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

To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (44569)	3/26/2001 9:59:57 PM
From: Jerome	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 70976

UMC Places Production Order for Novellus' Electrofill Tool SABRE xT System to Support UMC's Growing Copper Production SAN JOSE, Calif., Mar 26, 2001 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Novellus Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: NVLS chart, msgs), the productivity and innovation leader in thin film deposition and surface preparation technology for the global semiconductor industry, today announced it has received a multi-system order for its SABRE xT(TM) electrofill system from United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE: UMC chart, msgs), a world-leading semiconductor foundry. The order was the direct result of a thorough performance evaluation involving multiple vendors, including Novellus' SABRE xT system. As a result of this evaluation, UMC intends to more than double the number of SABRE xT systems used in its fabs for copper dual damascene manufacturing in conjunction with the ramping of its WorldLogic 0.13-micron 8-layer copper/low-k process technology. The semiconductor industry has seen a steady migration to copper interconnect technology for leading-edge devices over the last few years due to its superior performance and economic benefits. Copper/low-k dielectric dual damascene interconnect structures have lower capacitance, lower resistance and greater reliability compared to aluminum/silicon oxide interconnect structures. As a result, with copper and low-k dielectrics, manufacturers can produce a device that is four times faster than an aluminum-based device, or one with half the deposition layers, but with equivalent performance characteristics. "This order is the result of a rigorous tool evaluation in which we compared systems from multiple vendors with the Novellus copper deposition system. Our decision was primarily based on tool performance, reliability, and extendibility down to future process generations," said H.J. Wu, general manager of UMC Group. "We believe that Novellus' SABRE xT systems will play a key role in enabling us to build the next two- to-three generations of leading-edge copper devices for our customers." The SABRE system is an advanced electrofill tool that enables the deposition of void-free copper in extremely narrow, high-aspect ratio features on integrated circuits without backside contamination. It is also the first copper electrofill tool designed for volume-production semiconductor manufacturing. Using a combination of proprietary techniques and advanced chemistries, SABRE delivers the production capacity and repeatability needed to produce copper interconnects with aspect ratios as high as 10:1 and geometries as small as 0.10 micron. "UMC's is the latest production order Novellus has received for its SABRE tool and provides further proof of its widespread acceptance as the premier copper electrofill tool for semiconductor manufacturing," said Dr. David C. Smith, Novellus' vice president and general manager of the Electrofill Products Division. "SABRE has demonstrated greater than 90 percent availability in high-volume manufacturing. That level of reliability, coupled with its simplicity of design, demonstrated extendibility to the 0.10-micron node and greater than 2 million wafer-process experience, makes it a low-risk choice for semiconductor manufacturers wishing to expand their copper production." About Novellus Systems: Novellus Systems Inc., an S&P 500 company, manufactures, markets and services advanced deposition and surface preparation equipment for today's advanced integrated circuits. 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 throughout the U.S. as well as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Israel, Italy, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, Novellus is a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq stock exchange and a component of the Nasdaq-100 Index(R). Additional information about the company is available on Novellus' home page at www.novellus.com. Source: Novellus Systems, Inc. Contact