Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: Ian@SI who wrote (36048)	7/26/2000 8:54:37 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 70976

Applied Materials Receives Volume Order for 300mm Systems from TSMC Broad Spectrum of 300mm Systems to be Installed at Fab 6 for New 300mm Pilot Line SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 26, 2000--Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT - news) today announced that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest semiconductor foundry, has placed a volume purchase order for 300mm semiconductor manufacturing systems. Shipments of the 300mm systems, which cover a significant portion of the chipmaking process, will begin this month to TSMC's Fab 6 located in Tainan, Taiwan. ``Applied Materials and TSMC have forged a long-standing relationship that has produced technological benefits for both companies over multiple generations of process technology,'' said N.S. Tsai, senior director of TSMC's 300mm pilot line. ``Based on the proven technology of their products and the excellent support they have provided us, we have selected a number of Applied Materials' 300mm systems for our pilot line. We expect this latest order to help accelerate our evaluation of 300mm manufacturing capabilities and enable us to quickly meet our customers' volume requirements for their most advanced products.'' TSMC has been aggressively expanding capacity, opening Fab 6, the world's largest fab, in March. Part of Fab 6 will house TSMC's pilot 300mm line, with equipment move-in scheduled to begin this month. The Fab 6 pilot line will be used to evaluate and define TSMC's volume manufacturing environment for Fabs 12 and 14, which will be the company's first dedicated 300mm production facilities. ``TSMC is one of the first major chipmakers to embark on 300mm fab construction, demonstrating a continuing commitment to advanced manufacturing processes and efficiencies,'' said Dr. Dan Maydan, president of Applied Materials. ``We are pleased to continue our strong relationship with TSMC by providing 300mm-ready systems that are extendible to multiple device generations.'' The volume order from TSMC includes Applied Materials' advanced 300mm systems for chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), etch, CMP (chemical mechanical planarization), and ion implant applications as well as for process diagnostics and control. Dr. David N.K. Wang, senior vice president and member of the Office of the President of Applied Materials, said, ``The transition from 200mm to 300mm wafers presents challenges and opportunities for significant innovation that go far beyond scaling existing systems. In addition to offering leading-edge process technology, Applied Materials has developed crtical fab optimization and automation technologies to support more efficient and time effective manufacturing of a 300mm production line. To help ensure TSMC's successful transition to 300mm production, we have also set up a project team that includes technicians from our Taiwan and Santa Clara facilities.'' Applied Materials' 300mm systems, based on proven technologies, feature innovations for higher throughput, lower cost of operations, increased automation and integrated metrology and inspection. The company offers more than 22 systems covering over 80 applications for 300mm, supporting the majority of manufacturing process steps. About TSMC TSMC is the world's largest dedicated semiconductor foundry, providing the industry's leading process technology, library and IP options and other leading-edge foundry services. With the mergers of WSMC and TASMC now complete, TSMC is constructing or operating 11 fabs and has substantial capacity commitments at three additional facilities jointly operated by TSMC and its partners. In 2000, TSMC expects to have the capacity for nearly 3.4 million 8-inch equivalent wafers, increasing to 4.7 million wafers in 2001. In addition, TSMC recently became the first foundry to license its technology to a leading IDM, thereby establishing itself as an acknowledged world leader in process technology. Fabrication processes offered by TSMC include CMOS logic, mixed-mode, volatile and non-volatile memory, and BiCMOS. TSMC's corporate headquarters are in Hsin-Chu, Taiwan. More information about TSMC is available through the World Wide Web at tsmc.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.

To: Ian@SI who wrote (36048)	7/26/2000 9:44:38 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

From Infineon's quarterly report: Outlook Infineon expects its capital expenditures for this fiscal year to be about 25 percent of revenues; this should increase to around 30 percent in the next fiscal year to take full advantage of the continuing growth dynamic of the semiconductor market. The company plans to expand its production capacity by speeding up the conversion of older lines from 6 to 8 inch wafer production, following an aggressive shrink roadmap to smaller geometries and outsourcing more product fabrication to silicon foundries and subcontractors. This should especially accelerate Infineon's production output for logic components. ``On the R&D side, Infineon will invest in future wireless standards such as Bluetooth and UMTS to improve its market position in mobile communications,'' commented Ulrich Schumacher. ``In addition, the company will further strengthen its intellectual property position in the fast growing market for broadband communications by focusing resources internally and through acquisitions. We will also look to divest smaller, non-core activities.'' Increasing memory prices as well as productivity gains are likely to lead to an improved fourth quarter. On the revenue side, Infineon is well positioned to grow faster than the market in both fiscal year 2000 and 2001. The World Semiconductor Trade Statistics forecasts revenue growth of over 20 percent for the worldwide semiconductor industry in 2001. biz.yahoo.com