Press Releases

Lam Research Corporation Ships 300-Mm Cmp System To Major Taiwanese Foundry FREMONT, Calif., November 15, 2000—Lam Research Corporation (Nasdaq: LRCX) today announced shipment of a 300-mm Teres® CMP system to a major foundry in Taiwan. The foundry’s 200-mm Teres copper CMP processes will be transferred directly to the 300-mm system. This decision confirms Teres as the foundry’s copper process tool of record, and demonstrates the foundry’s confidence in the ability to transfer process from the 200-mm Teres system directly to the new 300-mm system.

Lam’s 200-mm Teres system is a market leader for copper and STI (shallow trench isolation) CMP processes, and is growing market share for the ILD (interlevel dielectric) and oxide applications. The proven 200-mm process flexibility will continue to be embodied in the 300-mm system. This is a direct result of Lam’s decision to design the 300-mm system with the same architecture and process approach already proven on the 200-mm system. The designs are so similar that parts commonality between the two systems is greater than 60 percent.

The primary difference in the design is that the 300-mm system is designed to be 200-300-mm capable, processing either wafer size interchangeably following minor hardware modifications. This interchangeability allows 200-mm processes to be developed and transferred to production on the new 300-mm system.

In addition, the superior reliability proven by the 200-mm Teres system in production environments (such as the Taiwanese foundry has experienced) will transfer to the 300-mm system because of the common design strategy. Finally, the 300-mm system also limits footprint growth, providing a 30 percent advantage over competing systems for a lower cost of ownership.

“Customer demand for the 300-mm Teres is growing rapidly with near-term Teres 300-mm orders pending for oxide,” commented Kevin Crofton, Deputy General Manager of Lam’s CMP/Clean Products Group. “Its small footprint, high reliability, and process transfer capability provide an overall low-risk, low-cost solution that is extremely attractive to customers now transitioning to 300-mm.”

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 include, without limitation, anticipated product shipments under existing orders, shipment schedules, the prospective demand for the company’s products, the future acceptance, performance and competitiveness of the company’s products, and the technical and market transition to new processes. Such statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and changes in condition 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 25, 2000, and the Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 24, 2000. The company undertakes no obligation to update the information in this Press Release.

Lam Research Corporation is a leading supplier of front-end wafer processing equipment and services to the worldwide semiconductor manufacturing industry. The company’s common stock trades on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol LRCX. Lam’s World Wide Web address is http://www.lamrc.com.