Applied Materials Ranked Number One Supplier of High Density Plasma CVD Equipment for Second Consecutive Year
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 14, 2000--
Applied Materials Continues Leadership Position With its Ultima
HDP-CVD(TM) Centura(R) System
According to the latest 1999 data from market research firms Dataquest and VLSI Research, Applied Materials has continued its leadership in HDP-CVD (high density plasma-chemical vapor deposition) equipment for the second consecutive year.
Applied Materials significantly increased its worldwide sales of HDP-CVD products in 1999, driven by strong demand for the company's Ultima HDP-CVD(TM) Centura(R) system.
Risto Puhakka, vice president, operations at VLSI Research noted, "Applied Materials continued to experience robust growth in their HDP-CVD business as a result of industry demand for first-generation low k fluorinated silicate glass (FSG) film and shallow trench isolation applications. Applied Materials remains successful because of its ability to provide enabling technologies that extend the semiconductor industry roadmap."
Klaus Rinnen, director at Dataquest commented, "Applied Materials increased its share of the global HDP-CVD market from1998 to 1999, posting the strongest growth among HDP-CVD vendors."
The Ultima(TM) system provides a high-productivity, cost-effective HDP-CVD solution for advanced sub-0.25 micron designs. Optimized for IMD (intermetal dielectrics) and STI (shallow trench isolation) applications, the Ultima system has also gained widespread acceptance for high-volume production of FSG low k films. Many chipmakers are using FSG instead of conventional silicon dioxide films for sub-0.18 micron chip designs to significantly reduce signal delay in the circuit and achieve up to 15 percent higher chip speeds. In addition to its advanced film deposition capability, the Ultima features Applied Materials' Remote Clean(TM) technology that virtually eliminates the emission of global-warming perfluorocompound (PFC) gases and reduces operating costs by eliminating chamber consumables and extending system uptime.
"The latest data confirms the continued strong demand for the Ultima HDP-CVD system and for this, we are grateful to our customers, our engineers and global operations and support teams," said Dr. Farhad Moghadam, vice president and general manager of the Dielectric Systems and Modules Product Group. "We have shipped to date more than 1,000 Ultima HDP-CVD process chambers on over 350 Centura systems. This system continues to be the preferred solution for complex, sub-0.25 micron gap-fill applications and advanced processes, including low kappa films by enabling the high-productivity and cost-effective manufacture of advanced chip designs."
Applied Materials, Inc. is a Fortune 500 global growth company and the world's largest supplier of wafer fabrication systems and services to the global semiconductor industry. Applied Materials is traded on the Nasdaq National Market System under the symbol "AMAT." Applied Materials' web site is http://www.AppliedMaterials.com.
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