SAN DIEGO, Oct. 26 -- Cymer Inc., which has been supplying Nikon Corp. with DUV excimer lasers since 1996, has recently shipped its 500th excimer laser to the Tokyo-based manufacturer of optical instruments. The firm's ELS-6010 krypton fluoride 248-nm laser was shipped to Nikon's Kumagaya facility in September. The laser will be used on a Nikon S205 lithography tool. As a pioneer of excimer lasers, Cymer has contributed to Nikon's success in developing lithography tools and plays an important role in the growth of the semiconductor industry, said Teruo Shimamura, Nikon's GM. Nikon expects to continually expand on Cymer's strong manufacturing capabilities in the future. The ELS-6010 is Cymer's most advanced KrF light source. Operating at 2500 Hz, it is designed for the production of next-generation devices with 130-nm (0.13-µm) and below design rules. The ELS-6010 provides full imaging capability for 200-mm and 300-mm lithography steppers and scanners with >0.7 numerical aperture lens designs.