Applied Materials Announces Ultra-High Efficiency Vacuum Pumping Solution; New Integrated Point-of-Use Pump Delivers Major Energy and Cost Savings For Fabs.

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SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 16, 2001

Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) introduces the new ultra-high efficiency iPUP(TM) (integrated point-of-use pump) for a variety of process equipment pumping applications. The iPUP enables a dramatic reduction in fab vacuum cost by cutting power consumption more than 50 percent and reducing facility costs in new fabs by up to $100,000 per system over traditional vacuum pumps.

"Applied Materials' iPUP provides a unique vacuum solution for processing systems," said David Fried, corporate vice president and general manager of Applied Materials Customer Productivity Support Group. "The iPUP's innovative design enables major cost and performance benefits across the fab, from improved equipment operation to reduced environmental impact. We believe that customers will see substantial benefits with the iPUP, since approximately 20 percent of all fab power consumption is directly or indirectly related to vacuum pumps."

Developed in collaboration with major vacuum pump manufacturers, Applied Materials' extremely compact iPUP is a revolutionary vacuum pump that can be attached directly to the processing tool as a roughing pump for all types of semiconductor processing equipment. Occupying only one-fourth the floorspace of conventional pumps, the iPUP offers significant footprint and facility savings over the traditional pump layout. The unit is small enough to be installed in the sub-floor beneath the process tool, enabling a zero-footprint installation.

Designed for safety and reliability, the iPUP operates with nearly imperceptible vibrations and at a lower than ambient noise level. With the performance of a pump three times its size, the iPUP's energy-efficient design requires less than half the electricity of conventional pumps. This saving is significant, not only from an economic perspective, but also with respect to increasingly important environmental concerns.

To ensure reliable and effective operation at virtually any fab, iPUP service and maintenance is handled by Applied Materials' Customer Productivity Support organization, which has more than 3,500 service engineers and technicians operating out of more than 80 offices worldwide.

The iPUP has already received an enthusiastic customer reception, with more than 200 units currently installed at customer facilities around the world. In addition, more than 500 iPUP units are operating on Applied Materials' systems throughout the company's global facilities where they have proven their efficiency and performance over the past year.

Applied Materials (Nasdaq:AMAT), the largest supplier of products and services to the global semiconductor industry, is one of the world's leading information infrastructure providers. Applied Materials enables Information for Everyone(TM) by helping semiconductor manufacturers produce more powerful, portable and affordable chips. Applied Materials' Web site is http://www.appliedmaterials.com.

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