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World-Leading Korean Manufacturer Places Multi-System Order for SEZ Da Vinci™ Tools
- Memory makers now shifting to advanced single-wafer wet processing solutions for BEOL cleaning
The SEZ Group (SWX: SEZN), the market leader and premier innovator in single-wafer wet-processing technology for the semiconductor industry, today announced that a world-leading memory manufacturer has placed a multiple-system order for SEZ’s Da Vinci™ family of cleaning tools. The DV-38F systems will be used for back-end-of-line (BEOL) polymer removal for 300-mm memory devices with sub-90-nm process technologies.
The trend from batch to single-wafer wet processing continues to accelerate as major manufacturers, including those in Korea, move to replace wet benches to accommodate the increasingly stringent surface contamination control requirements associated with more complex, small-geometry ICs. While logic chip manufactures have led this trend, memory makers are also seeking the cost and performance advantages afforded by single-wafer wet processing for their advanced manufacturing operations.
This order represents a significant competitive win for SEZ, displacing batch tools at a world-leading memory semiconductor maker with its Da Vinci products—which are specifically developed to provide the productivity, cost and yield advantages essential for advanced, high-volume manufacturing applications.
Propelled by the current industry trends toward increased cost reduction, better yields and higher productivity, the unique rapid market adoption of the Da Vinci platform is exceeding original expectations. Having sold the first Da Vinci tool in Q2 04, SEZ already has multiple Da Vinci tools installed worldwide, and anticipates this product family will represent more than 50 percent of its total sales in 2005.
About SEZ Group
The SEZ Group is the leading provider of single-wafer, wet-clean processing solutions for the global semiconductor industry, with an installed base of over 850 tools. The company maintains operations in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan and North America. Since 1996, registered shares of SEZ Holding Ltd. have been traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange under the symbol SEZN. Additional information about the company is available on the Internet at www.sez.com.
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