O
the	O
Model	O
600	O
bet	O
on	O
extreme	O
ultraviolet	B-Application
(	O
EUV	O
)	O
as	O
a	O
solution	O
to	O
the	O
resolution	O
problem	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steppers	B-Algorithm
were	O
far	O
slower	O
than	O
the	O
Micralign	B-Algorithm
and	O
much	O
more	O
expensive	O
,	O
so	O
sales	O
started	O
very	O
slowly	O
,	O
but	O
by	O
the	O
mid-1980s	O
the	O
stepper	B-Algorithm
was	O
rapidly	O
taking	O
over	O
the	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
stay	O
in	O
the	O
market	O
,	O
in	O
1984	O
Perkin-Elmer	O
purchased	O
Censor	O
,	O
a	O
stepper	B-Algorithm
company	O
from	O
Liechtenstein	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
product	O
never	O
made	O
major	O
inroads	O
in	O
the	O
market	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
spite	O
of	O
GCA	O
's	O
bankruptcy	O
in	O
1987	O
,	O
Perkin-Elmer	O
decided	O
to	O
give	O
up	O
on	O
the	O
Microlithography	O
Division	O
and	O
put	O
it	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
in	O
April	O
1989	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
their	O
electron-beam	B-Architecture
lithography	I-Architecture
(	O
EBL	O
)	O
division	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
EBL	O
work	O
quickly	O
sold	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
aligner	B-Algorithm
division	O
lingered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1990	O
it	O
was	O
purchased	O
by	O
the	O
Silicon	O
Valley	O
Group	O
(	O
SVGL	O
)	O
in	O
a	O
multi-way	O
deal	O
involving	O
IBM	O
whose	O
involvement	O
was	O
brokered	O
by	O
Nikon	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
