I bought SFAM at 11, watched it rise to 60, then plummet, selling at 25. I've lurked since then, thinking about buying when the current semiconductor downturn shows some sign of ending. I've considered SFAM to be a great company, but now I worry that it will emerge seriously weakened because its main competitor, AMAT, has been given a reprieve by the downturn, allowing it to hone its CMP tools.
Regarding this, I have a question maybe thread participants in the semiconductor industry can answer. When I owned its stock, SFAM appeared to be putting most of its research and development efforts into 300 mm tools and tools able to process copper. It seems they were putting less effort in developing 0.18 nm capability. So, first of all, does anyone know where SFAM currently is in these three directions? Second, which of these three is the semiconductor industry migrating to fastest? And lastly, how does AMAT compare in these three areas? Any discussion of this would be illuminating.
hz
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