Daily News Briefs

Freescale Semiconductor Inc. and Photronics, a worldwide manufacturer of photomasks, announced the companies have partnered to research and evaluate all approaches available for optical lithography at 65 nm. Freescale, a manufacturer of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking and wireless markets, and Photronics say they aim to extend the life of current-generation lithography tools to ensure the production of chips that are small, fast and powerful enough to enable pervasive computing and advanced wireless applications. . . . Sabeus Inc., a developer of fiber optic systems for acoustic sensing, intrusion detection and surveillance applications, has opened a production, research and development facility in Freeport, Pa. The company's Federal Systems Div. will be based in the new 15,000-square-foot facility, located at the Northpointe Technology Center, where Sabeus has installed a fiber optic manufacturing center to automate the production of its embedded sensors and fiber coatings. Sabeus Federal Systems is a licensed government contractor that manufactures fiber optic intrusion detection systems and sensor arrays for surveillance applications. . . . Charlottesville, Va.-based Lighthouse Instruments LLC, a provider of optical-based, non-destructive headspace detection systems to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and contract manufacturing industries, has signed an exclusive supply agreement with Diamond Machine Werks of Arlington Heights, Ill. The agreement provides Lighthouse with exclusive access to a vial handling and rejection system specifically created to support the Vista optical detection system, which allows for 100 percent inspection of headspace pressure, moisture and oxygen levels in sealed parenteral containers.