Applied Materials Strengthens Leadership Position in HDP-CVD; Ships 100th 300mm System

June 15, 2004

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--June 15, 2004--Applied Materials, Inc. demonstrates its market leadership in HDP-CVD(1) technology for the sixth straight year with the shipment of its 100th Applied Centura(R) Ultima(TM) HDP-CVD system for 300mm wafers. The Ultima system is the industry standard for critical shallow trench isolation (STI), pre-metal dielectric (PMD) and inter-metal dielectric (IMD) applications for manufacturing advanced high-speed transistors in both logic and memory chips.

"We have extended the Ultima system's process technology to 65nm-generation geometries and to fill greater than 6:1 aspect ratio structures, while further improving its cost-effectiveness in 300mm volume production," said Dr. Farhad Moghadam, vice president and general manager of Applied Materials' Dielectric Systems and Modules Group. "Our customers have been able to maximize their HDP-CVD investment by using the same Ultima systems across several technology nodes, resulting in a steady improvement in operating cost and production effectiveness. The system is well positioned to continue this remarkable record."
Featuring a flexible "universal" chamber design and innovative gap-fill technology, the Applied Centura Ultima system supports multiple interconnect and front-end HDP-CVD applications. The system can run both advanced high aspect ratio STI and PMD applications for 90nm and 65nm transistor designs in the same chamber, maximizing productivity and utilization of fab floor space.
The Ultima system's unique features include a tunable gas injection, the reliable BLUE(TM) electrostatic chuck and an innovative high-efficiency Remote Clean plasma source that minimizes particle counts and virtually eliminates PFC (perfluorocompound) emissions. For more information on the Applied Ultima system, please visit http://www.appliedmaterials.com/products/gap_fill_dielectrics.html.
The Ultima HDP-CVD Centura is currently being used by 17 of the top 20 semiconductor manufacturers worldwide.

The original press release can be found here.