Cymer and Nikon Celebrate Shipment of 1,000th Excimer Laser Light Source.

Companies to Celebrate Longstanding Partnership and Shipment Milestone

SAN DIEGO -- Cymer, Inc. (Nasdaq:CYMI), the world's leading supplier of excimer laser light sources used in semiconductor manufacturing, and Nikon, the global leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo technology, celebrated today the 1,000th laser light source shipment and the companies' 20-year partnership. The milestone shipment--an XLA 300 laser light source--will be integrated on a S610C lithography scanner, which will be used, by Nikon, in immersion lithography production to image next-generation integrated circuits.

"We are grateful to Nikon for its acceptance of this 1,000th shipment, which is a testament of our successful long-term partnership," said Ed Brown, Cymer's president and chief operating officer. "As the industry continues to grow, we will continue our ongoing efforts to provide the best, leading excimer laser light sources for deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography, to support high-quality chip production."

Cymer and Nikon will host a joint celebratory event on Dec. 20, 2006 in Kumagaya Japan to commemorate this 1,000th shipment milestone and recognize the valued longstanding relationship between the two companies.

"For many years Cymer has met and exceeded our expectations with their best-in-class, cutting-edge excimer light source technology," said Mr. Kazuo Ushida, president, Nikon Corporation. "With this 1,000th shipment, we recognize our long-standing partnership with Cymer, and look forward to continuing our collaboration to support next-generation technology integration in the years to come."

The XLA 300 is Cymer's fourth-generation light source built on the production-proven Master Oscillator Power Amplifier (MOPA) platform, offering the flexibility needed for designing immersion tools and processes with confidence. Since the XL Series was introduced in early 2003, more than 360 of the XL Series light sources have been shipped by the company--a testament to Cymer's commitment to providing customers with the right light source technology, at the right time.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature are forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to references to the lithography tool on which the XLA 300 will be integrated and the expected us of that tool; Cymer's ongoing efforts to provide leading-edge light sources in support of high-quality chip production; and the expectation of continuing the collaboration between Nikon and Cymer in the future. These statements are based only on current information and expectations that are inherently subject to change and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in these statements due to various factors, including but not limited to: the possibility that the XLA 300 may not perform up to expectations; new and enhanced product offerings by competitors; cyclicality in the semiconductor equipment industry; the demand for semiconductors in general, and, in particular, for leading-edge devices with smaller geometries; the rate at which semiconductor manufacturers take delivery of photolithography tools from the company's customers; delays or cancellations by customers of their orders; the timing of customer orders, shipments and acceptances; inability by the company to meet its production and/or product development schedules; and inability of the company to secure adequate supplies of critical components for its advanced products. For a discussion of these and other factors which may cause our actual events or results to differ from those projected, please refer to the company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, as well as other subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About Cymer

Cymer, Inc. is the world's leading supplier of deep ultraviolet (DUV) laser illumination sources, the essential light source for DUV photolithography systems. DUV lithography is a key enabling technology, which has allowed the semiconductor industry to meet the exacting specifications and manufacturing requirements for volume production of today's advanced semiconductor chips. Further information on Cymer may be obtained from the Company's SEC filings, the Internet at www.cymer.com or by contacting the company directly.