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

To: matt dillabough who wrote (15198)	6/7/2005 11:11:31 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 25522

Applied readies next-gen low-k technology Ron Wilson and Mark LaPedus EE Times (06/07/2005 10:18 AM EDT) BURLINGAME, Calif. — Applied Materials Inc. will shortly introduce its long-awaited, next-generation low-k technology for the 65-nm node and beyond. Applied has been talking about its so-called Black Diamond 2 low-k material as far back as 2002. The carbon-doped oxide material is produced within the company's chemical vapor deposition (CVD) tool, dubbed the Producer. Black Diamond 2 supports low-k values down to 2.5, said Farhad Moghadam, senior vice president of the Thin Films Product Business Group at Applied (Santa Clara, Calif.). The technology will be officially introduced "soon," Moghadam said at the IEEE International Interconnect Technology Conference (IITC) here. At present, Applied is shipping its first-generation, low-k material, dubbed Black Diamond, which has a k value of 3.0. AMD, TSMC, Toshiba and other chip makers are using the technology for production. Black Diamond 2 resembles Black Diamond 1, but voids are introduced in the new technology by mixing in a material that volatilizes at a relatively low temperature and then forms bubbles with very uniform size and spatial distributions, according to Applied. The material achieves 30 percent porosity, according to Applied. There is a two-stage precursor process, the company said. First, the precursor material is volatilized to form the voids. Then in a second step it is purged, and at the same time, the dielectric material is annealed, forming cross-links in the material that actually make it stronger than earlier versions, Applied said.

To: matt dillabough who wrote (15198)	6/7/2005 1:10:21 PM
From: etchmeister	Respond to of 25522

UPDATE 2-UMC sales down a third in May, awaits Q3 recovery Tue Jun 7, 2005 04:51 AM ET (Adds analyst comment) By Michael Kramer TAIPEI, June 7 (Reuters) - Taiwan's UMC (2303.TW: Quote, Profile, Research) (UMC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the world's number-two contract microchip maker, said its sales fell by a third in May, as it scrapes along the bottom of a sector downturn and looks ahead to a third quarter recovery. But United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) said on Tuesday its May revenues rose 1.6 percent from April, lending strength to its forecasts that there was a good chance of recovery in the second half of the year. "April was probably the lowest. We should be seeing month-on-month improvement in May and June," said SinoPac Securities analyst Wang Bou-li. Bigger rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) (2330.TW: Quote, Profile, Research) (TSM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) is due to announce its May sales on Thursday. UMC said May sales were T$6.47 billion (US$207 million), down from T$9.65 billion a year ago but up from T$6.37 billion in April, as clients cleared out the last of their excess inventory following unexpectedly weak demand in the latter half of 2004. Products such as new third-generation (3G) mobile phones, as well as upcoming launches of video game consoles by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , Nintendo Co. Ltd. (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) and Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) are seen boosting electronics demand later this year. But for now, most products running through UMC's slack production lines are low-profit orders, such as driver chips for liquid crystal display (LCD) screens. "In the second quarter, the situation with low-end products has been good, but prices are relatively poor," said SinoPac's Wang. "But the communications sector has been undergoing an inventory correction for two quarters now and they should begin to replenish in the third quarter, including handset chips." UMC has said it expected second-quarter shipments to rise by a low single-digit percentage from the January-March period and saw prices falling by a high single-digit percentage, implying a slight decline in revenues. It also said operating profit was likely to be near breakeven, with any losses made up through sales of shares in affiliated companies. UMC shares have gained 27 percent higher since mid-April, as foreign investors snapped up heavyweight tech firms ahead of Morgan Stanley Capital International's lifting of Taiwan's index weightings on May 31. TSMC has gained about 15 percent over the same period despite posting better sales figures. UMC's lower valuation of 1.5 times book value against TSMC's 3.4 times makes it an attractive play on the expected second-half recovery. (US$1=T$31.2)

To: matt dillabough who wrote (15198)	6/9/2005 4:13:26 PM
From: Peter Dierks	Respond to of 25522

Thanks for the post. As an investor in AMAT, TSM and GNSS it was very interesting. GNSS has received some favorable analyst coverage. It appears to be under accumulation. I suspect I was early into AMAT, and hope that they turn things around. TSM should remain under heavy pressure from mainland startups many of whom have hired former TSM employees.

To: matt dillabough who wrote (15198)	6/9/2005 4:18:19 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25522

Intel Second-Quarter Business at High End of Expectations Thursday June 9, 4:15 pm ET Revenue Expected to be Between $9.1 Billion and $9.3 Billion SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 9, 2005--Intel Corporation expects revenue for the second quarter to be between $9.1 billion and $9.3 billion, as compared to the previous range of $8.6 billion to $9.2 billion, primarily driven by ongoing strong demand for notebook products. The second-quarter gross margin percentage is expected to be approximately 57 percent, plus or minus a point, as compared to the previous expectation of 56 percent, plus or minus a couple of points. Gains from equity investments and interest and other are expected to be approximately $100 million, higher than the previous expectation of approximately $70 million. Intel's tax rate for the second quarter is expected to be 26 percent, plus or minus a point, as compared to the previous expectation of approximately 31 percent, primarily due to an increase in estimated research and development tax credits. The tax rate for the third and fourth quarters is expected to be slightly lower than the previous expectation of approximately 31 percent. All other expectations are unchanged. This Business Update is a scheduled update to the company's Business Outlook for the quarter, which ends July 2. Intel's second-quarter Business Outlook was originally published in the company's first-quarter 2005 earnings release, available at www.intc.com. The company will discuss this update during a public webcast at 2:30 p.m. PDT today at www.intc.com, with a replay available until July 19. Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom. This Business Update and the April 19 Business Outlook are forward-looking statements and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. This Business Update does not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions, divestitures or other business combinations that may be completed after June 8, 2005. Many factors could affect Intel's actual results, and changes from Intel's current expectations regarding such factors could cause actual results to differ materially. Intel presently considers the factors set forth below to be the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Intel's published expectations. A more detailed discussion of these factors, as well as other factors that could affect Intel's results, is contained in Intel's SEC filings, including the report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 2. Intel operates in intensely competitive industries. Revenue and the gross margin percentage are affected by the demand for and market acceptance of Intel's products, the availability of sufficient inventory to meet demand, pricing pressures and actions taken by Intel's competitors, and the timing of new product introductions. Factors that could cause demand to be different from Intel's expectations include changes in customer order patterns, including order cancellations; changes in the level of inventory at customers; and changes in business and economic conditions. The gross margin percentage could vary from expectations based on changes in revenue levels, product mix and pricing; manufacturing yields; changes in unit costs; variations in inventory valuation; excess or obsolete inventory; capacity utilization and the existence of excess capacity; impairments of long-lived assets, including manufacturing, assembly/test and intangible assets; and the timing and execution of the manufacturing ramp and associated costs, including start-up costs. Expenses, particularly certain marketing and compensation expenses, vary depending on the level of demand for Intel's products and the level of revenue and profits. The tax rate expectation does not reflect the impact of any potential repatriation of cash under the American Jobs Creation Act. The tax rate expectation is based on current tax law and current expected income and assumes Intel continues to receive tax benefits for export sales. The tax rate may be affected by the closing of acquisitions or divestitures; the jurisdiction in which profits are determined to be earned and taxed; changes in the estimates of credits, benefits and deductions; the resolution of issues arising from tax audits with various tax authorities; and the ability to realize deferred tax assets. Gains or losses from equity securities and interest and other could vary from expectations depending on equity market levels and volatility; gains or losses realized on the sale or exchange of securities; impairment charges related to marketable, non-marketable and other investments; interest rates; cash balances; and changes in fair value of derivative instruments. Intel's results could be impacted by unexpected economic, social and political conditions in the countries in which Intel, its customers or its suppliers operate, including security risks, possible infrastructure disruptions and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Intel's results could also be affected by adverse effects associated with product defects and errata (deviations from published specifications), and by litigation or regulatory matters involving intellectual property, stockholder, consumer, antitrust and other issues, such as the litigation and regulatory matters described in Intel's SEC reports. Intel is a mark or registered trademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: Intel Corporation