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Deposition/Etch Semiconductor Equipment on Track for 300-mm Transition says The
Information Network
BusinessWire, Tuesday, January 06, 1998 at 14:40
WILLIAMSBURG, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 1998--Semiconductor
processing equipment for deposition and etching thin films on 300-mm
silicon wafers is on track in the development timeframe, according to
the report Applied Materials: Competing For World Dominance, recently
published by The Information Network, a Williamsburg, VA-based market
research company.
"Deposition and etch equipment will be ready for evaluation this
summer by the International 300-mm Initiative (I300I) consortium,
based in Austin, Tex.," notes Dr. Robert N. Castellano, President
of The Information Network. "Companies such as Applied Materials
(NASDAQ:AMAT), Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX), Novellus (NASDAQ:NVLS),
Watkins-Johnson (NYSE:WJ), and Genus (NASDAQ:GGNS) will benefit
from strong development efforts to have these tools ready. However,
delays in other critical processing tools, such as ion implant,
lithography, CMP, and measurement and inspection will probably delay
the transition to 300-mm wafers by up to six months".
"Although we predict a growth of 13.7% in semiconductor equipment
in 1998, the delay will impact revenue growth in 1999," notes Dr.
Castellano.
Because of the economic turmoil in Asia, 1998 will be a repeat of
1997 on a quarterly basis, except for a near doubling in equipment
revenue growth rate over 1997 (13.7% versus 8.2%). Revenues will
show an upswing beginning in the second half of 1998 and continue
through 2001. However, Q1 and Q2 of 1998 will show some slower
earnings until the Asian turmoil works itself out, points out Dr.
Castellano.
"Asian countries are hungry for market share. If problems in
South Korea lengthen, companies in Taiwan and elsewhere will take up
the slack. Companies in Taiwan have built 20 new 200-mm fabs in the
past three years and have announced plans to spend $40 billion more
over the next eight years on new facilities, including some of the
world's first 300-mm fabs. We anticipate that any slowdown in Korea
in purchases of consumer products utilizing semiconductors, primarily
PCs, will be countered by insatiable demand in mainland China," says
Dr. Castellano.
The Information Network is a leading consulting and market
research company addressing the semiconductor, computer, and
telecommunications industries.
Web - www.theinformationnet.com
E-mail - tin@theinformationnet.com
CONTACT: The Information Network
Dr. Robert N. Castellano, 757/258-3738
KEYWORD: VIRGINIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED
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