Applied Materials Introduces New Era of Smart, Productive Chip Manufacturing with Centris(TM) Etch System
New smart platform architecture makes complex, shrinking chip designs possible
System intelligence enables angstrom-level uniformity on every wafer
Nearly 2X faster than any other silicon etch system - with up to 30% reduction in CoO
TOKYO, Japan, November 30, 2010 - Applied Materials, Inc. today begins a new era in chip manufacturing with its powerful Applied Centris(TM) AdvantEdge(TM) Mesa(TM) Etch, the smartest, fastest silicon etch system ever made for the volume production of the world's most advanced memory and logic chips. Featuring an unprecedented eight process chambers - six etch and two plasma clean chambers - the compact Centris system can process up to 180 wafers per hour, lowering the per-wafer cost by up to 30%. Proprietary system intelligence software assures every process on every chamber precisely matches, delivering angstrom-level uniformity on every wafer - a critical requirement for high yield in tomorrow's highly-complex chip designs.
"The new Centris platform is a game-changer for silicon etch, one of the fastest growing segments in the industry, as more and more critical etch steps are required to create the ultra-small circuit features of advanced microchips," said Ellie Yieh, vice president and general manager of Applied's Etch Division. "The combination of our new Centris platform with our world-class AdvantEdge Mesa technology exemplifies how our customer-focused product innovation is helping Applied gain momentum across multiple etch market applications."
Applied will host a live webcast on November 30, 10:30 a.m. Japan time - Nov. 29, 5:30pm PST - discussing this breakthrough technology at www.appliedmaterials.com/events/becauseinnovationmatters. The Centris platform is one of several important technologies being announced by Applied during SEMICON Japan 2010 in Chiba. More information, including multimedia resources, can be found at Applied's online home at the show at www.appliedmaterials.com/becauseinnovationmatters.
Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) is the global leader in providing innovative equipment, services and software to enable the manufacture of advanced semiconductor, flat panel display and solar photovoltaic products. Our technologies help make innovations like smartphones, flat screen TVs and solar panels more affordable and accessible to consumers and businesses around the world. At Applied Materials, we turn today's innovations into the industries of tomorrow. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.
[1] Calculated using SEMI S23 methodology
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