"SpeedFam-IPEC Inc. Most tech stocks are pariahs these days, but Arnold Schmeidler, president of money-manager A.R. Schmeidler, is betting big on SpeedFam-IPEC, a pioneer in 'chemical mechanical planarization,' or CMP systems, used in making advanced semiconductors. The stock could double in a year, he says. SpeedFam's machines, costing $3 million to $4 million apiece, yield extremely flat, smooth wafers for making advanced chips. A chip factory easily uses 20 machines, says Schmeidler. Its new CMP platform, Momentum, offers low-cost but superior technical capability, he says, especially in copper-wafer processing. 'With 1,300 CMP machines currently in use at various chipmakers, SpeedFam could up its share of the $1.6 billion market from 10% to 30% in three years,' says Schmeidler. Six of the top chipmakers are SpeedFam ustomers,including Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor. Sales will ramp up fast, says Schmeidler, as the economy rebounds and as chipmakers seek next-generation chips."
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