Applied Materials' Producer System Delivers Highest Productivity Etch for Advanced Memory Interconnects.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Applied Materials, Inc. today announced that it has expanded its portfolio of applications on the Applied Producer([R]) Etch system to include interconnect etch for advanced Flash and DRAM memory chips. Responding to the need for a high productivity, cost-effective system to perform the increasing number of dielectric etch steps required for fabricating these structures, the Producer Etch system delivers 30% higher throughput and 50% longer MTBC1 than currently installed systems, plus cuts the cost of consumables in half.

"Memory interconnect etch processes are cost-driven applications where productivity gains can have a strong impact on customers' profitability," said Ellie Yieh, vice president and general manager of Applied Materials' Etch and Cleans business unit. "The Producer Etch system meets and exceeds customer needs with a winning combination of productivity and technical performance. The Producer Etch has already been awarded PTOR2 status for multiple via etch steps at a major memory manufacturer and is in qualification at several other customer sites."

The Producer Etch system has achieved strong momentum, with 25% year-on-year installed base growth since its release in 2002. The system's proprietary reactor design, which has been highly successful in both dielectric and polysilicon etch applications including bond pad, etchback and recess formation, enables high throughput, high yield dielectric etch in DRAM and NAND Flash interconnect structures from the 8Xnm to 4Xnm technology nodes. For more information on the Producer Etch system, please visit: http://appliedmaterials.com/products/producer_etch_4.html.

In total, more than 1,500 Applied Producer systems have shipped to logic, memory and foundry customers worldwide in the ten years since its introduction. Producer systems are used by every chip manufacturer in the industry for advanced applications including low k deposition, strain engineering, litho-enabling films, thermal films and high-temperature PECVD3.

Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) is the global leader in Nanomanufacturing Technology[TM] solutions with a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service and software products for the fabrication of semiconductor chips, flat panel displays, solar photovoltaic cells, flexible electronics and energy efficient glass. At Applied Materials, we apply Nanomanufacturing Technology to improve the way people live. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.

(1)MTBC = mean time between wet cleans

(2)PTOR = production tool of record

(3)PECVD = plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition