Message #60 From:
NewsBot Date: December 4, 2006 10:00:00 AM
AMAT News Applied Materials Introduces Major Advancement in CMP Polishing Pad Technology
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Applied Materials, Inc. today announced its innovative Applied DuraPad™CMP polishing pad technology for 200mm chemical mechanical planarization
(CMP) systems. The DuraPad has >30% longer
pad life than existing pads for increased CMP system productivity and
delivers compelling cost of ownership savings to customers. Robust
manufacturing methodology enables exceptional pad-to-pad reproducibility
with less than 2% variation across key parameters —
for predictable CMP process results.
“Pad consumables is a new market for Applied
Materials and is the result of our collaboration with Praxair
Electronics(1),” said Manfred Kerschbaum,
senior vice president and general manager of Applied Global Services. “The
most critical consumable for a CMP system is the polishing pad and we’re
excited to bring new pad technology to customers that has significantly
improved lifetime, performance and cost of ownership. In addition, the
DuraPad polishing pad is a replacement that requires minimal tuning for
specific process conditions.”
Key to the DuraPad’s high reproducibility is
continuous sheet cross-linking and curing, which enables remarkable
within-pad and pad-to-pad consistency. The DuraPad also incorporates
Praxair’s patented inert-gas foaming process
that optimizes the pad pore structure for reduced defects and lower
slurry flow requirements.
The Applied
DuraPad polishing pad’s unique design is
a result of Applied’s vast experience in CMP,
with more than 2,000 CMP system installations at customer sites
worldwide. The DuraPad has already been qualified by major customers on
advanced CMP applications. For more information about Applied DuraPad
CMP polishing pads, please visit http://www.appliedmaterials.com/products/spares_products.html.
Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) is the global leader in
Nanomanufacturing Technology™ solutions with
a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service and software products
for the fabrication of semiconductor chips, flat panels, solar
photovoltaic cells, flexible electronics and energy efficient glass. At
Applied Materials, we apply Nanomanufacturing Technology to improve the
way people live. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.
(1) Praxair Electronics is a division of Praxair, Inc.
