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Technology Stocks : Applied Materials No-Politics Thread (AMAT) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: StanX Long who wrote (80)	10/25/2001 9:14:06 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 25522

Stan, Thank you. Etec Ships New ALTA 4000 Maskmaking System to Prestigious DPI Reticle Technology Center ''RTC'' New Laser-Based Mask Pattern Generation System Combines Cost of Ownership Advantage with Unmatched Laser Resolution and Throughput SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 25, 2001-- Etec Systems, Inc., an Applied Materials company, shipped its first ALTA® 4000 laser-based mask pattern generation system to the DPI Reticle Technology Center, LLC (RTC) in Round Rock, Texas, a joint venture of DuPont Photomasks, Inc., Micron Technology, Inc., Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) and Motorola, Inc. The RTC is one of the world's most advanced facilities for the development and pilot line fabrication of leading-edge photomasks for the semiconductor industry. Preston Adcox, president and chief operating officer of DuPont Photomasks and an RTC board member, said, ``The RTC's selection of the ALTA 4000 was based on its unique combination of the industry's most advanced laser mask pattern generation technology currently available, combined with the system's high throughput. DuPont Photomasks' early access to this advanced tool, coupled with our unique and proprietary processes, enable us to offer our diverse customer base photomask products tailored to suit their needs. DuPont Photomasks took delivery of the first ALTA platform pattern generator, the ALTA 3000, several years ago, and we believe the introduction of the ALTA 4000 platform will enable us to retain our leadership position in the global photomask industry.'' Etec's new ALTA 4000 extends the success of the ALTA system's industry-leading, multi-beam raster scan laser architecture to the 130nm device generation, combining superior line resolution with the fastest write times and throughput. The system integrates new DUV (deep ultraviolet) optics and a stable, continuous wave 257nm laser source to provide a dramatically smaller writing spot for higher resolution and greater CD control. The ALTA 4000 system also incorporates advanced high-speed data handling which contributes to its average write time of two hours. ``Laser pattern generation systems are the workhorses of the mask fabrication process and are used on a large percentage of the masks for most chips. The ALTA 4000 features a number of technology advances for laser-based mask systems so that customers can not only keep up with the tremendous challenges of 130nm and below maskmaking, but actually improve their productivity,'' said Howard Neff, president of Etec Systems. ``With its unique expertise in mask development, the DPI Reticle Technology Center's choice of the ALTA 4000 system is a key milestone in the life of this new product. We look forward to continuing this relationship with an industry leader in mask technology development, fabrication and production.'' Photomasks contain precision images of integrated circuits, and are used to pattern these circuit images onto semiconductor wafers. As feature sizes of semiconductor devices continue to shrink, photomask technology has come to play an increasingly critical role in their development. Photomask pattern generation technologies are essential to the extension of optical lithography to below 100nm design rules. The market for mask pattern generation systems totaled $401 million in calendar 2000, according to VLSI Research, Inc. The market research firm projects this market to increase to $744 million by 2005. Applied Materials (Nasdaq: AMAT - news), the largest supplier of products and services to the global semiconductor industry, is one of the world's leading information infrastructure providers. Applied Materials enables Information for Everyone(TM) by helping semiconductor manufacturers produce more powerful, portable and affordable chips. Applied Materials' Web site is appliedmaterials.com.

To: StanX Long who wrote (80)	10/25/2001 5:29:38 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25522

Asia Pacific will prop up chip industry, resulting 2.6% growth in 2002, says WSTS All other regions will be flat-to-down slightly next year, according to new outlook Semiconductor Business News (10/25/01 16:40 p.m. EST) GRAZ, Austria -- Assuming a moderate semiconductor recovery begins in the fourth quarter this year, worldwide chip revenues will increase by just 2.6% in 2002 after dropping 32.1% in 2001, according to a new industry consensus forecast released this week by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization. The new autumn WSTS forecast shows the struggling chip industry growing next year only because revenues are expected to increase in the Asia Pacific region by 12.4%, while all other regions will be flat to slightly lower than this year (see table below). The new WSTS forecast was drafted during a meeting in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, two weeks ago, and it significantly lowers the organization's projections from its mid-year outlook, issued last spring. Instead of predicting a 13.5% drop in industry revenues to $176.8 billion in 2001, the new WSTS autumn forecast shows chip sales plunging 32.1% to $138.8 billion this year. The new forecast assumes a moderate upturn in the chip markets will begin in the last three months of this year, followed by a gradual acceleration of growth in 2002, said WSTS, which represents about 66 major semiconductor companies worldwide. The previous WSTS forecast had assumed the current semiconductor downturn would hit its low point in the second quarter this year, but the slump was more dramatic than expected, according to WSTS. The new forecast shows WSTS representatives now expecting 2.6% growth to $142.4 billion, followed by an 18.5% increase in 2003 and a 15.1% rise in chip sales in 2004. If that forecast holds up, chip revenues will still fall short of last year's $204.4 billion. The WSTS forecast would give the semiconductor industry total revenues of $194.2 billion in 2004. The WSTS forecast is used as the basis for other forecasts by other industry organizations. The U.S.-based Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) in San Jose, for example, will issue its fall forecast on Nov. 7, using the WSTS consensus forecast. Representatives from over 30 chip companies were involved in setting the new WSTS forecast this year, said a spokeswoman for the organization. According to the WSTS group, the next upturn will be lead by analog semiconductors and "micro components"--which are microprocessors, microperipherals, digital signal processors (DSPs) and microcontrollers. Some market research firms agree with the new WSTS forecast, also predicting minuscule growth next year. This week, for example, IC Insights Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz., issued its updated forecast, which shows semiconductor revenues growing 1% in 2002 to about $138 billion (see Oct. 23 story). Regional Breakout of Chip Outlook Region 2000 2001 2002 Americas $64.07 billion (+34.9%) $35.96 billion (-43.9%) $35.84 billion (-0.3%) Europe $42.31 billion (+32.7%) $29.39 billion (-30.5%) $28.46 billion (-3.2%) Japan $46.75 billion (+42.4%) $34.21 billion (-26.8%) $33.95 billion (-0.8%) Asia Pacific $51.26 billion (+37.9%) $39.27 billion (-23.4%) $44.13 billion (+12.4%) World Total $204.39 billion (+36.8%) $138.82 billion (-32.1%) $142.38 billion (+2.6%) Source: WSTS Autumn 2001 Forecast *(Percentage in parenthesis shows change from previous year)