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Technology Stocks : Novellus -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dave Chanoux who wrote (1448)	4/29/1998 9:49:00 AM
From: David Lawrence	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3813

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 29, 1998--Novellus Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:NVLS), the productivity and innovation leader in thin film deposition technologies for the global semiconductor industry, today introduced INOVA(TM) -- a next-generation physical vapor deposition (PVD) system specifically designed for 0.18 micron and smaller device generations. Combining a proprietary, breakthrough Hollow Cathode Magnetron (HCM)(TM) source technology with a high productivity platform, INOVA delivers the PVD technology, reliability and cost of ownership chipmakers need to achieve production goals for their most advanced devices. According to John Chenault, executive vice president, metals business group, INOVA represents Novellus' first major product offering in the PVD arena since the company's acquisition of Varian Associates' Thin Film Systems business in June 1997. "Over the last 10 months, we completed a major engineering program that took the advanced PVD technology we secured in the Varian acquisition and molded it into a production platform that delivers advantages customers have come to expect from Novellus: productivity; reliability; reduced consumable cost; and low cost of ownership. As part of this effort, we developed the HCM source, which we believe is the first production-worthy, next-generation PVD source," said Chenault. Compared to other directional sputtering source techniques, which can be complex, costly and unreliable, Novellus' ionized high density metal HCM source is simple in design-enabling highly reliable and repeatable operation with optimal deposition rates and film qualities. "High density metal plasma is a critical, enabling technology for today's smaller geometries and higher aspect ratio interconnect structures. Semiconductor manufacturers need PVD systems that can consistently deposit high quality metal films in these extremely narrow and deep structures," explained Novellus' Chief Technical Officer Dr. Alain Harrus. The INOVA with HCM technology accomplishes this by enabling highly directional, uniform deposition of sputtered metal films, without compromised film quality. As a result, INOVA provides the uniformity and conformality needed to address the most demanding PVD film applications-including Ti/TiN liner/barrier layers for tungsten plug and aluminum fill, as well as advanced Ta(N)/Cu barrier/seed applications for copper interconnects. These capabilities will be increasingly critical as leading-edge logic and microprocessor chipmakers turn to new interconnect schemes to maximize chip speed and performance. Currently, interconnects involve about half of the process steps required to fabricate today's multi-level logic and microprocessor devices. As a result, the PVD market is expected to more than double in size over the next several years, approaching $4 billion by 2001. To capitalize on the near- and long-term potential of this market, the INOVA platform was designed to deliver both the manufacturing performance and technology extendability chipmakers will need for their emerging and future device generations. The high-productivity platform enables increased throughput rates with excellent reliability and maintainability for a broad range of processes. Additionally, INOVA incorporates the field-proven control system and software used in the Novellus Concept Two CVD platform. "This common architecture will allow Novellus CVD modules to be cost effectively added to the INOVA for certain key processes incorporating both PVD and CVD technology," observed Chenault. "This is significant because it allows the INOVA to bridge future deposition schemes through a single platform optimized for highly reliable, cost-effective production." Novellus has already shipped several INOVA systems to customers in Korea, Japan and the United States. Volume production shipments featuring the HCM capability are scheduled to commence in mid 1998. The system is base priced at approximately $3.5 million, depending on configuration and options.