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

To: Steve Fancy who wrote (2230)	5/17/1999 9:14:00 AM
From: Duker	Respond to of 3813

Novellus Ships SABRE and INOVA Systems to Lucent Novellus' Damascus Complete Copper Moves Lucent Closer to Advanced Copper Interconnect Devices SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 17, 1999--Novellus Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:NVLS - news), the productivity and innovation leader in thin film deposition technologies for the global semiconductor industry, today announced that it has shipped both SABRE(TM) copper electrofill and INOVA(TM) physical vapor deposition (PVD) systems to Lucent Technologies. The new tools are slated for installation at Lucent's Bell Laboratories Advanced Development and Research Facility (ADRF) in Orlando, Fla. at the Cirent Semiconductor campus. The suite of tools will be deployed to manufacture advanced, production-worthy copper interconnect structures in next-generation communications semiconductor devices. Since the introduction of Novellus' Damascus(TM) Complete Copper(TM) solution last year, chipmakers have begun to introduce copper for advanced integrated circuits (ICs) to achieve faster processing speeds with greater reliability. Novellus' production-proven dual damascene copper interconnect process makes it possible for chipmakers to meet these challenging demands. ''Lucent's selection of our copper dual damascene process validates Novellus' Damascus approach to address today's most demanding copper electrofill and PVD requirements,'' said Novellus' Metals Business Group Executive Vice President John Chenault. ''In commercial applications, SABRE and INOVA have proven their production capabilities and have successfully deposited copper in 10:1 aspect ratio structures with dimensions as small as 0.13 micron. With this order, Lucent joins the growing number of leading chipmakers who have selected Novellus as their copper deposition tool supplier for 0.16 micron and smaller device production.'' SABRE plays a critical role in the successful void-free filling of copper in the smallest design features. Lucent will use SABRE to deposit electrofill copper in extremely deep, narrow trenches and vias without any voids or gaps. SABRE features a unique cell design and chemistry control through Smart Dose(TM) that ensures superior reproducibility of the copper fill, with a within wafer film uniformity of less than 6 percent, 3 sigma. Furthermore, the system's unique wafer contact scheme eliminates edge and backside contact with the plating bath during the electroplating process, preventing backside copper contamination. The INOVA PVD system is equally critical to the dual damascene process. INOVA's proprietary, 3-Dimensional, Hollow Cathode Magnetron (HCM) source technology is at the heart of the system. It provides the uniformity and conformality needed to deposit PVD films such as advanced Ta(N)/Cu barrier/seed applications for copper interconnects, as well as Ti/TiN liner/barrier layers for tungsten plug and aluminum fill. It delivers the superior bottom and sidewall coverage required for a void-free electrofill process in up to 6:1 aspect ratio dual damascene structures. About Novellus Systems Novellus Systems Inc. manufactures, markets and services advanced automated wafer fabrication systems for the deposition of thin films. Novellus deposition systems are designed for high-volume production of advanced, leading-edge semiconductors at the lowest overall cost. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, Novellus is a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq stock exchange (Nasdaq:NVLS - news). Additional information about the company is available on Novellus' home page on the World Wide Web, located at novellus.com About Cirent Semiconductor Cirent Semiconductor is a manufacturing joint venture of Lucent Technologies' (NYSE:LU - news) Microelectronics Group and Cirrus Logic, Inc. (Nasdaq:CRUS - news). The joint venture, initiated in October 1995, enhances both companies' ability to meet the worldwide demand for advanced integrated circuits, which are used increasingly in products such as computing equipment, cellular phones, pagers, and other electronic devices. The Orlando, Florida facility is the largest manufacturer of semiconductor devices in Florida. Bell Labs' process development laboratories are located at the Cirent Semiconductor facility. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contact: Novellus Systems Inc. Bob Climo, Marcom Director, 408/943-9700 Fax: 408/570-2635 Email: bob.climo@novellus.com or MCA Inc. Chris Castillo, 650/968-8900 Fax: 650/968-8990 Email: ccastillo@mcapr.com