AMD Purchases Varian's VIISta 80 Implanter.

GLOUCESTER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 17, 1998--Varian Associates, Inc. (NYSE:VAR) reported today that AMD has purchased a VIISta 80 serial process high current ion implant system.

The VIISta 80 and 810 systems, Varian's newest generation of implanters for both 200mm and 300mm wafers, were introduced in July at Semicon West.

This system will be used at AMD's Submicron Development Center (SDC) in Sunnyvale, Calif. to develop advanced implantation processes for both logic and flash memory devices.

This order reflects growing interest in the new high current model VIISta 80 which produces exceptionally high throughput implants at energies from 200 eV to 80 keV, according to Dr. Chuck McKenna, vice president and general manager of Varian Ion Implant Systems.

The VIISta 80 is specifically designed to meet the demanding requirements of next generation integrated circuits including highly advanced 0.10 micron geometries, said McKenna, noting that VIISta is the industry's only serial processing high current implanter.

Varian's staff of physicists and process engineers have worked closely with AMD's technical staff on the development of ultra-shallow junctions and other advanced implant processes. "Partnerships with chip manufacturers have allowed us to rapidly advance the technology necessary for ultra-shallow junction formation in production," said McKenna.

"While working closely with AMD we have developed and refined the implant and annealing process of 0.25 micron and established the pathway to sub 0.18 micron production. The addition of the VIISta 80 at SDC is the culmination of that work and will enable AMD and Varian to further explore the requirements of implant processes down to and including 0.10 micron."

In addition to co-development work with AMD, Varian has also partnered with several device manufacturers and universities to develop new processes and has co-authored a number of papers.

Virtually every major semiconductor manufacturer in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea uses Varian's semiconductor fabrication equipment. The company is the leading supplier of ion implantation equipment with more than 2,500 systems shipped worldwide. For the second consecutive year, Varian achieved the number one ranking for customer satisfaction in VLSI Research Inc.'s 10 BEST survey for large suppliers of semiconductor equipment.

Varian Associates, Inc., based in Palo Alto, Calif., is a $1.4 billion, diversified, high-technology company with core businesses in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, analytical instruments, and health care systems that provide products and services to worldwide markets. It operates manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia and has sales and service offices worldwide.

Press announcements and other information about Varian are available at www.varian.com.