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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tony Viola who wrote (35677)	7/9/2000 9:46:08 PM
From: Steve	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

AMD going with Novellus. ANy comments?? ============================================================== AMD Purchases the Novellus INOVA(TM) HCM PVD System for Copper Chip Production Novellus' Advanced Copper Barrier/Seed System to Be Used for Microprocessor Manufacturing at Fab 30, Dresden, Germany SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2000 8:00:00 PM EST SAN JOSE, Calif., Jul 9, 2000 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- -- Novellus Systems Inc. NVLS, the productivity and innovation leader in thin film deposition technology for the global semiconductor industry, today announced that Advanced Micro Devices AMD plans to use a Novellus INOVA(TM) hollow cathode magnetron (HCM(TM)) physical vapor deposition (PVD) copper barrier/seed system for production. AMD plans to use the INOVA for manufacturing advanced, 0.18-micron AMD Athlon(TM) microprocessors, made with copper interconnects, at the company's Fab 30 manufacturing plant in Dresden, Germany. In addition, AMD and Novellus are working toward developing advanced PVD copper barrier/seed solutions for future device generations. "The process margin, as well as good device yields resulting from the INOVA's HCM technology, combined with the high productivity of the INOVA platform were key determinants in our decision to purchase an INOVA system," said Lothar Mergili, module manager, Thin Films, AMD Fab 30. "The INOVA's unique three-dimensional HCM PVD source results in improved step coverage of copper barrier and seed, which is important for better device performance. We plan to keep working with Novellus to validate the use of HCM technology for future device generations." An effective and fully integrated barrier/seed layer is critical to device performance when building a copper dual damascene interconnect. Barrier/seed layers not only block copper migration into the surrounding dielectric, but also provide an effective seed for the subsequent electrofill process. The INOVA's patented three-dimensional HCM source delivers a highly directional ionized flux that increases sidewall and bottom coverage and reduces overhang and asymmetry. This technology enables void-free electrofill with copper seed thicknesses as thin as 800 angstroms, increasing throughput and reducing the cost of consumables. In addition, the simplicity of the HCM source design, as well as long target life, results in superior system reliability and uptime. "The INOVA platform with HCM PVD technology not only provides the leading process extendibility that manufacturers need for future barrier/seed applications, it also provides the industry's highest capital productivity" said Mark G. Fissel, vice president and general manager of Novellus' Integrated Metals Division. "INOVA's superior throughput and high system uptime combine to make this a very attractive product in comparison to other competing ionized PVD products on the market. AMD's selection of the INOVA system for advanced copper-based microprocessors demonstrates the strengths of the INOVA platform and the HCM technology." The INOVA barrier/seed system and the Sabre xT(TM) copper electrofill system make up the heart of Novellus' Complete Copper(TM) suite of equipment for copper dual damascene deposition. The company's copper metallization tools are in use by customers for production ramps in Europe, the United States, and Asia. About Novellus Systems Novellus Systems Inc., an S&P 500 company, manufactures, markets and services advanced systems for the deposition of thin films on semiconductor wafers. The company's products are designed for high-volume production of advanced, leading-edge semiconductor devices at the lowest possible cost. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, Novellus is a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Additional information about the company is available on Novellus' home page on the World Wide Web, located at www.novellus.com. NOTE: AMD, the AMD logo, AMD Athlon and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices. SOURCE Novellus Systems, Inc. CONTACT:Bob Climo, Marcom Director of Novellus Systems Inc., 408-943-9700, or fax, 408-570-2635, or bob.climo@novellus.com; or Christopher Castillo, Senior Account Director of MCA, 650-968-8900, or fax, 650-968-8990, or ccastillo@mcapr.com, for Novellus Systems Inc. URL:http://www.novellus.com prnewswire.com (C) 2000 PR Newswire. All rights reserved. KEYWORD:California INDUSTRY KEYWORD: CPR MLM SUBJECT CODE:CON

To: Tony Viola who wrote (35677)	7/10/2000 8:53:29 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

Tony, I am sure he will be told by Intel's PR people that he may want to rephrase that next time:-) IMEC Demonstrates Applied Materials' Black Diamond CVD Low k Technology Extendible to k<2.4 TSMC to Evaluate Film for 0.10 Micron Chip Designs SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2000--Applied Materials, Inc., the leading supplier of low dielectric constant (k) process solutions to the semiconductor industry, announced today that its ongoing collaboration with Belgium's IMEC microelectronics research center has achieved breakthrough results in demonstrating the extendibility of Black Diamond(TM) CVD (chemical vapor deposition) technology to k<2.4 for 0.10 micron chip designs. The film was successfully integrated in a single damascene structure, providing values ranging from k= 2.1-2.4. ``We are very excited about our recent results on Applied Materials' next-generation Black Diamond low k film which proves that CVD films are extendible beyond the 2.7-3.0 range,'' said Dr. Luc Van den Hove, vice president, Silicon Process Technology of IMEC. ``We look forward to continuing our work with Applied Materials on further developing this film and enhancing its overall process.'' Introduced in 1998, Black Diamond is a line of CVD low k dielectric films designed to enable the continued miniaturization of chips with increasing speed and performance. The product line's first generation film, targeting 0.13-0.10 micron devices, demonstrates excellent thermal-mechanical properties and is easily integrated with existing lithography, etch and CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) processes. Black Diamond can also be used in combination with Applied Materials' BLOk barrier low k film to provide an effective k<3.0 for the overall dielectric stack structure. Both Black Diamond and BLOk films can be deposited using Applied Materials' high-productivity Producer® CVD system. By using conventional CVD equipment, customers can extend existing systems and avoid costly proprietary chemicals typically needed by spin-on technologies. IMEC's results show that this CVD product line can be extended well below current requirements. Dr. Shang-Yi Chiang, vice president of Research and Development at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest foundry, said, ``We are very pleased with the results demonstrated by IMEC using Applied Materials' low k CVD technology and plan to evaluate this film for our future chip generations.'' ``Our customers want a low k film that can be integrated over six levels of copper interconnects, is easy to implement in manufacturing, yet has sufficient extendibility to enable further reduction in k-value over several device generations,'' said Ashok Sinha, president of Applied Materials' Interconnect Systems and Modules Business Group. ``Thanks to the close cooperation among our dielectric deposition, etch and lithography support groups within our Equipment and Process Integration (EPIC) facility, we are able to integrate and test dual damascene process modules in parallel with our customers and speed up our learning cycles.'' ``Ongoing work with facilities such as IMEC through our Applied Materials Europe organization, as well as with key customers in our EPIC facility, have allowed us to make exceptional progress in low k technology,'' said Farhad Moghadam, vice president and general manager of the Dielectric Systems and Modules Product Group of Applied Materials. Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT - news) is a leader of the Information Age and the world's largest supplier of products and services to the global semiconductor and flat panel display industries. Applied Materials' web site is appliedmaterials.com.

To: Tony Viola who wrote (35677)	7/10/2000 8:58:16 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

Etec Announces New System Upgrades to Increase Maskmaking Productivity HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2000--Etec Systems, Inc., an Applied Materials company, the leading supplier of semiconductor maskmaking solutions, today announced new product upgrades for its volume production ALTA® 3000 and MEBES® 4500 mask patterning systems. These upgrades provide significant improvements in system productivity to enable increased customer return on investment and reduced cost of ownership. The ALTA 3000HT system upgrade enables increased flexibility, allowing customers to switch between 4-pass and 8-pass writing modes. Users can choose to maximize print quality features or increase system throughput, depending on their applications. Frank Abboud, general manager of the Mask Patterning Product Group stated, ``This upgrade is exciting for our customers because it can maximize the productivity of the 34 ALTA 3000 systems that are installed around the world today. Maskmakers can add incremental capacity on their existing installed systems, saving the time and costs associated with new system purchases.'' The MEBES 4700 system, a new upgrade for the more than 25 installed MEBES 4500 systems, includes a 320 MHz data path that enables up to twice the throughput of the MEBES 4500S or up to eight times the throughput of the earlier generation MEBES 4500 systems. The upgrade has been field proven, and several upgraded MEBES 4500 systems are in use worldwide. The MEBES upgrades are offered as field upgrades or completely new MEBES 4700 or 4700S systems. ``Upgrades to the ALTA and MEBES products reflect Etec's commitment to enhance our customers' substantial investment in existing systems,'' stated Steve Cooper, Etec's president. ``The upgraded systems increase productivity while leveraging existing mask shop personnel and equipment. These new ALTA and MEBES upgrades allow our customers greater flexibility in their pattern generation options and add new value to their installed systems.'' Etec Systems Inc., an Applied Materials company, is the world's leading supplier of semiconductor maskmaking equipment solutions. Masks produced with Etec's mask pattern generation and inspection systems enable the production of the faster, smaller and cheaper semiconductor chips necessary for today's electronics. Founded in 1970, the company has manufacturing facilities in California, Oregon and Israel, with sales and service offices worldwide. The company's World Wide Web site can be accessed at etec.com. Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT - news) is a leader of the Information Age and the world's largest supplier of products and services to the global semiconductor and flat panel display industries. Applied Materials' web site is appliedmaterials.com.