General
Photronics, Inc. is a Connecticut corporation, organized in 1969. Its principal executive offices are located at 15 Secor Road, Brookfield, Connecticut 06804, telephone (203) 775-9000. Photronics, Inc. and its subsidiaries are collectively referred to herein as "Photronics" or the "Company". The Company's website is located at http://www.photronics.com. The Company makes available, free of charge through its website, its annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The information contained or incorporated in the Company's website is not part of these documents.
Photronics is one of the world's leading manufacturers of photomasks, which are high precision photographic quartz plates containing microscopic images of electronic circuits. Photomasks are a key element in the manufacture of semiconductors and flat panel displays ("FPDs"), and are used as masters to transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers and flat panel substrates during the fabrication of integrated circuits ("ICs") and a variety of FPDs and, to a lesser extent, other types of electrical and optical components. The Company currently operates principally from eight manufacturing facilities; two of which are located in Europe, two in Taiwan, one in Korea and three in the United States. In the first quarter of fiscal 2012 the Company ceased the manufacturing of photomasks at its Singapore facility.
Manufacturing Technology
The Company manufactures photomasks, which are used as masters to transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers and flat panel substrates. The photomasks are manufactured in accordance with circuit designs provided on a confidential basis by the Company's customers. IC and FPD photomask sets are manufactured in layers, each having a distinct pattern which is etched onto a different photomask. The resulting series of photomasks is then used to image the circuit patterns onto each successive layer of a semiconductor wafer or flat panel substrate. The typical manufacturing process for a photomask involves the receipt and conversion of circuit design data to manufacturing pattern data. A lithography system then exposes the circuit pattern onto the photomask blank. The exposed areas are developed and etched to produce that pattern on the photomask. The photomask is then inspected for defects and conformity to the customer's design data. After any defects are repaired, the photomask is cleaned using a proprietary process, any required pellicles (protective translucent cellulose membranes) are applied and, after final inspection, the photomask is shipped to the customer.
The Company currently supports customers across the full spectrum of IC production and FPD technologies by manufacturing photomasks using electron beam or optical (laser-based) technologies. Electron beam and laser-based systems are the predominant technologies used for photomask manufacturing. These technologies are capable of producing the finer line resolution, tighter overlay and larger die size for the larger and more complex circuits currently being designed. Electron beam and laser generated photomasks can be used with the most advanced processing techniques to produce the most advanced semiconductors and FPDs for use in an array of products. However, in the case of IC production, electron beam technologies fabricate the large majority of critical layer photomasks. End markets served with IC photomasks include devices used for microprocessors, memory, telecommunications and related applications. The Company currently owns a number of high-end and mature electron beam and laser-based systems. Photomasks produced using laser-based systems are less expensive and less precise than those manufactured on high-end electron beam systems.
The first several layers of photomasks are sometimes required to be delivered by the Company within 24 hours from the time it receives customers' design data. The ability to manufacture high quality photomasks within short time periods is dependent upon robust processes, geographic proximity to customers, efficient manufacturing methods, high production yield and high equipment reliability. The Company works to meet these requirements by making significant investments in research and development, manufacturing, and data processing systems, and by utilizing statistical process control methods to optimize the manufacturing process and reduce cycle times.
3
Quality control is an integral part of the photomask manufacturing process. Photomasks are manufactured in temperature, humidity, and particulate controlled clean rooms because of the high level of precision, quality and manufacturing yield required. Each photomask is inspected several times during the manufacturing process to ensure compliance with customer specifications. The Company continues to make substantial investments in equipment to inspect and repair photomasks to ensure that customer specifications are met.
The majority of IC photomasks produced for the semiconductor industry employ geometries of 65 nanometers or larger. At these geometries, the Company can produce full lines of photomasks and there is no significant technology employed by the Company's competitors that is not also available to the Company. The Company is also capable of producing full lines of photomasks for high-end IC and FPD applications. In the case of ICs, this includes photomasks at and below the 45 nanometer technology node and, for FPDs, at and above the Generation 8 technology node and active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display screens. The Company has access to technology and customer qualified manufacturing capability that allows it to compete in high-end markets, serving both IC and FPD applications.
Sales and Marketing
The market for photomasks primarily consists of domestic and international semiconductor and FPD manufacturers and designers, including a limited number of manufacturers who have the capability to internally manufacture photomasks. Photomasks are manufactured by independent merchant manufacturers like Photronics, and by semiconductor and FPD manufacturers that produce photomasks exclusively for their own use (captive manufacturers). Since the mid-1980s, there has been a strong trend in Asia, Europe and North America towards the divesture or closing of captive photomask operations by semiconductor manufacturers and an increase in the share of the market served by independent manufacturers. This trend has been driven by the increased complexity and cost of capital equipment used in manufacturing photomasks.
Generally, the Company and each of its customers engage in a qualification and correlation process before the Company becomes an approved supplier. Thereafter, the Company typically negotiates pricing parameters for a customer's orders based on the customer's specifications. Some prices may remain in effect for an extended period of time. In some instances, the Company enters into sales arrangements with an understanding that, as long as the Company's performance is competitive, the Company will receive a specified percentage of that customer's photomask requirements.
The Company conducts its sales and marketing activities primarily through a staff of full-time sales personnel and customer service representatives who work closely with the Company's management and technical personnel. In addition to the sales personnel at the Company's manufacturing facilities, the Company has sales offices throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.
The Company supports international customers through both its domestic and international facilities. The Company considers its presence in international markets to be an important factor in attracting new customers, providing global solutions to its customers, minimizing delivery time, and serving customers that utilize manufacturing foundries outside of the United States, principally in Asia. See Note 17 to the Company's consolidated financial statements for the amount of net sales and long-lived assets attributable to each of the Company's geographic areas of operations.
Customers
The Company primarily sells its products to leading semiconductor and FPD manufacturers. The Company's largest customers (listed alphabetically) during the fiscal year ended October 30, 2011 ("fiscal 2011") included the following:
ASML Holding N.V.
LG Electronics, Inc.
AU Optronics Corp.
Magnachip Semiconductor
Dongbu HiTek Co. Ltd.
Nanya Technology Corporation
Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
Novatek Microelectronics Corp., Ltd.
Global Foundries, Inc.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
HannStar Display Corp.
ST Microelectronics, Inc.
Hynix Semiconductor, Inc.
Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Co. Pte. Ltd.
IM Flash Technologies, LLC
Texas Instruments Incorporated
Inotera Memories, Inc.
TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc.
Jenoptik AG
United Microelectronics Corp.
4
During fiscal 2011, the Company sold its products and services to approximately 600 customers. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. accounted for approximately 20% of the Company's net sales in fiscal 2011 and 19% of the Company's net sales in fiscal 2010 and 2009. This included sales of both IC and FPD photomasks. The Company's five largest customers, in the aggregate, accounted for approximately 45%, 39% and 42% of net sales in fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. A significant decrease in the amount of sales to any of these customers could have a material adverse effect on the financial performance and business prospects of the Company.
Seasonality
The Company's quarterly revenues can be affected by the seasonal purchasing of its customers. The Company is typically impacted during its first quarter by the North American and European holiday periods, as some customers reduce their effective workdays and orders during this period. Additionally, the Company can be impacted during its first or second fiscal quarter by the Asian New Year holiday period, which also may reduce customer orders.
Research and Development
The Company conducts its primary research and development activities for IC photomasks at its MP Mask Technology Center, LLC ("MP Mask"), a joint venture with Micron Technology, Inc. (“Micron”) located in Boise, Idaho, at PK, Ltd. (“PKL”), its subsidiary in Korea, and at Photronics Semiconductor Mask Corporation (“PSMC”), one of its subsidiaries in Taiwan, and for FPD photomasks at PKL, and in site-specific research and development programs to support strategic customers. These research and development programs and activities are designed to advance the Company's leadership in technology and manufacturing efficiency. The Company also conducts application oriented research and development activities to support the early adoption of new photomask or supporting data and services technology into the customers' applications. Currently, research and development photomask activities for ICs are focused on 32 nanometer node and below, and for FPDs on Generation 8 and higher and AMOLED technology. The Company believes these core competencies will continue to be a critical part of semiconductor and FPD manufacturing, as optical lithography continues to scale device capabilities at and below 45 nanometer and at and above Generation 8. The Company has incurred research and development expenses of $ 15.5 million, $14.9 million and $15.4 million in fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The Company believes that it owns, controls, or licenses valuable proprietary information that is necessary for its business as it is presently conducted. This includes trade secrets as well as patents. The Company believes that its intellectual property and trade secret know-how will continue to be important to its technical leadership in the field of photomasks.
Patents and Trademarks
The Company has ownership interests in over 40 issued U.S. Patents, and over 40 registered patents in other parts of the world. The subject matter of these patents, which are registered in various countries, generally relates to the manufacture of IC photomasks or the use of photomasks to manufacture other products. The expiration dates of these patents range from 2011 to 2028. Additionally, pursuant to a technology license agreement with Micron, the Company has access to certain technology of Micron and MP Mask. The Company also has a number of trademarks and trademark registrations in the United States and in other countries.
While the Company believes that its intellectual property is, and will continue to be, important to the Company's technical leadership in the field of photomasks, the Company's operations are not dependent on any one individual patent. The Company protects its intellectual property rights regarding products and manufacturing processes by utilizing patents. The Company also relies on non-disclosure agreements with employees, customers and vendors to protect its intellectual property and proprietary processes.
5
Materials, Supplies and Equipment
Raw materials used by the Company generally include high precision quartz plates (including large area plates), which are used as photomask blanks, primarily obtained from Japanese and Korean suppliers; pellicles and electronic grade chemicals, which are used in the manufacturing process; and compacts, which are durable plastic containers in which photomasks are shipped. These materials are generally sourced from several suppliers. Although the Company is not dependent on any one supplier for most of its raw materials, glass blanks used for the production of certain high-end photomasks are only available from one supplier. The Company believes that its utilization of a select group of strategic suppliers enables it to access the most technologically advanced materials available. On an ongoing basis, the Company continues to consider additional supply sources.