Novellus Systems, Inc., Q4 2009 Guidance/Update Call, Nov-19-2009

Novellus Systems Inc. announced that it has developed a new tungsten deposition process, called LRWxT, that can effectively reduce contact and line resistance at the 3Xnm technology node compared to conventional tungsten chemical vapor deposition (CVD-W) technology. The new approach uses the company's ALTUS® Max system for a unique deposition process sequence that results in highly conformal, large grain size films with lower tungsten bulk resistivity. LRWxT employs the high productivity, multi-station sequential architecture of the ALTUS Max CVD-W system to deliver a unique, three-step deposition process. First, a <20 angstrom thick nucleation layer is deposited using Novellus' proprietary PNL®xT (Pulsed Nucleation Layer) technology. Next, a low-resistivity tungsten (LRWxT) treatment step is applied to promote growth of the low resistivity bulk film. Finally, an optimized CVD-W film is deposited for the bulk fill of nanometer-sized structures>

Novellus Systems Inc. introduced the SABRE Excel, an advanced copper electroplating system designed to provide fill and defect density performance for the 22nm technology node and beyond. SABRE Excel builds upon the production-proven SABRE. The SABRE Excel platform features a new deposition module incorporating Novellus' patented IRISCell technology, as well as new hardware, software and communications upgrades to the process tool's mainframe. Additionally, an advanced plating process has been developed for SABRE Excel to take advantage of these new, innovative features. The new feature set addresses the key challenges associated with scaling copper electroplating to the 22nm technology node. Novellus' IRISCell technology eliminates this issue by employing patented field shaping elements that enable dynamic current modulation during the deposition process. Thin PVD seeds also create a challenge for uniform nucleation of the copper film. To address this problem, SABRE Excel's new plating process, called Multiwave entry, provides millisecond control of the voltage profile during the initial stages of copper deposition. In addition to the hardware advances designed to address thin seed challenges, the SABRE Excel platform introduces a number of innovative new features targeted at meeting the defect and yield requirements for 22nm. The propensity for 'killer' defects has been dramatically reduced using a proprietary, low-corrosion electrolyte. The number of chips per wafer has also been improved by increasing the usable die area through a reduction of the process edge exclusion to only 1mm.