Press Releases

SAN JOSE, Calif. - September 23, 2008 - Novellus Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS) today announced the shipment of its 300th SABRE® electrochemical deposition (ECD) system to a leading semiconductor manufacturer in Korea. The SABRE Extreme&#8482 tool will be used for the deposition of copper layers in the production of flash and DRAM devices - demonstrating the increasing use of copper electroplating in memory manufacturing applications. With SABRE tools installed at all major copper memory manufacturers, Novellus is well positioned to become a key enabler for next-generation memory.

The milestone shipment also marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of the SABRE platform, a landmark product that accelerated the chip industry's transition from aluminum to copper interconnects. Enabled by cutting-edge technology, the platform delivers high yield and low defectivity with the lowest cost of ownership. SABRE has consistently demonstrated the highest ECD system availability supported by a comprehensive global service infrastructure. Installed at nine of the top 10 copper IC manufacturers, SABRE has become the electroplating product of choice for logic and memory fabs worldwide since its introduction in 1998.

"Novellus was the catalyst that ignited the copper revolution a decade ago," said G. Dan Hutcheson, CEO of VLSI Research. "It was the Novellus partnership with IBM that led to its groundbreaking SABRE electroplating, which made copper interconnect a production reality. Up until that point, copper was a dream that threatened to put a roadblock in front of Moore's Law."

"Since its launch, the SABRE platform has driven the industry benchmark for copper electroplating technology," said Karl B. Levy, senior vice president and general manager, Direct Metals and Electrofill at Novellus. "Today, SABRE Extreme offers leading-edge copper deposition for high-aspect-ratio features, including thin seed plating, unparalleled throughput and single-digit defect performance. When we combine this with the platform's record of extendibility over multiple technology generations, we are confident about our continued leadership in copper electrofill."

About SABRE Extreme:
Building on the success of the SABRE NExT system, the SABRE Extreme is targeted for the 3X and 2X technology nodes. SABRE Extreme features an improved plating cell incorporating an advanced fluid management system and current distribution technology, improving yield, on-wafer performance and reducing cost-of-consumables. SABRE Extreme runs the most advanced Electrofill&#8482 chemistry, key to providing superior copper filling capability on extremely narrow high-aspect-ratio features.

About Novellus:
Novellus Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVLS) is a leading provider of advanced process equipment for the global semiconductor industry. The company's products deliver value to customers by providing innovative technology backed by trusted productivity. An S&P 500 company, Novellus is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. with subsidiary offices across the globe. For more information, please visit www.novellus.com.

SABRE is a registered trademark, and SABRE Electrofill and SABRE Extreme are trademarks of Novellus Systems, Inc.