Varian Semiconductor Equipment Wins 300mm Order From United Microelectronics Corporation -- UMC
GLOUCESTER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 26, 2001--Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSEA - news), a leading supplier of ion implantation systems, today announced that it has received an order for a VIISta 810 ion implanter from United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE: UMC - news), a world-leading foundry services provider headquartered in Hsinchu-City, Taiwan. The VIISta 810 system will be installed in the new UMC 12A 300mm foundry fab in Tainan, which has an expected capacity of 30,000 wafers per month.
``The VIISta 810 ion implanter provides UMC with significant single wafer production advantages, and contributes to our efforts to establish UMC as a leader in foundry technology,'' stated UMC's president of business group, Dr. Frank Wen. ``The proven track record of our existing VIISta 810 systems at UMC 200mm fabs, coupled with Varian Semiconductor Equipment's strong service and support, combine to provide us with the performance we need to meet the demands of the expanding 300mm marketplace.''
The VIISta 810 medium current system is designed to provide cost of ownership advantages for 300mm production by achieving wafer throughput at a rate in excess of 230 wafers per hour. In addition, VIISta provides the performance attributes necessary for next generation integrated circuits. The highly parallel beam, in combination with total incident angle control, allows VIISta to provide optimal threshold voltage (Vt) control and the angular placement accuracy required for halo and pocket implants. Both implant types are considered critical to optimizing sub 130nm integrated circuit performance.
Richard A. Aurelio, Varian Semiconductor Equipment's chairman and chief executive officer remarked, ``We are very pleased that UMC continues to select the VIISta 810 ion implanter to support their 300mm efforts at their new fab in Tainan. The strong acceptance of our VIISta products in semiconductor markets like Taiwan is critical to our growth and greatly contributes to our position as the industry's technology leader in ion implantation products.''
About UMC
UMC, a world-leading semiconductor foundry, operates seven wafer fabs in Taiwan's Hsinchu Science Park. UMC's Japanese subsidiary, Nippon Foundry Inc., has one fab in Japan and UMC's joint venture with Hitachi, Trecenti Technologies, is readying to ramp production in its 300mm fab in Japan. UMC has also started construction on a 300mm facility in Taiwan's Tainan Science Park, with pilot production scheduled to start by third quarter 2001. UMC is a leader in foundry technology, with facilities ramping to reach an annual output of 2.4 million eight-inch equivalent wafers per year in 2000. UMC's joint development program with IBM and Infineon Technologies is progressing with its schedule to introduce the WorldLogic standard 0.13-micron technology this year. UMC serves customers around the world through sales and marketing offices located in the United States, Japan, and the Netherlands. UMC can be found on the web at umc.com.
About Varian Semiconductor:
Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. is an industry leader in designing, manufacturing, marketing and servicing ion implantation systems, semiconductor processing equipment used in the fabrication of integrated circuits. Through the process and productivity advantages of single wafer technology, VSEA is providing chipmakers with high throughput, low cost and maximum yields. The company is based in Gloucester, Massachusetts and maintains offices around the world. Its stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol ``VSEA.'' Additional information and background is available on VSEA's website www.vsea.com. The information contained in our web site is not incorporated by reference into this release, and our web site address is included in this release as an inactive textual reference only.
Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, the statements concerning the industry outlook, the company's sales growth, market share, capacity utilization and technological improvements and benefits, and any statements using the terms ``believes,'' ``anticipates,'' ``expects,'' ``plans'' or similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are: the short operating history for the company as a separate entity; volatility in the semiconductor equipment industry; significant fluctuations in the company's quarterly operating results; risks associated with the company's transition to a new information technology infrastructure; the impact of rapid technological change and the company's dependence on the development and introduction of new products; the company's concentration on ion implantation systems and related products; concentration in the company's customer base and lengthy sales cycles; the highly competitive market in which the company competes; risks of international sales; foreign currency risks; uncertain protection of patent and other proprietary rights; potential environmental liabilities; the company's reliance on a limited group of suppliers; the ability of the company's suppliers to respond to increased demand for parts; the company's dependence on certain key personnel; as well as other risk factors described from time to time in the company's periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company cannot guarantee any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievement. The company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release. |
