Applied Materials' SEMVision System Continues Leadership Momentum, Over 100 Systems Shipped Worldwide.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 6, 2000

New SEMVision JET(TM) Package Offers Enhanced Speed and Productivity

Applied Materials, Inc. reported it has shipped more than 100 SEMVision(TM) systems, underscoring rapid demand for its in-line automatic defect review and classification capabilities. Used in all of the world's top 20 fabs, the SEMVision system is five to ten times faster than manual defect review systems, providing improved yield control for the volume production of advanced chip designs. To further enhance the productivity benefits of this system, Applied Materials today introduced its new SEMVision JET(TM) software package that facilitates faster, more user friendly automatic review and defect classification (ADR/ADC) operations.

"The 100th shipment milestone represents significant customer acceptance for the SEMVision system and its revolutionary impact on the defect review process," said Russell Ellwanger, vice president and general manager of Applied Materials' Process Diagnostics and Control group. "Its high-throughput review and classification of the industry's most challenging defects has enabled the use of in-line ADC and made SEMVision the market leader in DR-SEM technology. The industry's rapid acceptance of the SEMVision technology substantiates its production worthiness and its capability for maintaining high equipment uptime and device yield."

Ofer Bokobza, marketing director for the SEMVision system, noted, "With the addition of our new JET package, we're increasing the SEMVision's power to facilitate process development and volume production where quickly troubleshooting yield and defectivity problems is critical. Being able to implement out-of-the-box automatic analysis and classification without first requiring time-consuming, user-specified parameters and set-up offers tremendous overall productivity and time-to-market advantages. Our customers report that they have been able to reduce the amount of time typically spent on such operator involvement by as much as 70 percent."

The SEMVision system continues to set the industry standard for SEM (scanning electron microscope) defect review with JET, which enhances ADR/ADC performance and overall fab productivity by supporting faster, more reliable and easy-to-use process inspection. These features and capabilities, core elements of Applied Materials' defect reduction program, are critical to providing the industry with more efficient, turn-key defect review solutions needed to accelerate time-to-volume production.

Available for 200mm and 300mm wafer fabrication, Applied Materials has already shipped SEMVision systems to customers' 300mm fabs, where its ability to identify the source of process-induced defects is critical for early production ramp.

According to market researcher Dataquest's mid-year forecast of July 2000, the market for Automatic Review and Classification systems, which includes optical, SEM-based and dual-beam systems, was $194 million in 1999, and is expected to grow to $593 million in 2005.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) is a leader of the Information Age and the world's largest supplier of products and services to the global semiconductor industries. Applied Materials' web site is http://www.appliedmaterials.com.