FORM 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of April 2000
STMicroelectronics N.V.
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(Translation of registrant's name into English)
Route de Pre-Bois, ICC Bloc A, 1215 Geneva 15, Switzerland
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(Address of principal executive offices)
[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file
annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F]
Form 20-F X Form 40-F
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[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the
information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to
the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934]
Yes No X
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[If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the
Registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-______]
Enclosure:
A press release dated April 13, 2000 announcing that
STMicroelectronics N.V. and Philips Semiconductors are expanding their existing
cooperation agreement.
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[StMicroelectronics Logo] [Philips Semiconductors Logo]
STMicroelectronics and Philips Semiconductors expand existing
cooperation agreement by building a new pilot line fab for deep-submicron
CMOS production on 12-inch wafers
Geneva and Eindhoven, April 13, 2000 - Philips Semiconductors, an affiliate of
Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG), and STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) will
invest $700 million to jointly build an advanced 12-inch (300 mm) wafer
pilot-line fab in Crolles, France. This new agreement expands the existing
technological cooperation agreement that has been in place between these two
leading semiconductor companies since 1992.
By developing deep sub-micron semiconductor processes to 0.10 micron and below,
this new 12-inch pilot line will keep both companies at the forefront of
semiconductor technology. The pilot line will initially be designed to produce
up to 1000 wafers per week, with potential to ramp up to 2000 wafers per week as
needed. Site preparation and building of the pilot line fab will commence this
month, with the first 12-inch wafers expected to be processed in around two
years time.
"STMicroelectronics has a long track record of successful cooperation in several
areas of activity with customers, public research institutes and competitors,
particularly in the frame of European R&D programs such as JESSI and MEDEA,"
commented Pasquale Pistorio, President and CEO of STMicroelectronics. "Our
cooperation with Philips is an excellent example of the advantages of alliances
in leading edge R&D activities: it has certainly contributed to the
technological leadership of both companies and has helped ST to gain new
positions in the highly competitive semiconductor market."
"Critical investment in process technology is a cornerstone of our strategy to
meet customer demand and satisfaction, and to keep us apace with the
competition," said Arthur van der Poel, CEO, Philips Semiconductors. "The new
process technologies resulting from this cooperation will further underpin our
platform concept for realizing advanced ASICs and customer specific
Systems-on-Silicon, while at the same time preparing both companies for the
advent of 12-inch wafer processing. This new investment therefore means that
Philips Semiconductors, together with STMicroelectronics, will quickly benefit
from both the process and manufacturing advantages that accrue."
The decision to build the new facility follows several years of highly
successful cooperation between the two companies, which has already given both
of them access to 0.18 micron logic CMOS technology and manufacturing at ST's
wafer fab in Crolles, France. The new 12-inch pilot-line fab will also be
located in Crolles, with each company having equal access to both its research
and development and manufacturing capabilities. In addition to developing shared
CMOS processes at 0.12 micron, 0.10 micron and below, both companies will also
be free to develop process technology options to suit their individual market
focuses.
The cooperation between STMicroelectronics and Philips Semiconductors is in line
with the ITRS (International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors) roadmap and
will address the two companies' markets that require advanced System-on-Chip
technology. The cooperation will include advanced process technologies such as
copper, low-k and high-k dielectrics, new transistor structures and other
state-of-the-art process steps.
Standardization of libraries, design tools and process flows, which are already
well aligned as a result of previous cooperation, will mean that new process
technologies designed in the joint R&D and pilot line facility can be
transferred directly into other STMicroelectronics and Philips fabs. This will
ensure a fast ramp-up of production once these new processes come on-stream.
-more-
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STMicroelectronics Page Two
The agreement between STMicroelectronics and Philips Semiconductors will be open
to the contribution of other leading players in advanced semiconductor
technology. In particular, ST will continue its very productive cooperation
program with France Telecom R&D (formerly CNET) and with Leti (research lab of
the French Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique-CEA) at the new joint pilot line in
Crolles. Philips will contribute research results it obtains as a result of its
recently agreed cooperation with IMEC of Louvain, Belgium.
Some of the above statements are forward-looking statements that involve a
number of risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially
from current expectations. Among the factors are the following: new technology
developments by the competition; capital requirements and availability of
funding; intellectual property developments; manufacturing risks; changes in
customer requirements; and international events.
About STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics (formerly SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics) is a global
independent semiconductor company, whose shares are traded on the New York Stock
Exchange, on the ParisBourse and on the Milan Stock Exchange. The Company
designs, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of semiconductor
integrated circuits (ICs) and discrete devices used in a wide variety of
microelectronic applications, including telecommunications systems, computer
systems, consumer products, automotive products and industrial automation and
control systems. In 1999, the Company's net revenues were $5.056 billion and net
earnings were $547 million. Further information on ST can be found at
www.st.com.
About Philips Semiconductors
Philips Semiconductors, which has annual revenues of approximately $5 billion,
designs and manufactures semiconductors and silicon systems platforms. Philips
Semiconductors is spearheading the emerging field of systems on silicon
solutions with the innovative Nexperia(TM) platform and VLSI Velocity(TM) tool
set. The company's sea-of-IP(TM) design methodology allows plug and play
intellectual property blocks for easily customizable products. The company is a
leader in communications, consumer, PC peripherals and automotive
semiconductors, which are key applications for convergence in end-user products.
Philips Semiconductors is headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and has
operations throughout the world. For more information:
www.philips.semiconductors.com.
For further information, please contact:
Maria Grazia Prestini
Corporate Press Relations Manager
STMicroelectronics
Tel: +33.4.50.40.2532
Fax: +33.4.50.40.25.40
E-mail: [email protected]
Tanja Laube
Public Relations Department
Philips Semiconductors
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Tel: +31 40 2722091
Fax: +31 40 2724825
E-mail: [email protected]
Lorie Lichtlen
Morgen Walke Europe
Tel: +33 1 47 03 68 10
Fax: +33 1 47 03 93 38
E-mail: [email protected]
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
STMicroelectronics N.V. has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Date: April 19, 2000 STMicroelectronics N.V.
By: /s/ Pasquale Pistorio
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Name: Pasquale Pistorio
Title: President and Chief
Executive Officer
