Santa Clara, California–Applied Materials, Inc. is expanding its ion implant operations with the addition of laboratories and manufacturing sites to enhance the company’s capability to provide advanced implant systems and technologies for building next-generation, high-speed transistors in sub-0.13 micron devices. Applied Materials’ investment, the company reports, builds on increasing industry demand and on growing success in the implant market, highlighted by its meteoric 300% rise in business volume over the past year.

“Advanced ion implantation has become a critical technology as chipmakers scale their device designs to the sub-0.13 micron technology node and 300mm wafer size,” says Craig Lowrie, vice president and general manager of Applied Materials’ Parametric and

Conductive Implantation Group. “Our goal is to continue building our leadership as a supplier of implant solutions by offering customers the advanced technologies and programs needed for the volume manufacture of transistors that are smaller, faster and more power efficient. We are making all the necessary investments to our product portfolio and infrastructure to achieve this aim.”

Applied Materials’ investment includes hiring, increased applications development, as well as facility expansion to meet projected technology and production requirements. The company is upgrading its implant facility in Horsham, England for increased capacity, which is expected to triple the system production capability. Additionally, a new manufacturing line is being established in North America to supply further capacity. Construction of additional Class 1 applications laboratories in North America,

Europe and Japan for advanced process development are also underway.