Metron Launches Innovative Point-of-Use Copper Abatement System

Metron Technology, Inc. today announced its innovativeAquareus(TM) system, the semiconductor industry's first and onlypoint-of-use (POU) solution for abating copper from a CMP(1) system'seffluent stream. As part of Metron's strategy to provide world-classenvironmental solutions, the Aquareus system's simplified treatmentprocess enables chipmakers to meet the most stringent liquid dischargelimits at a lower cost and with less risk than complex back-padmethods. Providing greater than 99% removal efficiency and over 3000hours MTBF(1), the Aquareus can save users up to $0.15 per wafer, orup to 30% in treatment cost over centralized back-pad systems,allowing a rapid return on investment.

"The Aquareus system showcases the kind of environmentalinnovation that results from combining Applied Materials' strong CMPprocess technology with Metron's abatement expertise to provide anindustry solution that reliably manages copper disposal at much lowercost than current abatement options," said Werner Finsterbusch,general manager of Metron Technology. "With Aquareus, Metron expandsits broad portfolio of abatement systems that provide customers withtechnically advanced, cost-effective solutions to meet their moststringent environmental and production requirements."

The Aquareus system utilizes a highly selective, proprietary,fluidized bed ion exchange resin technology that handles high flowsfrom a broad range of CMP chemical slurries, with minimal service ormaintenance. Two years of intense testing treating copper CMP slurryin Applied Materials' Maydan Technology Center in Sunnyvale,California, has demonstrated exceptional reliability and efficiency.This real-world experience has proven Aquareus' ability tocost-effectively reduce emissions from multiple copper CMP systems tolevels far below the toughest governmental standards.

A typical CMP tool running in production generates effluentcontaining approximately one hundred kilograms of copper per year.Aquareus concentrates copper by a factor of 200:1 for greaterefficiency and cost-effectiveness than back-pad copper abatementmethods. The Aquareus system's point-of-use design allows processflexibility and incremental growth capability as semiconductor faboperations expand. Jointly developed by Applied Materials, Inc. andBOC Edwards, the Aquareus system is exclusively sold and servicedworldwide by Metron Technology.

Metron Technology, Inc. is a supplier of fab-wide support servicesto the semiconductor and related industries providing customintegrated solutions for optimizing operations and improvingmanufacturing efficiency. Metron is headquartered in San Jose,California, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Applied Materials,Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT). Metron can be found on the web atwww.metrontech.com.

(1) CMP = chemical mechanical planarization; MTBF = mean timebetween failure