Applied, Varian ship new implanters to Intel
Mark LaPedus
EE Times
(06/23/2006 11:07 AM EDT)
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Applied Materials Inc. and Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Inc. have quietly shipped their new — and unannounced — ion implanter lines. The first machines are now being evaluated at Intel Corp. as part of a major ion-implanter competition at the 45-nm node, according to an analyst.
Intel (Santa Clara, Calif.) is nearing a decision between the two new, high-current implanters for its 45-nm node, including Applied's so-called Quantum X Plus and Varian's VIISta HCI tools, said Mark Bachman, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities Inc. (Portland, Ore.).
Applied (Santa Clara, Calif.) and Varian (Gloucester, Mass.) reportedly shipped their respective tools to Intel several quarters ago for evaluation, but the two chip-equipment vendors have yet to publicly announce the products.
The implanter order at Intel could be worth from $66-to-$92 million, Bachman said. The order is also worth roughly 22 tools per fab. Intel plans to ramp up two fabs for chips at the 45-nm node, he added.
Currently, Intel uses implanters from both Applied and Varian. The chip giant is exclusively using Applied's implanter, the Quantum X, for high-current applications at the 65-nm node. The IC vendor is mainly using Varian's medium-current and high-energy implanters for the 65-nm node, he said.
Intel is expected to use Varian's medium-current implanters for the 45-nm node, but the high-current business has yet to be decided. Bachman believes that Varian has a possible chance to grab some high-current business at Intel — at the expense of Applied.
"We continue to believe that Varian is positioned to win 50-to-70 percent of Intel's 45-nm high-current implant tool business, despite recent competitive efforts from Applied Materials on price to retain the business," Bachman said.
Should Varian grab some high-current business at Intel, it could be a major blow for Applied, the incumbent supplier for that segment at the chip giant.
In 2004, Applied entered the single-wafer, ion-implanter market with a new machine, dubbed the Quantum X. This tool is said to be a high-throughput machine with energy ranges from 200eV-to- 80keV. Applications include ultra shallow junctions, source rail for flash, overlap control for gates and others.
This tool represented a change in strategy for Applied. Until then, the company offered implanters based on a batch-oriented technology. Going forward, single-wafer tools from Applied and others would be required for ultra-shallow junction and related chip-processing applications at the 65-nm and beyond, according to the company.
To date, Applied has shipped a total of almost 100 Quantum X machines in the field, Bachman said. "Intel has received the majority of the tools; we count 65," he said.
"We also count a smattering of other placements at AMD, Micron, Fujitsu, TSMC, Chartered and Samsung," he said. "With Intel being Applied's primary implanter customer, a market-share loss to Varian at the 45-nm node could prove detrimental to this division, which generates less than 5 percent of revenue for the company."
In an effort to maintain the business at Intel and other accounts, Applied is readying the Quantum X Plus for commercialization. This single-wafer tool is said to be a new and improved version of the Quantum X, thanks to a shorter beam line by 15-cm and faster pumping capabilities, the analyst said.
Rival Varian is looking to compete with its new VIISta HCI at Intel and other accounts. "In addition, possible share wins in Japan from NEC, Toshiba and Sony are near-term possibilities," he said. "The win at TSMC, which displaced Applied Materials, should prove fruitful as the customer fills out Fab 14."
The VIISta HCI is said to be a new version of the single-wafer VIISta HC high-current ion implanter. Rolled out in 2005, the VIISta HC features Varian's patented dual magnet, ribbon beam architecture for low-energy performance. It has an energy range from 200eV-to-60keV with dosages from 1E13-to- 5E16cm-2, according to Varian.
Over time, Varian has become the world's largest high-current implanter vendor. In 2004, Axcelis Technologies Inc. (Beverly, Mass.) was the leader in this segment with 40 percent share, followed by Applied with 38 percent and Varian with 22 percent, according to Bachman.
In 2005, Varian had 38 percent share in the high-current segment, followed by Applied with 35 percent and Axcelis with 27 percent, he said. "Axcelis was late to market its single-wafer tools," he said.
All vendors face challenges going forward, however. Ion implanters could run out of gas at the 32-nm node, prompting vendors to scramble and develop a new class of machines based on a range of competing technologies.
Today's "beam-line" ion implanters from the likes of Applied Materials, Axcelis, Nissin and Varian will likely extend at least to the 45-nm node, said Bachman. Beyond that, there is a big question mark.
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