Lam Research Corporation Ships 100th Synergy IntegraTM Integrated CMP Cleaning System FREMONT, Calif., June 17, 1999 - Lam Research Corporation (Nasdaq: LRCX), a leading supplier of wafer fabrication equipment to the worldwide semiconductor industry, today announced shipment of its 100th Synergy Integra to a major Korean DRAM manufacturer. Introduced in 1997, Synergy Integra achieved this major milestone as a result of growing demand from semiconductor manufacturers who require a complete dry in/dry out chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) wafer solution. The shipment increases Lam’s installed base of integrated and standalone OnTrak cleaners to more than 750 systems worldwide.
Synergy Integra’s design facilitates the transfer of wafers between CMP and cleaning steps by combining the polisher and cleaner onto a single platform. Its unique, open architecture configuration solves the challenge of CMP process integration by increasing productivity and eliminating the damage that can occur if polishing slurry dries on a wafer. The Synergy Integra is currently integrated with six of the leading dry in/dry out CMP system suppliers, including Lam’s TeresTM CMP system, to address various application requirements such as STI, copper, ILD, and tungsten.
The Synergy Integra utilizes Lam’s proprietary chemical mechanical cleaning CMCTM technology to achieve optimum clean performance while maintaining high throughput. In high volume production worldwide, these systems are enabling semiconductor manufacturers to achieve the lowest levels of particle and metal contamination on the wafer after the CMP process.
“The continued success of the Synergy Integra demonstrates Lam’s focus on providing innovations and continuous improvements that enable our customers to extend their CMP cleaning process capabilities for the next three generations of devices,” stated Dr. Willy Krusell, vice president and general manager of the CMP/Cleaning Products Group. In addition, “Lam is the market leader in post-CMP copper cleaning and has partnered with several leading-edge semiconductor manufacturers to implement our proprietary copper clean chemistry into production. When coupled with Teres’ linear planarization technologyTM (LPTTM), customers can achieve superior copper CMP and clean results with a fully dry in/dry out solution,” concluded Krusell.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements which are subject to the Safe Harbor provisions created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements relate to anticipated performance, capabilities, applications, and competitiveness of the company’s products and market transition to new processes. Such statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and changes in condition, such as may arise from introduction of such products into production, and other risks detailed in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including specifically the report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 1998, and the Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 1999. The company undertakes no obligation to update the information in this Press Release.
Lam Research Corporation is a leading supplier of wafer fabrication equipment and services to the world’s semiconductor industry. The company’s common stock trades on the Nasdaq National Securities Market under the symbol “LRCX”. Lam’s World Wide Web address is http://www.lamrc.com.