Cypress Semiconductor purchase two Lam production Oxide 9500 systems; new etchers part of an $11 million multiple system order.

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 4, 1995--Lam Research Corp. (NASDAQ:LRCX) announced Wednesday that Cypress Semiconductor, headquartered in San Jose, has purchased two of its production Oxide 9500 etch systems as part of an $11 million order that also includes multiple Lam TCP 9600 metal etch systems, Advanced Capability Rainbow 4420 polysilicon etch systems, and a Rainbow 4720 tungsten etchback system.

Designed to meet the needs of 0.35-micron technology and beyond, the Oxide 9500 system leverages Lam's high-density, low-pressure technology and the production-proven Rainbow platform for 6-inch and 8-inch applications.

``As design rules continue to shrink, the requirements for etching oxide films become more complex,'' said Way Tu, vice president of Lam's oxide business unit. ``By utilizing the production-proven Rainbow platform combined with Lam's patented hollow anode source technology, the Oxide 9500 system meets these advanced performance demands without the risk and high cost-of-ownership typically associated with new oxide etch technologies.''

According to Tony Alvarez, vice president of research and development for Cypress Semiconductor, "The Lam etchers will have a key role in our new 8-inch Fab 4 line in Minnesota. The new Oxide 9500 systems have the precision to support the 0.5 micron processes in our new fab, which began prototype runs last month, and will be in production by mid-1995."

In addition to etching linewidths of 0.35-micron and below, the Oxide 9500 system features self-aligned contact (SAC) etch capability -- a new application used in process integration strategies.

As the industry moves toward higher packing densities and smaller device geometries, chipmakers increasingly seek solutions like SAC etch that integrate multiple process steps. SAC etch requires a high degree of selectivity and repeatability, both of which are benefits enabled by the Oxide 9500 system.

Lam's Envision control system software is also a standard feature on the Oxide 9500 system. Envision incorporates features to address the automation and system interface challenges posed by the fabrication requirements of future generations of semiconductor chips.

Systems purchased in this order will be installed in Cypress' new 8-inch, fully-automated Fab 4 in Minnesota, where they will be used to build high-speed memory and logic integrated circuits (ICs), including static random access memory (SRAM) devices, dual-port memories, FCT logic devices, and frequency synthesizer products.

Lam Research Corp. is a leading supplier of wafer processing equipment to the worldwide semiconductor industry. The company's broad product offerings are focused on etch and deposition, two of the most vital steps in the fabrication of current and future integrated circuits. Headquartered in Fremont, Lam maintains customer support centers throughout the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia/Pacific to support its global customer base. Founded in 1980, Lam is publicly held and listed on the NASDAQ stock market under the symbol LRCX.

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. is a leader in the design, development and manufacture of a broad line of high-performance digital integrated circuits, fabricated using its proprietary 0.5-, 0.65- and 0.8- micron CMOS and BiCMOS technologies. Cypress offers a range of products, including PLDs (programmable logic devices), FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays), static RAMs (random access memories), CMOS PROMS (programmable read-only memories) and EPROMs, high-performance multichip modules, frequency synthesizer products, FCT logic products, and data communications products. Cypress stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Corporate headquarters are located in San Jose.

CONTACT: Lam Research Corp.

Karen McLennan, 510/659-6692 (corporate communications)

Carolyn Schwartz, 510/659-6848 (investor relations)

MCA 

Andrea Mace, 415/968-8900