April 12, 2004 – Novellus Systems Inc., San Jose, CA, has acquired Angstron Systems Inc., Santa Clara, CA, a supplier of atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology, for an undisclosed amount. The deal adds ALD to Novellus’ copper product portfolio core CVD/PVD business. Novellus also announced multiple orders for its PVD systems for TSMC’s Fab 12 and Fab 14 300mm facilities and Chartered’s 300mm Fab 7.

Not all the news coming from Novellus is positive, however. Last week, Semitool Inc., Kalispell, MT, said it won part of a counterclaim in its patent infringement litigation with Novellus Systems, originally filed in June 2001, concerning Semitool’s seed layer enhancement technology and Novellus’ concave/convex electroplating technology. A similar dispute involving Semitool and Applied ended in February with a licensing agreement.