April 6, 2005 – Tegal Corp. has announced that a major European IDM has placed a multiple system order, which includes a 6540 advanced plasma etch system, as well as multiple 980ACS and 900 Series plasma etch systems. The systems will be used in the production of high-k decoupling capacitors incorporated into cell phones and other wireless devices.

“The unique ability of our advanced 6540 etcher to handle difficult-to-etch materials makes it an ideal choice for wireless device makers worldwide,” said Steve Selbrede, VP and CTO of Tegal. “High-k materials are increasingly being used in multichip module and system-on-chip devices in order to isolate or decouple the chip frequencies from surrounding noise. We have been working with several types of high-k materials for many years and have unique, patented technology to address the many problems encountered in the etching of these devices.”

The Tegal 6540 is a high-density plasma etch tool featuring the Tegal’s Hre- reactor and patented dual-frequency RF power technology and magnetic plasma confinement.