BusinessWire
March 13, 2007 04:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time

QED Technologies Announces New Metrology Tool for Aspheres

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--QED Technologies (QED), the pioneer and exclusive provider of Magnetorheological Finishing (MRF®) and Subaperture Stitching Interferometry (SSI®), today announced the release of the SSI-A™, a metrology tool for aspheres.

Interferometric asphere metrology has traditionally required the use of a null lens or computer-generated hologram that must be specially designed for each different aspheric surface. This approach pushes the limits of practicality, given the significant expense and long lead times required to produce the null elements.

QED’s newly-developed SSI-A, which is based on the same platform as the SSI, makes full-aperture interferometric measurements of aspheres with no dedicated null lenses by taking several subaperture measurements over the entire work surface and stitching the results together into a lattice to synthesize a full-aperture map. The SSI-A automatically selects an appropriate transmission sphere and then steps through an automated process to complete the measurement. The SSI-A magnifies the subaperture measurements over the full aperture of the asphere, so the subsequent stitching process and lattice design result in superior lateral resolution and overall accuracy.

“We’re thrilled about the release of the SSI-A”, said Marc Tricard, QED Technologies’ Director of Business Development. “Our aim has always been to create enabling solutions for all levels of optics manufacturers and now with the SSI-A, we’ve created a flexible and accurate interferometric asphere metrology product for the first time. This one metrology tool can measure flats, spheres and aspheres. The SSI-A provides a practical solution to optics system designers to finally enable creative, cost-effective use of aspheres as design elements.”

ABOUT QED TECHNOLOGIES

Since it was founded in 1996, QED Technologies, based in Rochester, NY, has built a reputation for producing high quality products based on revolutionary, patented technology, advanced computer numerical control machines and world-class software to provide shop-ready solutions for nearly any precision optics manufacturing need. QED offers state-of-the-art finishing and metrology solutions that are designed to meet the needs of advanced optics manufacturers by increasing production speed and yield while decreasing costs. QED is dedicated to providing revolutionary technical solutions that enable or significantly enhance its customers’ capabilities and positively impact their bottom line. QED Technologies is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cabot Microelectronics Corporation (NASDAQ:CCMP). For more information about QED Technologies, visit www.qedmrf.com or contact Robin Townell, Marketing Specialist, at (585) 256-6540, ext. 241.

ABOUT CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

Cabot Microelectronics Corporation, headquartered in Aurora, Illinois, is the world's leading supplier of CMP slurries used in semiconductor and data storage manufacturing. The company's products play a critical role in the production of the most advanced semiconductor devices, enabling the manufacture of smaller, faster and more complex devices by its customers. Since becoming an independent public company in 2000, the company has grown to approximately 750 employees who work at research and development labs, sales and business offices, manufacturing facilities and customer service centers in China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The company's vision is to become the world leader in shaping, enabling and enhancing the performance of surfaces, and thus looks beyond its core CMP business in the semiconductor industry. For more information about Cabot Microelectronics Corporation, visit www.cabotcmp.com or contact Amy Ford, Director of Investor Relations, at (630) 499-2600.