In a bid to offer a more powerful tools to semiconductor manufacturers, ASML Masktools Inc has formed a partnership with Transcription Enterprises to integrate its MaskRigger optical proximity correction (OPC) software with Transcription Enterprises Computer Aided Transcription software, CATS.

The two companies’ software was first brought together by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp for 0.18 micron production. The integration of MaskRigger and CATS should be available in a production release this fall.

ASML Masktools is the Santa Clara, California offshoot of Belgian company ASM Lithography Holding NV while Transcription Enterprises is a privately-owned software company based at Los Gatos, California.