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Technology Stocks : Lam Research (LRCX, NASDAQ): To the Insiders -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kirk © who wrote (5257)	2/24/2005 11:19:26 PM
From: etchmeister	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5867

Metal etch is declining as logic adopts copper @.13 micron and below; still memory makers are using and extending AlCu (note NVLS landed an order from Hynix for Al dep) than there is "gate etch" which is considered "critical" Finally there is oxide etch which has numerous applications: basically all the layers (up to 8 layers of copper) need to be connected. Lam makes etchers to address the various (3) films; a dielectric layer requires a different etcher and etch process compared to a poly (gate) etcher and metal (AlCu) etcher. Al is deposited via PVD but oxide via CVD. A company that produces CVD dep equipment and PVD dep equipment is considered multi product but while you need two completely different etchers to address CVD as well as PVD layer etch is still considered a one trick pony. In summary three different segments within etch; I'm not really up to date but more applications are emerging within etch for example deliberately shrink CD's. Number of applications within one segment is one of the drivers IMHO besides number of products in the "traditional sense".