Applied Materials Extends CMP Leadership with 500th 300mm System Shipment.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Applied Materials, Inc. announced that it has shipped its 500th 300mm CMP (chemical mechanical planarization) system. The semiconductor industry's leading CMP system, the 300mm Applied Reflexion(R) LK CMP, and the revolutionary Applied Reflexion LK Ecmp(TM) (electrochemical mechanical planarization) system, are used by memory and logic chipmakers worldwide for advanced production, as well as for next-generation device development.

"Our 300mm CMP systems provide a winning combination of advanced technology and productivity that spans the entire semiconductor industry, from foundries to IDMs, including the vast majority of CMP systems used for 90nm and below," said Dr. Farhad Moghadam, senior vice president and general manager of Applied Materials' Thin Films Group. "We have now shipped over 2,000 CMP systems, including 200mm Mirra(R) CMP as well as 300mm Reflexion-series CMP systems."

The Applied Reflexion LK CMP system's patented polishing head, endpoint and Desica(R) single-wafer Marangoni wafer clean technologies provide high productivity at ultra-low polishing pressure without watermark defects. The system's unique automated process control (APC) technology dramatically reduces wafer variability for enhanced device reliability and yield.

Introduced in 2005, the Applied Reflexion LK Ecmp system eliminates traditional CMP slurries by using an electric charge to remove bulk copper from the wafer at high throughput, cutting chipmakers' operating costs. Its extremely low downforce is unsurpassed for polishing sensitive low k dielectric films, while its superior planarization capability helps extend the use of existing dry lithography tools through the 45nm generation by increasing the depth of focus process window. The Applied Ecmp system is the only electrochemical mechanical planarization technology being used in volume production.

Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) is the global leader in nanomanufacturing technology(TM) solutions for the electronics industry with a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service and software products. At Applied Materials, we apply nanomanufacturing technology to improve the way people live. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.