In the civil suit, Applied accused McDowell, along with company officers Rusty McDowell and Herbert Reese, of misappropriation of trade secrets, copyright infringement, and breach of contract. The suit also charged McDowell with fraud “relating to a scheme to improperly obtain proprietary blue prints of parts for Applied Materials' semiconductor manufacturing equipment and then to manufacture and sell those parts,” Applied said.

By Mike Sciannamea, Staff Writer

Applied Materials reported record results for its first fiscal quarter, with sales totaling $1.67 billion and new orders swelling to the $2.36 billion level.