Applied Materials Adds Ultralow Energy Ion Implanter to Precision Implant xR Family; Precision Implant xR LEAP Achieves High Throughput at Ultralow Energy Ranges -- Yet Maintains Compact Footprint.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 17, 1996--Applied Materials Inc. announces an addition to its fast-expanding line of high-productivity ion implantation systems.

Designed to optimize fab efficiency and flexibility, the Precision Implant xR LEAP (Low Energy Advanced Processes) system offers implant performance that will enable advanced device manufacturing well into the next century.

The Precision Implant xR LEAP builds on the high performance of Applied Materials' previously-announced Precision Implant xR80 system in providing production-worthy implants from less than 1keV to 80keV in a compact, 2m x 4.9m footprint. By incorporating a patented differential energy reduction technique, the xR LEAP achieves substantially higher beam currents at ultralow energies -- resulting in a significant increase in system throughput in the 1-10keV range. This advanced capability is critical for the high-efficiency fabrication of shallow junctions in 0.25 micron devices, and beyond.

xR LEAP technology is also available as a field upgrade to the Precision Implant xR80 system -- to satisfy future processing needs without the need to re-equip fabs with new systems for ultralow energy performance. In extensive testing of a Precision Implant xR LEAP system by a major microprocessor manufacturer, ultra-shallow transistor junctions were implanted and then successfully activated using an Applied Materials' RTP (Rapid Thermal Processing) Centura system. Also, during an extended endurance test at ultralow energies across a wide dose range, the xR LEAP achieved an aggregate throughput of more than 100 wafers per hour.

The company's complete line of Precision Implant systems now includes the 9500xR, xR80, and xR LEAP. All of these systems share a common beamline architecture, control interface, wafer handling system, process chamber hardware and automation. Having these common features offers customers a high degree of tool set flexibility and efficiency, allowing shared implant process recipes, simplified operation and maintenance procedures, and greater than 85 percent commonality in spare parts and consumables.

"The Precision Implant xR LEAP demonstrates the Applied Materials Implant organization's continued industry leadership in technology innovation and production effectiveness. With the recent introduction of the xR80, and now the xR LEAP, we have two high-output implanters with a remarkably small footprint and 2m width," said Kalman Kaufman, president of Applied Materials' Thermal Process and Implant Product Business Group. "With the Precision Implant 9500xR, this family of systems covers more than 90 percent of the implants needed to fabricate current and future devices, and provides the core implant technology for leading chipmakers over the next several years."

Applied Materials, Inc. is a Fortune 500 global growth company and the world's largest supplier of wafer fabrication systems and services to the global semiconductor industry. Applied Materials is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol "AMAT." Applied Materials' web site is http://www.AppliedMaterials.com.

CONTACT: Applied Materials Inc.

Betty Newboe, 408/563-0647 (editorial/media)

Bill Ong, 408/235-6232 (financial community)