Applied Materials Announces Fourth Member of Implant xR Product Family; New Implant xR120 Extends Small Footprint, High Productivity Ion Implant Capability to 120keV.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 1996--Applied Materials, Inc. announces a major addition to its line of compact, high productivity ion implantation systems.

The new xR120 extends the energy range of the revolutionary Implant xR80 system to 120keV in a space-saving 2.1m x 4.9m footprint. Additionally, through the use of multiply-charged species, the xR120 can offer high energy capability for medium current applications.

The xR120 is a high productivity implanter that delivers outstanding beam currents across its full energy range of 2-120keV; at 5keV, for example, the system utilizes a beam current of 5mA. In the drive to smaller geometries, many devices no longer require implants of singly charged species above 120keV. The xR120 addresses these changing requirements, providing the capability to perform the majority of implants needed in many fabs.

Because it is virtually the same size as the xR80 system, the footprint of the xR120 is as much as 50 percent smaller than typical conventional full range high current implanters. The xR120 therefore provides more than twice the throughput per unit area and offers a better return on investment in terms of costly fab floorspace. The xR120 is also much smaller than other competitive systems that are limited to an 80keV or 90keV energy range.

Kalman Kaufman, president of Applied Materials' Thermal Process and Implant Product Business Group, said, "The efficient design of our newest ion implanters is setting an industry standard for better fab space utilization, dramatically improved low-energy performance, and process flexibility for broad use in virtually any fab."

At the low-energy range of the implant spectrum, the xR120 performs shallow junction implants down to 2keV. With the exception of the recently introduced xR LEAP (Low Energy Advance Processes), no other implanter can deliver higher throughput below 5keV. At the same time, its capability to provide extended high current performance up to 25mA in the mid-energy range up to 120keV enables it to perform all implants required in the fabrication of sub-half micron semiconductor devices.

The company's complete line of Implant xR systems now includes the 9500xR, xR80, xR LEAP, and xR120. The Implant xR LEAP provides production-worthy implants from less than IkeV to 80keV in a compact 2m x 4.9m footprint. By incorporating a patented differential lens technique, the xR LEAP achieves substantially higher beam currents at ultralow energies in the 1-5keV range. This advanced, high throughput capability provides further throughput enhancement in the fabrication of shallow junctions in sub-0.25 micron devices.

The Implant xR systems share an architecture that allows over 85 percent commonality; the xR80 is field upgradable to the xR LEAP or xR120 performance specification. As a result, chipmakers can choose different systems for specific energy requirements, yet buy fewer systems overall and still maintain a high degree of backup within the group.

Applied Materials, Inc. is a Fortune 500 global growth company and the world's largest supplier of wafer fabricaton 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)