CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORP
10-K405, 2000-12-28
ABRASIVE, ASBESTOS & MISC NONMETALLIC MINERAL PRODS
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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                   FORM 10-K

       [X]       ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
                     OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                  FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2000

                                       OR

       [ ]     TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
                     OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

             FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM           TO

                        COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 000-30205

                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

<TABLE>
<S>                                            <C>
                   DELAWARE                                      36-4324765
           (State of Incorporation)                 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

           870 NORTH COMMONS DRIVE
               AURORA, ILLINOIS                                    60504
   (Address of principal executive offices)                      (Zip Code)
</TABLE>

      Registrant's telephone number, including area code:  (630) 375-6631

          Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
                                      NONE

          Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
                         COMMON STOCK, $0.001 PAR VALUE

     Indicate by check mark whether the registrant:  (1) has filed all reports
required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such
filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes [X]  No [ ]

     Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item
405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the
best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements
incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this
Form 10-K. [X]

     The aggregate market value of the registrant's Common Stock held
beneficially or of record by stockholders who are not affiliates of the
registrant, based upon the closing price of the Common Stock on December 8, 2000
as reported by the Nasdaq National Market, was approximately $1,306,000,000. For
the purposes hereof, "affiliates" include all executive officers and directors
of the registrant.

     As of December 8, 2000, the Company had 23,616,806 shares of Common Stock
outstanding.

                      DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

     Portions of the registrant's definitive Proxy Statement for the Annual
Meeting of Stockholders to be held on March 13, 2001 is incorporated by
reference in Part III of this Form 10-K to the extent stated herein.

     This Form 10-K includes statements that constitute "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of federal securities regulations. For more
detail regarding "forward-looking statements" see item 7 of Part II of this Form
10-K.

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                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                                   FORM 10-K
                  FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2000

                                     INDEX

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                                                              PAGE
                                                              ----
<S>                                                           <C>
PART I
  Item 1.  Business.........................................    1
  Item 2.  Properties.......................................   11
  Item 3.  Legal Proceedings................................   12
  Item 4.  Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security
     Holders................................................   13
            Executive Officers of the Registrant............   13
PART II
  Item 5.  Market for Registrant's Common Equity and Related
     Stockholder Matters....................................   14
  Item 6.  Selected Financial Data..........................   15
  Item 7.  Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
  Condition and Results of
              Operations....................................   17
  Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about
     Market Risk............................................   31
  Item 8.  Financial Statements and Supplementary Data......   32
  Item 9.  Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on
  Accounting and Financial
              Disclosure....................................   61
PART III
  Item 10. Directors and Executive Officers of the
     Registrant.............................................   61
  Item 11. Executive Compensation...........................   61
  Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners
     and Management.........................................   61
  Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions...   61

PART IV
  Item 14. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and
     Reports on Form 8-K....................................   61
            Exhibit Index...................................   61
            Signatures......................................   64
</TABLE>

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS

OUR COMPANY

     Cabot Microelectronics Corporation ("Cabot Microelectronics," "the
Company," "us," "we," or "our") is the leading supplier of high performance
polishing slurries used in the manufacture of the most advanced integrated
circuit ("IC") devices, within a process called chemical mechanical
planarization ("CMP"). We believe that we supply approximately 80% of the
slurries sold to IC device manufacturers worldwide. CMP is a polishing process
used by IC device manufacturers to planarize many of the multiple layers of
material that are built upon silicon wafers to produce advanced devices.
Planarization is a polishing process that levels and smooths, and removes the
excess material from the surfaces of these layers. CMP slurries are liquids
containing engineered abrasives and proprietary chemicals that facilitate and
enhance this polishing process. CMP enables IC device manufacturers in producing
smaller, faster and more complex IC devices with fewer defects. We believe CMP
will become increasingly important in the future as manufacturers seek to
further shrink the size of these devices and improve their performance. Most of
our CMP slurries are used to polish insulating layers and the tungsten plugs
that go through the insulating layers and connect the multiple wiring layers of
IC devices. We are developing and selling new slurries used to polish copper, a
new metal used in wiring layers of IC device fabrication. Also, we have
developed and have begun sales of new CMP slurries designed for polishing
several components in hard disk drives, specifically rigid disks and magnetic
heads. We continue to develop slurries for additional new applications. In
addition, we have recently begun producing and selling polishing pads used in
the CMP process.

     Prior to our initial public offering in April, 2000, we were a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Cabot Corporation ("Cabot"), a global chemical manufacturing
company, and prior to our incorporation in October 1999, had been the
Microelectronics Materials Division of Cabot. Following our initial public
offering, Cabot owned approximately 80.5% of Cabot Microelectronics' outstanding
common stock. On September 29, 2000, Cabot effected the spin-off of Cabot
Microelectronics by distributing 0.280473721 shares of Cabot Microelectronics
common stock as a dividend on each outstanding share of Cabot common stock
outstanding on September 13, 2000, or an aggregate of 18,989,744 shares of Cabot
Microelectronics common stock.

  IC Device Manufacturing

     Today's advanced IC devices are composed of millions of transistors and
other electronic components connected by miles of wiring. The wiring, composed
primarily of aluminum and tungsten, carries electric signals through the
multiple layers of the IC device. Insulating material is used throughout the IC
device to isolate the electronic components and wiring to prevent short
circuiting and to improve the efficiency of electric signal travel within the
device. To increase performance, IC device manufacturers have progressively
increased the number, or density, of transistors and other electronic components
in each IC device.

     The manufacturing process for IC devices typically begins with a circular
wafer of pure silicon. A large number of identical IC devices are manufactured
on each wafer at the same time, and at the end of the process, the wafer is cut
into the individual devices. The first step in the manufacturing process is to
build transistors and other electronic components on the silicon wafer. These
components are then wired together in a particular sequence to produce an IC
device with the desired characteristics. Once the transistors and other
electronic components are in place on the silicon wafer, they are usually
covered with a layer of insulating material, most often silicon dioxide.

     CMP is used to planarize the insulating layers of an IC device and prepare
them for a process known as metallization. During metallization, wiring is added
to the surface of the insulating layer through a series of steps involving:

     - depositing metal, usually aluminum, onto the surface of the layer;

     - projecting an image of the desired wiring pattern on the layer using a
       process known as photolithography; and

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     - removing the excess deposited metal from the surface of the insulating
       layer using a process known as etching, which leaves behind the desired
       wiring pattern.

     When the wiring is finished, another layer of insulating material is added
and planarized using CMP. This process of alternating insulating and wiring
layers is repeated until the IC device is completed. The electronic components
and wiring layers are connected by conductive plugs that are formed by making
holes in the insulating layers and filling those holes with metal, usually
tungsten. After these holes have been filled with tungsten, CMP is used to
remove all the excess tungsten above the surface of the insulating layer so that
the top of the plug is level with the surface of the insulating layer before the
next wiring layer is built. Manufacturing IC devices requires precision
processing in ultra clean, controlled environments.

     The semiconductor industry has a generally accepted set of design rules
that describe current and projected feature size and spacing of electronic
components and wiring in IC devices. The feature size and spacing in these
design rules have been progressively decreasing to accommodate the demand for
increased circuit density and miniaturization. As the density of IC devices
increases, the amount of wiring needed to connect the transistors and other
electronic components to each other also increases. As IC devices become
smaller, this increase in wiring requires tighter and more precise spacing of
the wiring and has led to an increase in the layers of IC devices.

     According to the Semiconductor Industry Association's sponsored
International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (1998 and 1999 Editions),
the trends toward increased density and miniaturization of IC devices are
expected to continue. While the number of layers varies by IC device type, an
advanced logic device built with today's common 0.25 micron feature size has
approximately seven insulating and six wiring layers and a typical memory device
built with the same feature size has approximately three insulating and two
wiring layers. By 2001, the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors
predicts that advanced IC devices will be manufactured with a 0.15 micron
feature size and advanced logic devices will have approximately eight insulating
and seven wiring layers and advanced memory devices are expected to have
approximately four insulating and three wiring layers. CMP is currently used to
polish both the insulating layers and the tungsten plugs in IC devices in
separate steps. As a result, even though CMP is not currently used to polish the
wiring layers, the number of CMP steps used to produce an IC device is typically
at least equal to the total number of insulating and wiring layers in the
device. We believe that the use of CMP in the manufacture of IC devices will
increase in the future as the feature size and spacing of these devices
decreases and the number of layers in the device increases.

     The increased density and miniaturization of IC devices has also resulted
in an increased emphasis on reduction of defects and residue remaining after the
CMP process. A defect is any imperfection on a layer of an IC device that causes
a short circuit or other problem with the performance of the device. Residue
from the CMP process consists of particle and chemical residue left on the layer
surface as a result of the CMP process. The likelihood a defect or residue of a
given size will negatively effect the performance of an IC device increases as
the density and miniaturization of the device increase. IC device manufacturers
are requiring the number of defects per given area decline and the residues from
the CMP process be reduced.

  Chemical Mechanical Planarization

     The CMP process involves both chemical reactions and mechanical abrasion to
planarize the insulating layers of an IC device that are built upon a silicon
wafer and the conductive tungsten plugs that go through the insulating layers
and connect the multiple wiring layers of IC devices. The wafer is typically
held on a rotating carrier which is spun at high speeds and pressed against a
rotating, polishing table. The portion of the table that comes in contact with
the wafer is covered by a textured, polishing pad. A CMP slurry is continuously
applied to the polishing pad during the CMP process to facilitate and enhance
the polishing process. CMP slurries are liquid compounds composed of high purity
deionized water, proprietary chemical additives and engineered abrasives that
chemically and mechanically interact with the surface material of the IC device
at an atomic level.

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  Benefits of CMP

     CMP provides IC device manufacturers with a number of advantages. CMP
enables IC device manufacturers to produce smaller IC devices with greater
density, both of which improve the performance and capabilities of the device.
As IC devices shrink and become more dense, they require smaller feature sizes
and tighter spacing between the wiring of the device. If the surface is not
level, the smaller feature size and tighter spacing make it more difficult for
the photolithography equipment to focus accurately and create the desired wiring
pattern. In addition, because today's smaller, denser IC devices have more
layers, any uneveness of a layer at or near the bottom of an IC device will get
magnified in the additional layers that are added to the device. Defects caused
by problems in the photolithography process or uneveness in the layers can lead
to:

     - short circuits;

     - reduced performance; and

     - at worst, failure of the IC device.

By using CMP, IC device manufacturers can eliminate or minimize these problems.

     By enabling IC device manufacturers to make smaller IC devices, CMP allows
them to increase their throughput, or the number of IC devices they can
manufacture in a given time period. CMP also helps reduce the number of
defective or substandard IC devices produced, which increases the device yield.
Improvements in throughput and yield reduce an IC device manufacturer's total
production costs. Manufacturers can achieve further improvements in throughput
and yield with improvements in the CMP process that reduce defect rates and
decrease the amount of time required for the polishing process.

  CMP Slurries

     The characteristics that make an effective CMP slurry include:

     - high polishing rates, which increase productivity and throughput;

     - high selectivity, which means enhancing the polishing of specific
       materials while inhibiting polishing of other materials;

     - uniform polishing of different surface materials at the same time, which
       avoids problems such as dishing and erosion;

     - low levels of chemical and physical impurities, which reduce defects and
       residues on the polished surface that can adversely affect IC device
       performance; and

     - colloidal stability, which means the abrasive particles within the slurry
       do not settle, which is important for uniform polishing with minimum
       defects.

     Most of the foregoing qualities of CMP slurries affect and enhance not only
the performance of the IC devices but can also positively impact the cost of
ownership of the CMP process. Cost of ownership is a calculation by which IC
device manufacturers evaluate the benefits and costs of each production step by
analyzing the impact of that step on throughput and yield and the costs of the
production inputs of that step. This calculation allows IC device manufacturers
to compare competing production processes and inputs. An input that improves
throughput and yield may reduce the cost of ownership even though it costs more.

     Prior to introducing a new or different CMP slurry into its manufacturing
process, an IC device manufacturer generally requires the slurry to be qualified
at each of its plants through a series of tests and evaluations intended to
ensure that the slurry will function properly in the manufacturing process and
to optimize the slurry's application. These tests may require changes to the CMP
process, the CMP slurry and/or the CMP polishing pad. While this qualification
process varies depending on numerous factors, it is not unusual for this process
to be very expensive and take six months or more to complete. IC device
manufacturers must take the cost, time delay and impact on production into
account when they consider switching to a new CMP slurry.
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INDUSTRY TRENDS

     The rapid growth of the CMP slurry market has been driven in large part by
the significant growth and technological advances the semiconductor industry has
experienced over the past decade. IC devices are critical components in an
increasingly wide variety of products and applications, including computers,
data processing, communications, telecommunications, the Internet, automobiles
and consumer and industrial electronics. As the performance of IC devices has
increased and their size and cost have decreased, the use of IC devices in these
applications has grown significantly. According to industry consultants IC
Insights, the worldwide semiconductor market as measured by total sales grew at
an average annual compound rate of 11% in the period from 1988 through 1998.
Dataquest and other industry sources project continued growth at higher rates in
the future.

     The rapid growth in the semiconductor industry, increasing demand for
smaller, higher performance and more complex IC devices and pressure on IC
device manufacturers to reduce their costs have led to increased use of CMP and
consumption of CMP slurries and polishing pads. Based on industry surveys, we
currently estimate the worldwide revenue from sale of CMP slurries to IC device
manufacturers to grow to approximately $680 million by 2004, up from $230
million today. This projected growth assumes increases in the number of IC
devices produced, the percentage of IC devices produced using CMP and the number
of CMP polishing steps used to produce each device.

     Although some sectors of the semiconductor industry have been highly
cyclical, sales of CMP slurries and polishing pads have not been adversely
affected by these trends. We believe this is because sales of CMP slurries and
polishing pads are driven primarily by the number of IC devices manufactured,
which has been much less cyclical than the prices of IC devices. In addition, we
believe that IC manufacturers have continued to increase their use of CMP
because the CMP process represents only a small percentage of the total
production cost of an IC device and is very important to the continued
improvement of IC device performance and is important in lowering the total cost
in manufacturing.

OTHER APPLICATIONS OF CMP IN THE IC DEVICE MANUFACTURING PROCESS

     CMP is primarily used today for polishing the insulating layers and
tungsten plugs in IC devices. However, we believe there are a number of other
applications for CMP in the IC device manufacturing process. We have undertaken
research and successfully developed slurries for two new applications that are
in commercial production. First, we have developed and successfully
commercialized CMP slurries for polishing copper because we believe copper will
increasingly be used in the future for both wiring and conductive plugs because
it conducts electricity better than aluminum and tungsten. However, there are
significant technological challenges and operating issues that must be addressed
before many IC device manufacturers switch to copper from aluminum and tungsten.
To date, only a very limited number of IC device manufacturers have converted to
copper and their production using copper is very limited.

     Second, we have developed and commercialized CMP slurries to planarize the
polysilicon material often used to build the electronic components on IC
devices. As the number of these electronic components per IC device increases,
we believe that the use of polysilicon CMP will increase.

     We have also successfully developed and commenced limited commercial sales
of CMP slurries for use in connection with an IC device manufacturing process
known as direct shallow trench isolation. Direct shallow trench isolation is a
relatively new method of isolating the electronic components built on silicon
wafers of an IC device to prevent short circuits and other electrical
interference. Direct shallow trench isolation uses CMP before the first
insulating layer is put down on the wafer. Isolation methods used prior to
direct shallow trench isolation did not use CMP. By using CMP in conjunction
with direct shallow trench isolation, IC device manufacturers can achieve
greater miniaturization and density of their IC devices.

STRATEGY

     Our objective is to maximize our profitability and stockholder value by
maintaining and leveraging our leading position in the CMP slurry market. Our
proven track record increases the propensity for IC device

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manufacturers to work with us in the early stages of product development for
their next generation IC devices. In addition, IC device manufacturers would
likely incur significant evaluation and qualification costs if they switch to a
new CMP slurry. Therefore, we intend to invest in the resources necessary to
maintain long term customer loyalty to our products and our company.

     We will pursue the following strategies to achieve our objective:

  Remain the Technology Leader in CMP Slurries

     We believe that technology is key to success in the CMP slurry market and
we plan to continue to devote significant resources to research and development.
We need to keep pace with the rapid technological advances in the semiconductor
industry so we can continue to deliver products that meet our customers'
evolving needs. We intend to use our advanced research and development,
polishing and metrology capabilities to:

     - advance our understanding of our customers' technology, processes, and
       performance requirements for qualified products;

     - further improve the chemical and mechanical qualities of our CMP
       products; and

     - demonstrate and deliver advanced CMP solutions to the semiconductor
       industry.

  Build and Maintain Customer Intimacy

     We believe that building close relationships with our customers is another
key to long-term success in the CMP slurry market. We work closely with our
customers to identify and develop new and better CMP slurries, to integrate our
slurries into their manufacturing processes and to assist them with supply,
warehousing, packaging and inventory management. We plan to continue to devote
significant resources to enhancing our close customer relationships.

  Expand Globally

     We believe that having production facilities and personnel and other
resources in strategic locations around the world is key to the success of our
business, particularly in light of increased IC device manufacturing in Asia.
Accordingly, we have established a global presence by opening production
facilities in Barry, Wales and Geino, Japan. We also have assembled a team of
account managers and independent distributors strategically located in Europe,
Taiwan, Singapore, Japan and Korea and technical support and sales personnel
throughout the United States and in Europe and Asia. We intend to expand our
production capacity, technical support and sales in many of the locations around
the world where IC device production is concentrated.

  Attract and Retain Top Quality Personnel

     We have assembled a highly skilled and dedicated workforce that includes a
wide range of scientists and applications specialists, many of whom have
significant experience in the semiconductor industry. We plan to continue to
attract and retain experienced personnel committed to providing high performance
products and strong customer and applications support.

  Maintain Top Quality Products and Supply

     Our customers demand consistent high quality products and a reliable source
of supply. We will continually advance our strict quality controls to improve
the uniformity and consistency of performance of our CMP products. The capacity
and location of our production facilities in the United States and in Europe and
Asia allow us to provide a reliable supply chain to meet our customers' CMP
slurry requirements in a consistent, timely manner.

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  Expand into New Applications and Products

     We intend to leverage our CMP experience and technology into new
applications and products. Starting from our core CMP slurries designed for
polishing the insulating layers of IC devices, we have developed and introduced
new slurries for CMP polishing of the tungsten plugs currently used to connect
the wiring between multiple layers of IC devices and for CMP polishing of the
magnetic heads and the coating on hard disks in hard disk drives. We have also
developed CMP slurries for polishing the aluminum and copper wiring layers of IC
devices. Additionally, we are using our knowledge of CMP materials to expand
into the production of CMP polishing pads so that we can provide our customers
with a broader range of solutions for use in the CMP process.

PRODUCTS

  CMP Slurries for IC Devices

     We produce CMP slurries of various formulations for polishing a wide
variety of materials. We have developed new, improved generations of each of our
slurries as well as new slurries to keep pace with our customers' evolving
needs. We currently produce more than ten slurries for polishing the oxide
insulating layers of IC devices, which is the most common use of CMP in the IC
device manufacturing process. We have introduced new generations of oxide
slurries that reduce both defectivity in IC devices and the required polishing
time. While our oxide CMP slurries are also used to polish poly-silicon
material, we have developed a CMP slurry specifically engineered to polish this
material which offers improved selectivity to polysilicon surface finish.

     We also manufacture more than seven slurry products for polishing tungsten.
As with our oxide slurries, we have introduced new generations of slurries for
polishing tungsten that offer improvements in polishing performance. These
improvements include faster polishing rates, greater polishing uniformity,
reduced defectivity and less dishing and erosion.

  CMP Slurries for Hard Disk Drives

     In 1998 we introduced CMP slurries for CMP polishing of the magnetic heads
and the coating on hard disks in hard disk drives. We believe CMP can
significantly improve the surface finish of these coatings, resulting in greater
storage capacity of the substrates. We also believe that the use of CMP in
component manufacturing will improve the speed and reliability of information
exchange between the hard disks and the magnetic heads in hard disk drives. In
addition, we believe that, as with IC device manufacturers, CMP can also improve
the production efficiency of manufacturers of hard disk drives by helping them
increase their throughput and yield.

     We developed our CMP slurries for hard disk drives by leveraging our core
slurry technology and manufacturing capacity and hiring personnel directly from
the industry who understand the needs of hard disk drive manufacturers. We also
established a dedicated research and development team and an applications
support team who employ a process solution approach similar to what we use for
our other slurry products. We believe that these markets offer significant
potential and that our products in this area offer superior performance over
currently used materials.

  Polishing Pads

     CMP polishing pads are consumable materials used in the CMP process that
work in conjunction with the CMP slurry to facilitate the polishing process. The
CMP polishing pad market is currently led by one principal supplier, Rodel,
which we believe has an approximate 90% market share. Based on discussions with
our customers as well as our own examination of the CMP polishing pad market, we
identified demand for higher quality, more reliable and consistent polishing
pads and the opportunity to provide our customers with technological and quality
improvements by jointly marketing our CMP slurries and polishing pads to them.

     Our first series of polishing pads, which we introduced in July 1999, is
designed for tungsten applications for a specific tool platform. In 2000, we
expanded polishing pad offerings for all major polishing tool platforms

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for tungsten, and we continue to pursue other applications. We are currently
working with several customers on qualifying our pad technology. We believe that
our CMP polishing pads, which we manufacture using materials supplied by third
parties, offer advantages over currently available CMP polishing pads, including
higher removal rates, longer life and more uniform polishing. We also believe
that our new pad production technology provides fundamental improvements over
existing manufacturing methods that will result in increased pad consistency and
reliability. We further believe the compatibility of our CMP polishing pads and
slurries will enhance our ability to provide our customers with technological
and quality improvements by jointly marketing these products to them.

CUSTOMERS, SALES AND MARKETING

     In fiscal year 2000, our five largest customers accounted for approximately
56% of our revenue, with Marketech, Intel and Takasago accounting for
approximately 17%, 15% and 11% of our revenue, respectively. In 1999, our five
largest customers accounted for approximately 58% of our revenue, with Intel,
Marketech and Takasago accounting for approximately 22%, 15% and 10% of our
revenue, respectively. Marketech and Takasago are distributors. The decline in
the percentage of our total revenue attributable to sales to Intel resulted from
the expanding use of CMP by other semiconductor manufacturers and Intel's
decision to significantly reduce purchases of one type of CMP slurry from us.

     Our marketing begins with development teams who work closely with our
customers, using our research and development facilities, to design CMP slurry
products tailored to our customers' needs. We then employ our applications teams
who work with customers to integrate our slurry products into customers'
manufacturing processes. Finally, we utilize our logistics and sales personnel
to ensure reliable supply, warehousing, packaging and inventory management.
Through our interactive approach, we build close relationships with our
customers across a variety of areas.

     We also market our products through independent distributors and other
industry suppliers. We currently utilize independent distributors in Europe,
Taiwan, Japan and Singapore, who add to our global presence by complementing our
support personnel already located in those regions. By using our relationships
with other suppliers in the CMP industry, such as suppliers of polishing
equipment, we obtain recommendations of our products.

     The IC device manufacturing industry is currently experiencing significant
growth in Asia. As a result, we have increased our focus on markets in Asia over
the last few years by increasing the number of account managers and applications
and customer support personnel present in this region. By building this regional
infrastructure, we have demonstrated a commitment to the Asian marketplace and
global expansion generally. We intend to make additional concentrated
investments in this region over the next few years.

CABOT AS OUR RAW MATERIALS SUPPLIER

     The base ingredients for most of our CMP slurries are fumed metal oxides,
primarily fumed silica, which is an ultra-fine, high purity silica produced by a
flame process, and, to a much lesser extent, fumed alumina. Under our new fumed
metal oxide supply agreement with Cabot, which became effective in April, 2000,
Cabot continues to be our exclusive supplier of fumed metal oxides, including
fumed silica, for our slurry products existing as of the effective date of the
agreement. For our emerging technologies, we have the flexibility to purchase
from Cabot or other parties. Over 90% of the fumed metal oxides that we
currently purchase from Cabot are manufactured at its facility in Tuscola,
Illinois.

     Our supply agreement with Cabot contains the following terms with respect
to fumed silica:

     - provisions for a fixed annual increase in the price of fumed silica of
       approximately 2% of the initial price and additional increases if Cabot's
       raw material costs increase;

     - provisions requiring Cabot to supply us with fumed silica in volumes
       specified by us;

     - provisions limiting Cabot's obligation to supply us with fumed metal
       oxides from each of its Tuscola, Illinois and Barry, Wales facilities to
       specified volumes from each facility;

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     - provisions requiring us to supply Cabot with quarterly, six-month, annual
       and 18-month forecasts of our expected fumed silica purchases and
       limiting Cabot's obligations to provide us with fumed silica to specified
       percentages in excess of these forecasted volumes;

     - provisions that limit the amount we can forecast for any month to an
       amount no greater than 120% of the forecasted amount for the previous
       month;

     - provisions requiring us to purchase at least 90% of the six-month volume
       forecast and to pay specified amounts to Cabot if we purchase less than
       that amount;

     - provisions obligating us to pay all reasonable costs incurred by Cabot to
       provide quality control testing at levels greater than Cabot provides to
       its other customers; and

     - provisions that generally prohibit us from reselling any fumed silica
       purchased from Cabot.

     Under the agreement, Cabot also supplies us with fumed alumina on terms
generally similar to those described above, except that the forecast
requirements do not apply to fumed alumina. The agreement prohibits Cabot from
selling fumed metal oxides to third parties for use in CMP applications.

     Under the agreement, Cabot warrants that its products will meet our agreed
upon product specifications. We have no right to any consequential, special or
incidental damages for breach of that warranty or any other provision of the
agreement. Cabot will be obligated to replace noncompliant products with
products that meet the agreed upon specifications. The agreement also provides
that any change to product specifications for fumed metal oxides must be by
mutual agreement. Any increased costs due to product specification changes will
be paid by us. If we require product specification changes that Cabot cannot
meet, we will have the right to purchase products meeting those specifications
from other suppliers.

     Historically, we did not provide detailed product specifications to Cabot
and Cabot permitted us to return some products even if they met our
specifications. Under our new agreement, we provide detailed specifications to
Cabot and have no contractual right to return products that meet these
specifications.

     The agreement has an initial term that expires in June 2005. Thereafter,
the agreement may be terminated by either party on June 30 or December 31 in any
year with at least 18 months prior written notice.

     It may be difficult to secure alternative sources of fumed metal oxides in
the event Cabot encounters supply or production problems or terminates or
breaches its agreement with us. A significant reduction in the amount of fumed
metal oxides supplied by Cabot, a problem with the quality of those fumed metal
oxides or a prolonged interruption in their supply by Cabot could interfere with
our ability to produce our CMP slurries in the quantities and of the quality
required by our customers and in accordance with their delivery schedules.

DISPERSION SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH DAVIES

     Cabot has assigned to us a dispersion services agreement with Davies
Imperial Coatings, Inc. pursuant to which Davies produces slurries for us. Under
this agreement, we provide raw materials, primarily fumed silica, to Davies and
it performs dispersion services. The price for these services is set at a
negotiated price, subject to increases. We have agreed to purchase minimum
amounts of services for each year of the agreement. If Davies fails to supply us
with required dispersion services, we have the right to provide these services
for ourselves or purchase them from third parties. The agreement provides for
renegotiation of the price paid for dispersion services on each two-year
anniversary of the agreement in order to reflect changes in Davies'
manufacturing costs. We have also agreed to invest during each year $150,000 in
capital improvements, capacity expansions and other expenditures to maintain
capacity at the Davies dispersion facility in Hammond, Indiana. We own most of
the dispersion equipment at the Davies facility.

     Under the agreement, we must give Davies the opportunity to bid to provide
dispersion services for some of our products. Davies and its controlling
stockholders agree that, during the term of the agreement and for a period after
the termination of the agreement, they will not provide, nor assist any other
person or entity in providing, metal oxide dispersion services to any of our
competitors. Under some circumstances, we must pay

                                        8
<PAGE>   11

these individuals noncompetition payments on the date of the termination of the
agreement and on the first anniversary of the termination.

     The agreement has an initial term that expires in October, 2004, and is
automatically renewed for one-year periods thereafter, unless either party gives
written notice to the other of its intention to terminate the agreement at least
90 days prior to the expiration of the term.

DISPERSION SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH CABOT

     Dispersions of fumed metal oxides are used in a variety of applications in
addition to CMP. These applications include paper applications and coatings such
as paints. Cabot develops and sells fumed metal oxides dispersions for these
non-CMP applications. We perform dispersion services for Cabot under a
dispersion services agreement with Cabot. Under this agreement we provide fumed
metal oxide dispersion services to Cabot, including the manufacturing, packaging
and testing of dispersions. Less than 10% of our current dispersion capacity is
devoted to Cabot. The agreement provides that some dispersion services may be
subcontracted by us to Davies but we remain liable for these services. The
dispersion services that we provide to Cabot must be performed at our facilities
in Aurora, Illinois and Barry, Wales or at the Davies facility. Under the
agreement, Cabot supplies us with the fumed metal oxide particles necessary for
the manufacture of dispersions.

     We charge Cabot for dispersion services that we perform under this
agreement at our dispersion manufacturing cost, as defined in the agreement,
plus 25% of this cost in the case of dispersion services we perform at our
dispersion facilities in Aurora, Illinois and Barry, Wales and 10% of this cost
in the case of dispersion services that we subcontract to Davies and which are
performed by Davies at its dispersion facility in Hammond, Indiana.

     Our dispersion services agreement with Cabot also contains the following
terms:

     - provisions limiting our obligation to provide Cabot with dispersions to
       stated maximum annual volumes for each of the three facilities;

     - provisions requiring Cabot to supply us with quarterly, six-month, annual
       and 18-month forecasts of its expected dispersion purchases and limiting
       our obligation to provide Cabot with dispersions to specified percentages
       in excess of these forecasted volumes;

     - provisions that provide that if we develop any intellectual property in
       the course of performing dispersion services for Cabot, that intellectual
       property will be jointly owned by us and Cabot;

     - provisions that provide that if we develop any intellectual property
       outside of performing dispersion services for Cabot and use that
       intellectual property in performing dispersion services for Cabot, then
       we are obligated to license Cabot that intellectual property in exchange
       for a royalty payment;

     - provisions that generally prohibit Cabot from engaging a third party to
       provide dispersion services unless we are unable to supply the requested
       or agreed upon services, although Cabot retains the right to manufacture
       fumed metal oxide dispersions itself or have Davies provide these
       services; and

     - provisions that generally prohibit us from performing dispersion services
       for third parties whose products compete with any Cabot product or from
       selling dispersion products in applications, other than CMP, that compete
       with any Cabot product.

     The agreement has an initial term that expires in June, 2005. Thereafter,
the agreement may be terminated by either party on June 30 or December 31 in any
year with at least 18 months prior written notice. If Cabot terminates the
agreement, Cabot cannot purchase fumed metal oxides dispersion services from one
of our competitors. If we terminate the agreement, Cabot may purchase fumed
metal oxide dispersion services from any party without restriction.

                                        9
<PAGE>   12

NEGOTIATIONS WITH CABOT REGARDING FUMED ALUMINA SUPPLY ARRANGEMENT

     Fumed alumina is an essential raw material for selected CMP slurries. We
currently purchase our fumed alumina from Cabot and expect to continue to do so.
In order to meet our anticipated future needs for fumed alumina, Cabot needs to
expand its capacity for the manufacture of fumed alumina. We are currently in
negotiations with Cabot regarding changes to our fumed alumina supply
arrangements to meet future growth of fumed alumina based slurries. We have not
reached final agreement with Cabot on any of the terms of a new arrangement.
Based on our negotiations to date with Cabot, however, we expect that the price
Cabot will charge us for fumed alumina will be based on its fixed and variable
costs for producing the fumed alumina plus its capital costs for constructing
the new facility plus an agreed upon percentage of those costs. The payments in
respect of the capital costs will be amortized over a ten year period. Cabot
estimates that the expansion will cost between $4.5 million and $6.0 million. In
addition, based on our negotiations with Cabot, we would expect that the
expansion would be dedicated to satisfying our fumed alumina requirements and
that we would have a right of first option on all production and capacity at the
plant.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

     We believe our future competitive position depends in part on our ability
to develop CMP applications tailored to our customers' needs. To this end, we
have established a technology center at our Aurora facility to provide
applications and product support to customers and to develop new products to
meet the needs of the semiconductor industry. The technology center is staffed
by a team that includes experts from the semiconductor industry and scientists
from key disciplines required for the development of high-performance CMP
products. The technology center is equipped with an advanced polishing and
metrology lab in a Class 10 clean room, a polishing lab in a Class 1000 clean
room, laboratories for product development and dispersion technology, and a
dispersion pilot plant. In our product development and dispersion technology
laboratory, our skilled technical personnel conduct kinetic studies of the
chemical reactions on the surface of the wafer. These kinetic data allow us to
adjust the composition of our slurries to avoid, among other things, non-uniform
polishing patterns. Understanding the chemical processes on the surface of the
polished wafer allows us to compose slurries specifically tailored to interact
with one element and to slow or essentially stop planarization as soon as this
particular element has been polished. We have also assembled dedicated
development teams that work closely with customers to identify their specific
technology and manufacturing challenges and to translate these challenges into
viable CMP process solutions.

     We have historically purchased most of the equipment we use for research
and development. In September 1998, we entered into an agreement with an
equipment manufacturer under which we lease CMP equipment in exchange for CMP
slurries. Our equipment includes several polishing machines and various
metrology equipment. The cost of this equipment can be significant and we need
to upgrade our equipment periodically to keep pace with equipment developments
in the semiconductor industry.

     We expensed approximately $19.2 million for research and development in
fiscal 2000. Investments in research and development equipment are capitalized
over their useful life and depreciated.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

     Our intellectual property is important to our success and ability to
compete. We currently have 19 U.S. patents and 33 pending U.S. patent
applications covering CMP related products and processes. In most cases we file
counterpart foreign patent applications. Many of these patents are important to
our continued development of new and innovative CMP products. We attempt to
protect our intellectual property rights through a combination of patent,
trademark, copyright and trade secret laws, as well as employee and third-party
nondisclosure and assignment agreements. Our failure to obtain or maintain
adequate protection of our intellectual property rights for any reason could
have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and
financial condition.

     Significant litigation regarding intellectual property rights exists in our
industry. Cabot is currently involved in two separate legal actions brought
against it by Rodel alleging that Cabot is infringing some of Rodel's patents.
Although Cabot is the only named defendant in these lawsuits, the defense of
which we have
                                       10
<PAGE>   13

assumed and are now controlling, we have agreed to indemnify Cabot for any and
all losses and expenses arising out of this litigation. For a further discussion
of this litigation, see Item 3 -- Legal Proceedings of this Form 10-K.

     In addition, we have obtained a patent license from a third party covering
a polishing process used in the manufacturing of non-IC devices. Although we
expect to independently develop a new technology which will eliminate our need
for this licensed technology, there is no assurance that we will be successful
in doing so or that we will be able to continue to license this technology
beyond the eight years currently provided for in our license agreement.

COMPETITION

     We are aware of only four other manufacturers with significant commercial
sales of CMP slurries for IC devices. We expect the competition to continue to
intensify. These manufacturers are Rodel, Fujimi, ChemFirst and Clariant. We are
aware of only two manufacturers with significant commercial sales of CMP
slurries for polishing the magnetic heads and the coating on the hard disks in
hard disk drives. These manufacturers are Fujimi and Praxair. We may also face
competition from:

     - other companies that develop CMP products;

     - customers that currently have, or that may develop, in-house capacity to
       produce their own CMP products; and

     - the development of polishing pads containing abrasives or other
       significant changes in technology.

     We compete primarily on the basis of our product design, level of service
and, to a lesser extent, price. We believe that we presently compete favorably
with respect to each of these factors. CMP products are evolving, however, and
there cannot be any assurance that we will compete successfully in the future.

ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS

     Our facilities are subject to various environmental laws and regulations,
including those relating to air emissions, wastewater discharges, the handling
and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, and occupational safety and health.
We believe that our facilities are in substantial compliance with applicable
environmental laws and regulations. Our facilities have incurred, and will
continue to incur, capital and operating expenditures and other costs in
complying with these laws and regulations in both the United States and abroad.
However, we currently do not anticipate that the future costs of environmental
compliance will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition or results of operations.

EMPLOYEES

     As of November 30, 2000, we employed a total of 367 individuals, including
35 in sales and marketing, 90 in research and development, 43 in administration
and 199 in operations. None of our employees are covered by collective
bargaining agreements. We have not experienced any work stoppages and consider
our relations with our employees to be good.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

     Our principal U.S. facilities consist of:

     - our global headquarters in Aurora, Illinois, comprising approximately
       65,000 square feet;

     - a commercial dispersion plant and technical center in Aurora, Illinois,
       comprising approximately 48,000 square feet; and

     - a commercial dispersion plant and distribution center in Aurora,
       Illinois, comprising approximately 175,000 square feet.

                                       11
<PAGE>   14

     Our principal foreign facilities consist of:

     - a commercial dispersion plant in Geino, Japan, consisting of
       approximately 40,000 square feet; and

     - a distribution center in Ansung, South Korea consisting of approximately
       16,000 square feet.

     We lease land and a building at a commercial dispersion plant in Barry,
Wales consisting of approximately 22,000 square feet.

     As a direct result of escalating customer demand in the Asia-Pacific
region, we are currently expanding our plant in Geino, Japan by 73,000
square-feet. The first expansion was completed in December 2000 and increased
manufacturing capacity by 33%. At the completion of the second expansion,
scheduled for July 2001, both efforts are expected to increase manufacturing
capacity by a total of 100%.

     We believe that our current facilities are suitable and adequate for their
intended purpose and, together with our expansions currently under construction
and planned, provide us with sufficient capacity to meet our current and
expected demand in the foreseeable future. Although not anticipated, capacity
constraints could arise due to delays in the construction of our expansions.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

     In June 1998, one of our major competitors, Rodel Inc., filed a lawsuit
against Cabot in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware
entitled Rodel, Inc. v. Cabot Corporation (Civil Action No. 98-352). In this
lawsuit, Rodel has requested a jury trial and is seeking a permanent injunction
and an award of compensatory, punitive, and other damages relating to
allegations that Cabot is infringing United States Patent No. 4,959,113
(entitled "Method and Composition for Polishing Metal Surfaces"), which is owned
by an affiliate of Rodel. We refer to this patent as the Roberts patent and this
lawsuit as the Roberts lawsuit. Cabot filed an answer and counterclaim seeking
dismissal of the Roberts lawsuit with prejudice, a judgment that Cabot is not
infringing the Roberts patent and/or that the Roberts patent is invalid, and
other relief. Cabot subsequently filed a motion for summary judgment that the
Roberts patent is invalid because all of the claims contained in the patent were
not sufficiently different under applicable patent law from subject matter
contained in previously granted patents, specifically United States Patents Nos.
4,705,566, 4,956,015 and 4,929,257, each of which is owned by a third party not
affiliated with Rodel or us. This motion was denied on September 30, 1999 based
on the court's finding that there were genuine issues of material fact to be
determined at trial. After the ruling on the summary judgment motion, Rodel
filed a request for reexamination of the Roberts patent with the United States
Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), which was granted on November 12, 1999. On
March 28, 2000 the court issued an order staying the Roberts action, which
presently is in the discovery stage, pending completion of the reexamination of
the Roberts patent by the PTO, which to our knowledge still had not been
completed as of December 15, 2000 (in light of the reexamination, on September
29, 2000, the court denied the parties' respective motions to amend and dismiss,
with leave to refile subsequent to completion of the reexamination).

     In April 1999, Rodel commenced a second lawsuit against Cabot in the United
States District Court for the District of Delaware entitled Rodel, Inc. v. Cabot
Corporation (Civil Action No. 99-256). In this lawsuit, Rodel has requested a
jury trial and is seeking a permanent injunction and an award of compensatory,
punitive, and other damages relating to allegations that Cabot is infringing two
other patents owned by an affiliate of Rodel. These two patents are United
States Patent No. 5,391,258 (entitled "Compositions and Methods for Polishing")
and United States Patent No. 5,476,606 (entitled "Compositions and Methods for
Polishing"). We refer to these patents as the Brancaleoni patents and this
lawsuit as the Brancaleoni lawsuit. Cabot filed an answer and counterclaim to
the complaint seeking dismissal of the complaint with prejudice, a judgment that
Cabot is not infringing the Brancaleoni patents and/or that the Brancaleoni
patents are invalid, and other relief. On September 29, 2000, the court denied
Cabot's motion to dismiss, and granted Rodel's leave to amend, the Brancaleoni
lawsuit to add Rodel's affiliate that owns the Brancaleoni patent, Rodel
Holdings, Inc., as a plaintiff. On October 24, 2000, Rodel and Rodel Holdings
filed an amended complaint that added Rodel Holdings as a plaintiff to the
Brancaleoni lawsuit. On November 6, 2000, Cabot filed its answer and
counterclaim seeking a judgement that Cabot is not infringing the Brancaleoni
patents and/or that the
                                       12
<PAGE>   15

Brancaleoni patents are invalid, and other relief. The Brancaleoni lawsuit is
presently in the discovery stage. The parties are awaiting the court's decision
on their joint request to extend the currently scheduled completion of discovery
date of February 25, 2000; a trial date has not yet been scheduled.

     In the Roberts lawsuit, the only product that Rodel to date has alleged
infringes the Roberts patent is our W2000 slurry, which is used to polish
tungsten and which currently accounts for a significant portion of our total
revenue. In the Brancaleoni lawsuit, Rodel and Rodel Holdings have not alleged
that any specific product infringes the Brancaleoni patents; instead, Rodel and
Rodel Holdings allege that our United States Patent No. 5,858,813 (entitled
"Chemical Mechanical Polishing Slurry for Metal Layers and Films" and which
relates to a CMP polishing slurry for metal surfaces including, among other
things, aluminum and copper) is evidence that Cabot is infringing the
Brancaleoni patents through the manufacture and sales of unspecified products.
At this stage, we cannot predict whether or to what extent Rodel and/or Rodel
Holdings will make specific infringement claims with respect to any of our
products other than W2000 in these or any future proceedings. It is possible
that Rodel and/or Rodel Holdings will claim that many of our products infringe
its patents.

     Although Cabot is the only named defendant in these lawsuits, we have
agreed to indemnify Cabot for any and all losses and expenses arising out of
this litigation, the defense of which we have assumed and are now controlling,
as well as any other litigation arising out of our business. While we believe
there are meritorious defenses to the pending actions and intend to defend them
vigorously, these defenses may not be successful. If Rodel (and/or Rodel
Holdings) prevails in either of these cases, we may have to pay damages and, in
the future, may be prohibited from producing any products found to infringe or
required to pay Rodel (and/or Rodel Holdings) royalty and licensing fees with
respect to sales of those products.

ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

     None

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

     Set forth below is information concerning our executive officers and their
ages as of December 15, 2000.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
NAME                                        AGE                    POSITION
----                                        ---                    --------
<S>                                         <C>   <C>
Dr. Matthew Neville.......................  46    President and Chief Executive Officer,
                                                  Director
William C. McCarthy.......................  57    Vice President, Chief Financial Officer,
                                                    Treasurer and Assistant Secretary
                                                    (retiring January, 2001)
H. Carol Bernstein........................  40    Vice President, Secretary and General
                                                  Counsel
Kathleen A. Perry.........................  43    Vice President of Research and Development
Daniel J. Pike............................  37    Vice President of Operations
J. Michael Jenkins........................  47    Vice President of Human Resources
Daniel S. Wobby...........................  37    Principal Accounting Officer and Corporate
                                                    Controller
</TABLE>

     Dr. Matthew Neville has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer
since December 1999 and also serves as a director. Prior to assuming his current
position, Dr. Neville was a Vice President of Cabot Corporation from 1997 to
1999, and was the General Manager of the Microelectronics Materials Division of
Cabot Corporation from 1996 until the formation of Cabot Microelectronics
Corporation in 1999. From 1983 to 1996, Dr. Neville held various positions at
Cabot Corporation, including Director of Research and Development for the
Cab-O-Sil Division. Dr. Neville received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

     William C. McCarthy has served as our Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer since December 1999 and has announced his return to retirement in
January 2001. Mr. McCarthy has served as Chief Financial Officer since February
1999. From 1976 to 1998, Mr. McCarthy held various positions at Texas
Instruments,

                                       13
<PAGE>   16

including Controller of Texas Instruments' Corporate Services division. Mr.
McCarthy received his BS in Business and his MBA from Texas A&M University.

     H. Carol Bernstein has served as our Vice President, Secretary and General
Counsel since August 2000. From January 1998 until joining us, Ms. Bernstein
served as the General Counsel and Director of Industrial Technology Development
of Argonne National Laboratory, which is operated by the University of Chicago
for the United States Department of Energy. From May 1985 until December 1997,
she served in various positions with the IBM Corporation, culminating in serving
as an Associate General Counsel, and was the Vice President, Secretary and
General Counsel of Advantis Corporation, a joint venture between IBM and Sears
Roebuck and Co. Ms. Bernstein received her B.A. from Colgate University and her
J.D. from Northwestern University; she is a member of the Bar of the States of
Illinois and New York.

     Kathleen A. Perry has served as our Vice President of Research and
Development since October 2000. From October 1999 until joining us, Ms. Perry
served as Senior Director of Strategic Technology at Applied Materials, where
she was responsible for creating the strategic roadmap for CMP products and
processes. From April 1997 until October 1999 she served as the Chief Technology
Officer at Obsidian. From April 1993 to April 1997, she led a CMP research team
at Motorola as the Manager of CMP Research. Ms. Perry has also managed CMP
programs at SEMATECH and held various engineering positions at IBM, where she
was the co-inventor and process integration specialist for aluminum damascene
CMP. Ms. Perry earned a BS in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell
University and an MS in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern
University.

     Daniel J. Pike has served as our Vice President of Operations since
December 1999. Mr. Pike served as our Director of Global Operations from 1996 to
1999. Prior to joining us, Mr. Pike worked for FMC Corporation as a Marketing
Manager for the Pharmaceutical Division. Mr. Pike received his BS in Chemical
Engineering from the University of Buffalo and his MBA from Wharton School of
Business of University of Pennsylvania.

     J. Michael Jenkins has served as our Vice President of Human Resources
since December 1999. Prior to that Mr. Jenkins served as our Director of Human
Resources beginning in May 1999. Prior to joining us, Mr. Jenkins was employed
for 15 years by Gas Chromatography Division of Hewlett-Packard holding various
positions, including Human Resources and Quality Manager. Mr. Jenkins received
his MHS from Lincoln University.

     Daniel S. Wobby has served as our Corporate Controller since March 2000 and
Principle Accounting Officer since June 2000. Mr. Wobby had served as Director
of Finance since October 1997. Since 1989, Mr. Wobby held various accounting and
operations positions with Cabot. Prior to joining Cabot, Mr. Wobby worked for
Arthur Andersen LLP in the Commercial Audit Division. Mr. Wobby earned a BS in
Accounting from St. Michael's College.

                                    PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

     Our common stock has traded publicly on the Nasdaq National Market under
the symbol "CCMP" since our initial public offering on April 4, 2000. The
following table sets forth the range of quarterly high and low closing sales
prices for our common stock on the Nasdaq National Market.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               HIGH     LOW
                                                              ------   ------
<S>                                                           <C>      <C>
Fiscal 2000 Third Quarter (from April 4, 2000)..............  $49.38   $24.88
Fiscal 2000 Fourth Quarter..................................   65.13    40.56
Fiscal 2001 First Quarter (through December 8, 2000)........   57.00    36.63
</TABLE>

                                       14
<PAGE>   17

     As of December 8, 2000, there were approximately 1,687 holders of record of
our common stock. Cabot Microelectronics has paid Cabot aggregate dividends of
$81.3 million, of which $17.0 million was paid from borrowings under a term
credit facility prior to the initial public offering and $64.3 million was paid
with proceeds from the initial public offering. We currently do not anticipate
paying cash dividends in the future.

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

     The following selected financial data for each of the three years ended
September 30, 2000 has been derived from the audited financial statements
contained in Item 8 of Part II of this Form 10-K. The selected statement of
income data for the year ended September 30, 1997 has been derived from the
audited financial statements contained in the amendment to our registration
statement on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April
4, 2000. The selected balance sheet data as of September 30, 1997 and 1996 and
the selected statement of income data for the period ended September 30, 1996
have been derived from our unaudited financial data.

     Basic and diluted net income per share for the year ended September 30,
1999 have been calculated using the pro forma 18.99 million shares owned by
Cabot for the period prior to our initial public offering. Basic and diluted net
income per share for the year ended September 30, 2000 have been calculated
using the pro forma 18.99 million shares owned by Cabot for the period prior to
our initial public offering in the weighted average shares outstanding
calculation.

     Non-recurring compensation expense for the year ended September 30, 2000
includes a one-time charge of $2.1 million related to options granted to
non-Cabot Microelectronics' employees at the time of our initial public offering
and a one-time charge of $1.6 million for the accelerated vesting of Cabot
Microelectronics' employee incentive compensation and benefits at the time of
the spin-off from Cabot Corporation.

     The information set forth below is not necessarily indicative of results of
future operations and should be read in conjunction with "Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and
the financial statements and notes to those statements included in Items 7 and 8
of Part II of this Form 10-K.

                                       15
<PAGE>   18

                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA -- FIVE YEAR SUMMARY

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30,
                                              ----------------------------------------------------------
                                                 2000        1999        1998        1997        1996
                                              ----------   ---------   ---------   ---------   ---------
                                              (AMOUNTS IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AND PER SHARE AMOUNTS)
<S>                                           <C>          <C>         <C>         <C>         <C>
STATEMENT OF INCOME DATA:
Revenue.....................................   $178,336     $95,701     $56,862     $33,851     $23,373
Revenue -- related party....................      2,820       2,989       1,969       1,360         961
                                               --------     -------     -------     -------     -------
                                                181,156      98,690      58,831      35,211      24,334
                                               --------     -------     -------     -------     -------
Cost of goods sold..........................     82,788      44,902      27,686      18,561      12,386
Cost of goods sold -- related party.........      2,828       2,989       1,969       1,360         961
                                               --------     -------     -------     -------     -------
                                                 85,616      47,891      29,655      19,921      13,347
                                               --------     -------     -------     -------     -------
          Gross profit......................     95,540      50,799      29,176      15,290      10,987
Operating expenses:
  Research and development..................     19,256      14,551      10,139       8,411       6,984
  Selling and marketing.....................      7,003       4,572       3,293       1,028         674
  General and administrative................     17,990      11,880       8,576       4,468       4,122
  Non-recurring compensation expense........      3,755          --          --          --          --
  Amortization of goodwill and other
     intangibles............................        718         720         720         720         720
                                               --------     -------     -------     -------     -------
          Total operating expenses..........     48,722      31,723      22,728      14,627      12,500
                                               --------     -------     -------     -------     -------
Operating income............................     46,818      19,076       6,448         663      (1,513)
  Other income..............................        130          --          --          --          --
                                               --------     -------     -------     -------     -------
  Income before income taxes................     46,948      19,076       6,448         663      (1,513)
  Provision for income taxes................     16,446       6,796       2,211         (45)       (647)
                                               --------     -------     -------     -------     -------
          Net income........................   $ 30,502     $12,280     $ 4,237     $   708     $  (866)
                                               ========     =======     =======     =======     =======
Basic net income per share..................   $   1.44     $  0.65
                                               ========     =======
Weighted average basic shares outstanding...     21,214      18,990
                                               ========     =======
Diluted net income per share................   $   1.39     $  0.65
                                               ========     =======
Weighted average diluted shares
  outstanding...............................     21,888      18,990
                                               ========     =======
</TABLE>

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               SEPTEMBER 30,
                                              ------------------------------------------------
                                                2000      1999      1998      1997      1996
                                              --------   -------   -------   -------   -------
<S>                                           <C>        <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>
BALANCE SHEET DATA:
Current assets..............................  $ 59,053   $26,120   $15,581   $ 8,781   $ 5,817
Property, plant and equipment, net..........    71,873    40,031    24,713    17,195    16,797
Other assets................................     5,180     4,123     4,837     5,547     6,284
                                              --------   -------   -------   -------   -------
          Total assets......................  $136,106   $70,274   $45,131   $31,523   $28,898
                                              ========   =======   =======   =======   =======
Current liabilities.........................  $ 24,200   $ 7,775   $ 4,870   $ 2,980   $ 2,649
Long-term liabilities.......................     4,344       422       233       119        40
                                              --------   -------   -------   -------   -------
          Total liabilities.................    28,544     8,197     5,103     3,099     2,689
Stockholders' equity........................   107,562    62,077    40,028    28,424    26,209
                                              --------   -------   -------   -------   -------
          Total liabilities and
            stockholders' equity............  $136,106   $70,274   $45,131   $31,523   $28,898
                                              ========   =======   =======   =======   =======
</TABLE>

                                       16
<PAGE>   19

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS

     The following "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations," as well as disclosures included elsewhere in this
Form 10-K, includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This Act provides a "safe
harbor" for forward-looking statements to encourage companies to provide
prospective information about themselves so long as they identify these
statements as forward-looking and provide meaningful cautionary statements
identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ from the
projected results. All statements other than statements of historical fact we
make in this Form 10-K are forward-looking. In particular, the statements herein
regarding industry prospects, our future results of operations or financial
position and statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words
"intends," "estimates," "plans," "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "should,"
"could," or similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. Forward-
looking statements reflect our current expectations and are inherently
uncertain. Our actual results may differ significantly from our expectations. We
assume no obligation to update this forward-looking information. The section
entitled "Factors Affecting Future Operating Results" describes some, but not
all, of the factors that could cause these differences.

     The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with
our historical financial statements and the notes to those financial statements
and our unaudited pro forma statements of income, which are included in Item 8.
of Part II of this Form 10-K.

OVERVIEW

     Prior to our initial public offering on April 4, 2000, we operated as a
division of Cabot, a global chemical manufacturing company based in Boston,
Massachusetts. On September 29, 2000, Cabot effected the spin-off of Cabot
Microelectronics Corporation by distributing 0.280473721 shares of our common
stock as a dividend on each outstanding share of Cabot common stock outstanding
on September 13, 2000, or an aggregate of 18,989,744 shares of our common stock.

     We are the leading supplier of high performance polishing slurries used in
the manufacture of the most advanced IC devices, through a process called CMP.
We believe that we supply approximately 80% of the slurries sold to IC device
manufacturers worldwide. CMP is a polishing process used by IC device
manufacturers to planarize many of the multiple layers of material that are
built upon silicon wafers to produce advanced devices. Planarization is a
polishing process that levels and smooths, and removes the excess material from,
the surfaces of these layers. CMP slurries are liquids containing engineered
abrasives and proprietary chemicals that facilitate and enhance this polishing
process. CMP enables IC device manufacturers in producing smaller, faster and
more complex IC devices with fewer defects. We believe CMP will become
increasingly important in the future as manufacturers seek to further shrink the
size of these devices and improve their performance. Most of our CMP slurries
are used to polish insulating layers and the tungsten plugs that go through the
insulating layers and connect the multiple wiring layers of IC devices. We are
developing and selling new slurries used to polish copper, a new metal used in
wiring layers of IC device fabrication. Also, we have developed and have begun
sales of new CMP slurries designed for polishing several components in hard disk
drives, specifically rigid disks and magnetic heads. We continue to develop
slurries for additional new applications. In addition, we have recently begun
producing and selling polishing pads used in the CMP process.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

     The following "Management's Discussion of Results of Operations" contains
unaudited pro forma results for the years ended September 30, 2000 and 1999
which reflect adjustments to our historical results of operations to give effect
to various transactions as if those transactions had been consummated as of the
periods presented. We historically sold various dispersion products to Cabot at
our cost of manufacturing. We entered into a dispersion services agreement with
Cabot, which became effective upon the completion of our initial public
offering, under which we provide dispersion services to Cabot at our cost plus a
standard margin. Under this agreement, Cabot supplies us with the fumed metal
oxide raw materials for these dispersions at no

                                       17
<PAGE>   20

cost to us, which reduces both our cost of goods sold and revenue for these
dispersions. In addition, we historically purchased fumed metal oxides, critical
raw materials for our slurries, from Cabot at Cabot's budgeted standard cost. We
entered into a fumed metal oxide supply agreement with Cabot, which became
effective in April, 2000, under which we purchase fumed metal oxides at a
contractually agreed upon price. The agreement provides for fixed price
increases each year and other price increases if Cabot's cost of producing fumed
metal oxides increases. Pro forma results also exclude the effect of a one-time
charge of $2.1 million ($1.4 million after tax) for options granted to non-Cabot
Microelectronics employees at the time of the initial public offering and a
one-time charge of $1.6 million ($1.0 million after tax) for the accelerated
vesting of Cabot Microelectronics' employee incentive compensation and benefits
at the time of the spin-off from Cabot. We believe the assumptions used provide
a reasonable basis for presenting the significant effects directly attributable
to the transactions discussed above. The unaudited pro forma results of income
are not necessarily indicative of the results that would have been reported had
such events actually occurred on the dates specified, nor are they indicative of
our future results.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

     The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the percentage
of revenue of certain line items included in our statements of income and our
unaudited pro forma statements of income:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                          YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                     ----------------------------------
                                                             PRO            PRO
                                                            FORMA          FORMA
                                                     2000   2000    1999   1999    1998
                                                     ----   -----   ----   -----   ----
<S>                                                  <C>    <C>     <C>    <C>     <C>
Total revenue......................................  100%    100%   100%    100%   100%
Cost of goods sold.................................   47      50     49      54     50
                                                     ---     ---    ---     ---    ---
Gross profit.......................................   53      50     51      46     50
Research and development...........................   11      11     15      15     17
Selling and marketing..............................    4       4      4       4      6
General and administrative.........................   10      10     12      12     15
Non-recurring compensation expense.................    2       0      0       0      0
Amortization of goodwill and other Intangibles.....    0       0      1       1      1
                                                     ---     ---    ---     ---    ---
Operating income...................................   26      25     19      14     11
Other income (expense).............................    0       0      0       1      0
                                                     ---     ---    ---     ---    ---
Income before income taxes.........................   26      25     19      13     11
Provision for income taxes.........................    9       9      7       5      4
                                                     ---     ---    ---     ---    ---
          Net income...............................   17%     16%    12%      8%     7%
</TABLE>

       YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2000 VERSUS YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 1999

REVENUE

     Total revenue was $181.2 million in 2000, which represented a 84%, or $82.5
million, increase from 1999. Approximately 95% of our revenue in 2000 was from
the sale of CMP slurries. Revenue from external sales was $178.3 million in
2000, which represented an increase of 86%, or $82.6 million, from 1999. Of this
increase, $59.7 million was due to a 62% increase in volume and $22.9 million
was due to increased weighted average selling prices. The volume growth was
mainly driven by the increased use of CMP slurries in the manufacture of IC
devices. The growth was especially strong with respect to sales of CMP slurries
for polishing tungsten.

     Related party revenue was $2.8 million in 2000, which represented a
decrease of 6%, or $0.2 million, over 1999. On a pro forma basis, for the fiscal
year ended September 30, 2000, related party revenue would have been $2.2
million. This decrease reflects the fact that under our former arrangement with
Cabot, we purchased from Cabot the fumed metal oxide raw materials required to
make the dispersions that we sold to Cabot and the cost of these raw materials
were included in the price we charged to Cabot, while under our new dispersion

                                       18
<PAGE>   21

services agreement Cabot provides these raw materials to us at no cost. As a
result, our revenue and cost of goods sold should decrease as a result of the
new arrangements.

COST OF GOODS SOLD

     Total cost of goods sold was $85.6 million in 2000, which represented an
increase of 79% or $37.7 million from 1999. Cost of goods sold related to
external sales was $82.8 million in 2000, which represented an increase of 84%,
or $37.9 million, over 1999. Of this increase, $28.0 million was due to higher
sales volume and $9.9 million was due to higher weighted average costs per
gallon. These higher costs resulted from higher raw material costs, especially
fumed silica cost increases associated with the fumed metal oxide agreement with
Cabot, and for transportation costs associated with shipping raw materials to
our manufacturing plant in Japan. Higher manufacturing costs also resulted from
improved quality requirements and the qualification of our Geino, Japan
facility.

     We anticipate fumed silica costs will continue to increase due to the terms
of the supply agreement with Cabot which contains provisions for a fixed annual
increase in the price of silica of 2% of the initial price and additional
increases if Cabot's raw material costs increase.

     On a pro forma basis, total cost of goods sold would have been $89.8
million, which reflects a $5.0 million increase for the fumed metal oxides we
purchase from Cabot to produce our slurries, partially offset by a $0.8 million
decrease in the cost of goods sold attributable to our new dispersion services
agreement with Cabot, in each case for the reasons described above.

GROSS PROFIT

     Our gross profit as a percentage of net revenue was 53% in 2000 compared to
51% in 1999. The increase in gross profit resulted primarily from a higher
percentage of our sales coming from new, higher value products which have higher
margins per gallon. Pro forma gross profit as a percentage of net revenue was
50% in 2000 as compared to 46% in 1999.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

     Research and development expenses were $19.3 million in 2000, which
represented an increase of 32%, or $4.7 million, over 1999. Of this increase,
$2.2 million represents additional personnel and related relocation expenses in
North America and $2.9 million resulted from higher laboratory supply costs and
other operating expenses associated with our clean room. Also, outsourced
development activities increased by $0.8 million and increased staffing in
Geino, Japan added $0.5 million in expenses. These increases were partially
offset by $0.9 million of decreased research and development allocations from
Cabot and $0.8 million decreases in various other areas. Key activities during
the twelve months ended September 30, 2000 involved the continued development of
new and enhanced slurry products, new CMP polishing pad technology and advanced
particle technology.

SELLING AND MARKETING

     Selling and marketing expenses were $7.0 million in 2000, which represented
an increase of 53%, or $2.4 million, over 1999. The increase was due primarily
to the hiring of additional customer support personnel in our North America,
Japan and Taiwan offices.

GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE

     General and administrative expenses were $18.0 million in 2000, which
represented an increase of 51%, or $6.1 million, from 1999. Approximately $3.8
million of the increase represents additional personnel costs needed to support
the general growth of our business and $1.6 million in operating costs
associated with our new corporate office building. Increased costs of purchased
services and expenses related to our initial public offering and spin-off from
Cabot of $1.4 million were partially offset by a decrease of $0.8 million in
charges from Cabot for corporate services.

                                       19
<PAGE>   22

NON-RECURRING COMPENSATION EXPENSE

     Non-recurring compensation expense of $3.8 million includes a one time
charge of $2.1 million related to options granted to non-Cabot Microelectronics
employees at the time of the initial public offering and a one-time charge of
$1.6 million for the accelerated vesting of long term incentives and benefits at
the time of the spin-off from Cabot Corporation.

AMORTIZATION OF GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLES

     Amortization of goodwill and other intangibles was $0.7 million in 2000 and
1999 and related to goodwill and other intangible assets associated with the
acquisition of selected distributor assets from a third party in 1995.

PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES

     The effective tax rate on income from operations was 35.0% in 2000 and
35.6% in 1999. The slight decrease in the effective tax rate was mainly driven
by a greater percentage of export sales resulting in increased foreign sales
corporation deductions.

NET INCOME

     Net income was $30.5 million in 2000, which represented an increase of
148%, or $18.2 million, from 1999 as a result of the factors discussed above.
Pro forma net income was $29.4 million in 2000, which represented an increase of
272%, or $21.5 million, from 1999.

       YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 1999 VERSUS YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 1998

REVENUE

     Total revenue was $98.7 million in 1999, which represented an increase of
68%, or $39.9 million, over 1998. Revenue from external sales was $95.7 million
in 1999, which represented an increase of 68%, or $38.8 million, from 1998. The
increase in external revenue was primarily due to a 53% increase in volume and,
to a lesser extent, a 10% increase in weighted average selling prices. The
volume growth was driven by the increased use of CMP slurries in the manufacture
of IC devices. This growth was especially strong in Asia, where volumes across
all slurry product lines increased by 114% and we began to recognize revenue
from the sale of CMP slurries used to polish the magnetic heads and the coating
on hard disks in hard disk drives. Weighted average selling prices rose from
1998 to 1999 due to the sale of higher performance products which had higher
weighted average selling prices, particularly our CMP slurries for polishing
tungsten.

     Related party revenue was $3.0 million in 1999, which represented an
increase of 52%, or $1.0 million, from 1998. This increase was due to higher
volumes sold. On a pro forma basis, related party revenue for 1999 would have
been $2.0 million. This decrease reflects the fact that under our former
arrangement with Cabot, we purchased from Cabot the fumed metal oxide raw
materials required to make the dispersions that we sell to Cabot and the cost of
these raw materials were included in the price we charged to Cabot, while under
our new dispersion services agreement Cabot provides these raw materials to us
at no cost. As a result, our revenue and cost of goods sold should decrease as a
result of the new arrangements.

COST OF GOODS SOLD

     Total cost of goods sold was $47.9 million in 1999, which represented an
increase of 61%, or $18.2 million, from 1998. Cost of goods sold related to
external sales was $44.9 million in 1999, which represented an increase of 62%,
or $17.2 million, from 1998. Of that increase, $14.6 million was due to higher
sales volume and the remainder was primarily due to higher manufacturing costs
associated with improved quality requirements and start up costs of our Geino,
Japan facility. On a pro forma basis, total cost of goods sold for 1999 would
have been $52.5 million, which reflects a $5.9 million increase for the fumed
metal oxides we purchase from Cabot to produce our slurries, partially offset by
a $1.3 million decrease in the cost of goods
                                       20
<PAGE>   23

sold attributable to our new dispersion services agreement with Cabot, in each
case for the reasons described above.

GROSS PROFIT

     Our gross profit as a percentage of revenue was 51% for 1999 and 50% for
1998. Higher margins from new products in 1999 were offset by increased spending
for expanded capacity and support capabilities. On a pro forma basis, for the
year ended September 30, 1999, gross profit as a percentage of revenue was 46%.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

     Research and development expenses were $14.6 million in 1999, which
represented an increase of 44%, or $4.4 million, from 1998. Of this increase,
$2.3 million was due to higher laboratory supply costs and other operating
expenses associated with the clean room. Increased staffing related to other
research and development activities accounted for an additional $1.5 million of
the increase and consumption of supplies in research and development activities
contributed the rest of the increase. Key activities during 1999 involved the
development of advanced particle technology, new or enhanced slurry products and
new CMP polishing pad products.

SELLING AND MARKETING

     Selling and marketing expenses were $4.6 million in 1999, which represented
an increase of 39%, or $1.3 million, from 1998. Of this increase, $0.4 million
was due to the hiring of additional customer support personnel in the United
States, $0.4 million was due to increased selling costs in Japan and the rest
was due to increased production of product literature, costs relating to
industry trade shows and marketing consulting costs.

GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE

     General and administrative expenses were $11.9 million in 1999, which
represented an increase of 39%, or $3.3 million, from 1998. Charges for
corporate services provided by Cabot increased $1.8 million from 1998 to 1999 to
keep pace with the growth of our business. Of the remaining increase, $1.2
million was due to additional administrative personnel as a result of general
business growth and $0.3 million was due to outside legal fees incurred in
connection with patent litigation.

                                       21
<PAGE>   24

AMORTIZATION OF GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLES

     Amortization of goodwill and other intangibles was $0.7 million in 1999 and
1998 and related to goodwill and other intangible assets associated with the
acquisition of selected assets from a third party in 1995.

PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES

     The effective tax rate on income from operations was 35.6% in 1999 and
34.3% in 1998.

NET INCOME

     Net income was $12.3 million in 1999, which represented an increase of
190%, or $8.0 million, from 1998 as a result of the factors discussed above.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

     We had cash flows from operating activities of $31.9 million in 2000, $9.0
million in 1999 and $2.3 million in 1998. Our cash provided by operating
activities in 2000 originated from net income from operations of $30.5 million
plus non-cash items of $7.7 million, partially offset by a net increase in
working capital of $6.3 million. Our principal capital requirements have been to
fund property plant and equipment additions and working capital needs that
support the expansion of our business.

     In 2000, cash flows used in investing activities were $37.2 million,
primarily related to the construction of our Aurora, Illinois manufacturing
facility, the purchase of land and construction of a new distribution facility
in Korea, the purchase of research and development equipment and the purchase of
additional land in Geino, Japan. In 1999, cash flows used in investing
activities were $17.1 million, primarily due to the completion of our Geino,
Japan facility and construction of our Aurora, Illinois headquarters building.
In 1998, cash flows used in investing activities were $9.3 million due to
manufacturing capacity increases and the acquisition of research and development
equipment.

     We had cash flows from financing activities of $15.2 million in 2000 which
resulted primarily from capital contributions from Cabot of $10.1 million, net
proceeds from our initial public offering of $82.8 million and borrowings of
$17.0 million under a term credit facility. We paid Cabot dividends of $17.0
million in March 2000 and $64.3 million in April 2000. Also, during the third
quarter of 2000, we repaid $13.5 million of borrowings under our term credit
facility. In 1999 and 1998 we had net cash flows from financing activities of
$8.1 million and $6.8 million, respectively, contributed by Cabot.

     At September 30, 2000 debt is comprised of a term loan in the amount of
$3.5 million funded on the basis of the State of Illinois State Treasurer's
Economic Program which is due on June 1, 2005. We originally borrowed $17.0
million under a term credit facility and paid the proceeds of this borrowing to
Cabot as a dividend. The original debt was comprised of a term loan in the
amount of $13.5 million and the $3.5 million term loan referred to above. During
the third quarter of 2000, the entire term loan of $13.5 million was repaid. In
July 2000 the credit agreement was amended and restated from a term loan to a
$8.5 million revolving line of credit with LaSalle National Bank.

We also have a $25 million unsecured revolving credit facility with Fleet
National Bank. Loans under this facility will be used primarily for general
corporate purposes, including working capital and capital expenditures. There is
a sublimit for letters of credit of $5 million. We may elect to borrow at
either:

     - the higher of Fleet National Bank's base rate as announced from time to
       time or the federal funds rate plus a margin of up to 0.50%; or

     - the LIBOR rate plus a margin of between 1.5% and 2.0%, determined
       quarterly.

     Interest on base rate loans will be payable at the end of each calendar
quarter, and on LIBOR loans at the earlier of the end of each interest period or
quarterly.

                                       22
<PAGE>   25

     All borrowings under our revolving credit facility will become due and
payable in April 2003. Borrowings under this credit facility may be prepaid at
any time, subject to payment of normal breakage costs, if any, in the case of
LIBOR loans.

     We would breach our revolving credit facility if we were to incur losses
greater than $7.5 million in a single fiscal quarter or greater than $10 million
in two consecutive quarters. In addition to customary covenants, this credit
facility contains certain restrictions on our ability to incur additional
indebtedness, create liens, make certain investments, pay dividends or make
certain distributions on our stock, merge, consolidate, make certain
acquisitions or dispositions and enter into transactions with affiliates.

     The $3.5 million unsecured term loan is funded on the basis of the State of
Illinois State Treasurer's Economic Program. During the period that we remain
eligible for this program and the State of Illinois maintains appropriate funds
to cover the $3.5 million term loan, the outstanding amount will bear interest
at a rate equal to 1.75% plus:

     - until the second anniversary of the closing date of the loan, 70% of the
       two year treasury rate; and

     - after the second anniversary of the closing date and until the
       termination date of this credit facility, which will be five years from
       the closing date of the credit facility, 70% of the three year treasury
       rate.

     During any period in which we are ineligible for this program or the State
of Illinois removes funds on deposit with the lender for purposes of funding
this loan, the outstanding amount will bear interest at the rate applicable to
the $8.5 million revolving line of credit described below.

     With respect to the $8.5 million revolving line of credit, we may elect to
borrow at either LaSalle Bank's base rate or the Eurodollar rate plus an
applicable margin, which will vary between 1.5% and 2.0% depending on our ratio
of funded debt to EBITDA.

     Interest on the $3.5 million term loan and each base rate loan will be
payable quarterly. Interest on each Eurodollar loan will be payable on the last
day of the applicable interest period, which will be a one, two or three month
period.

     During the existence of any event of default under the term credit
facility, the applicable interest rate on each type of loan will be increased
2.0%.

     The total principal amount of the $3.5 million term loan will be payable
upon the termination date of the credit facility, June 1, 2005 unless defaulted
earlier.

     During the term of this facility, we will be subject to prepayment
provisions, financial ratios, default provisions and restrictive covenants
similar to those described with respect to our $25 million revolving credit
facility.

     Under both our $25.0 million and our $8 million revolving credit
facilities, we are required to maintain the following financial ratios:

     - a ratio of (A) cash plus short-term investments plus net accounts
       receivable to (B) total current liabilities equal or above 1.25 to 1. The
       actual ratio as of September 30, 2000 was 1.68 to 1

     - a leverage ratio of (A) total funded indebtedness to (B) EBITDA below
       2.25 to 1. The actual ratio was 0.07 to 1 as of September 30, 2000.

     - a minimum coverage ratio of (A) EBIT to (B) interest expense greater than
       3.0 to 1. This ratio was 46.39 to 1 for the year ended September 30,
       2000.

     EBITDA is our net income before taxes, interest expense, depreciation and
amortization. EBIT is our net income before taxes and interest expense.

                                       23
<PAGE>   26

     We estimate that our total capital expenditures in fiscal year 2001 will be
approximately $45.0 million, approximately $2.3 million of which we have already
spent as of November 30, 2000. Our major capital expenditures in 2001 are
expected to be:

     - approximately $16.0 million to expand our existing manufacturing facility
       in Geino, Japan;

     - approximately $16.0 million to expand our corporate headquarters in
       Aurora, Illinois; and

     - approximately $12.0 million for polishing and other equipment used in our
       research and development activities.

     We believe that cash generated by our operations and borrowings under our
revolving credit facility will be sufficient to fund our operations and expected
capital expenditures for the next 24 months. However, we plan to expand our
business and continue to improve our technology and, to do so, we may be
required to raise additional funds in the future through public or private
equity or debt financing, strategic relationships or other arrangements. See
"Factors Affecting Future Operating Results -- Our ability to raise capital in
the future may be limited and this may limit our ability to expand our business
and improve our technology".

     Cabot is currently a defendant in two lawsuits involving Rodel. We have
agreed to indemnify Cabot for any liabilities or damages resulting from these
lawsuits. See Item 3. -- Legal Proceedings in this Form 10-K.

EFFECTS OF RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

     In June 1998, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued SFAS
No. 133, "Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities" ("SFAS
133"). SFAS 133 establishes new standards of accounting and reporting for
derivative instruments and hedging activities. SFAS 133 requires that all
derivatives be recognized at fair value in the balance sheet, and the
corresponding gains and losses be reported either in the statement of income or
as a component of comprehensive income, depending on the type of hedging
relationship that exists. The effective date of this statement was delayed in
June 1999 through the issuance of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 137 ("SFAS 137"). The effective date has been extended to fiscal years
beginning after June 15, 2000. In June 2000, the FASB issued Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 138 ("SFAS 138"), which amends Statement 133
to ease implementation difficulties. Management is evaluating the effect that
adoption of SFAS 133, as amended, will have on the Company's financial
statements. Given our current limited use of derivatives, we do not expect the
impact of SFAS 133, as amended, to be significant.

     In December 1999, the SEC released Statement of Accounting Bulletin No. 101
("SAB 101"), which provides guidance on the recognition, presentation and
disclosure of revenue in financial statements filed with the SEC. Cabot
Microelectronics is required to be in conformity with the provisions of SAB 101
no later than July 1, 2001 and we do not expect a material change in our
financial condition or results of operations as a result of SAB 101.

     In March 2000, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued
Interpretation No. 44 ("FIN No. 44") "Accounting for Certain Transactions
Involving Stock Compensation," an interpretation of the Accounting Practice
Board Opinion No. 25 ("APB No. 25"). This interpretation clarifies the
definition of an employee for purposes of applying APB No. 25, "Accounting for
Stock Issued to Employees," the criteria for determining whether a plan
qualifies as a noncompensatory plan, the accounting consequence of various
modifications to the terms of a previously fixed stock option or award, and the
accounting for an exchange of stock compensation awards in a business
combination. FIN No. 44 became effective on July 1, 2000, but certain
conclusions in FIN No. 44 cover specific events that occur after either December
15, 1998, or January 12, 2000. During fiscal 2000, the company adopted the
provisions of FIN No. 44 and the effects are reflected in the financial
statements.

                                       24
<PAGE>   27

                   FACTORS AFFECTING FUTURE OPERATING RESULTS

RISKS RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS

 Historical Financial Information May Not be Representative of Our Results as a
 Separate Company

     The historical financial information we have presented may not reflect what
our results of operations, financial position and cash flows would have been had
we been a separate, stand-alone entity during the periods presented and may not
be indicative of what our results of operations, financial position and cash
flows will be in the future. As a result, information to evaluate our business
is limited. This is because:

     - When we were a division of Cabot, Cabot provided us with various services
       and allocated expenses for these services to us in amounts that may not
       have been the same as the expenses we would have incurred had we
       performed or acquired these services ourselves;

     - we have changed our fumed metal oxide supply and dispersion services
       arrangements with Cabot and the prices we are paying under our new
       arrangements are higher than the prices we paid in the past; and

     - the historical financial information for the periods prior to our initial
       public offering does not reflect other events and changes that are
       occurring or will occur as a result of our separation from Cabot,
       including the establishment of our capital structure, the incurrence of
       debt and changes in our expenses as a result of new employee, tax and
       other structures and matters.

  We Have a Narrow Product Range and Our Products May Become Obsolete, or
  Technological Changes May Reduce or Limit Increases in CMP Consumption

     Our business is substantially dependent on a single class of products, CMP
slurries, which historically has accounted for almost all of our revenue. Our
business would suffer if these products became obsolete or if consumption of
these products decreased. Our success depends on our ability to keep pace with
technological changes and advances in the semiconductor industry and to adapt
and improve our products in response to evolving customer needs and industry
trends. Since its inception, the semiconductor industry has experienced rapid
technological changes and advances in the design, manufacture, performance and
application of IC devices and these changes and advances are expected to
continue in the future. One or more developments in the semiconductor industry
may render our products obsolete or less important to the IC device
manufacturing process, including:

     - increased competition from new or existing producers of CMP slurries,
       including the introduction of new or substitute products;

     - a shift toward reduced consumption or reuse of slurries;

     - advances in CMP technology that make it possible to perform planarization
       without a slurry.

     Any of the foregoing developments could cause a decline in the CMP slurry
market in general or seriously harm our business, financial condition and
results of operations in particular.

  A Significant Amount of Our Business Comes From a Limited Number of Large
  Customers and Our Revenue and Profits Could Decrease Significantly If We Lost
  One or More of Them as Customers

     Our customer base is concentrated among a limited number of large
customers. One or more of these principal customers may stop buying CMP slurries
from us or may substantially reduce the quantity of CMP slurries they purchase
from us. Any cancellation, deferral or significant reduction in CMP slurries
sold to these principal customers or a significant number of smaller customers
could seriously harm our business, financial condition and results of
operations.

     In fiscal year 2000, our five largest customers accounted for approximately
56% of our revenue, with Marketech, Intel and Takasago accounting for
approximately 17%, 15% and 11% of our revenue, respectively.

                                       25
<PAGE>   28

In 1999, our five largest customers accounted for approximately 58% of our
revenue, with Intel, Marketech and Takasago accounting for approximately 22%,
15% and 10% of our revenue, respectively. Marketech and Takasago are
distributors. The decline in the percentage of our total revenue attributable to
sales to Intel resulted from the expanding use of CMP by other semiconductor
manufacturers and Intel's decision to significantly reduce purchases of one type
of CMP slurry from us.

  If We Lose Pending or Future Intellectual Property Lawsuits Relating to Our
  Business, We Could be Liable for Significant Damages and Legal Expenses and
  Could be Enjoined from Manufacturing our Slurry Products

     Cabot is currently the subject of two lawsuits against it involving
infringement claims relating to our business. If Cabot or we were to lose these
or future lawsuits, we could be liable for significant damages and legal
expenses and could be enjoined from manufacturing our slurry products. Although
Cabot is the only named defendant in these lawsuits, the defense of which we
have assumed and are now controlling, we have agreed to indemnify Cabot for any
and all losses and expenses arising out of this litigation as well as any other
litigation arising out of our business. See Item 3. Legal Proceedings in this
Form 10-K for further discussion.

     In addition, we may be subject to future infringement claims by Rodel or
others with respect to our products and processes. These claims, even if they
are without merit, could be expensive and time consuming to defend and if we
were to lose any future infringement claims we could be subject to injunctions,
damages and/or royalty or licensing agreements. Royalty or licensing agreements,
if required as a result of any pending or future claims, may not be available to
us on acceptable terms or at all. Moreover, from time to time we agree to
indemnify certain of our customers for losses the customers may incur as a
result of intellectual property claims brought against them arising out of their
purchase or use of our products.

  Any Problem or Interruption in Our Supply from Cabot of Fumed Metal Oxides,
  Our Most Important Raw Materials, Could Delay Our Slurry Production and
  Adversely Affect Our Sales

     Fumed metal oxides are the primary raw materials we use in many of our CMP
slurries. Our business would suffer from any problem or interruption in our
supply of fumed metal oxides. Cabot is currently our exclusive supplier of fumed
metal oxides. We have entered into a fumed metal oxide supply agreement with
Cabot, which became effective upon completion of the initial public offering,
and under which Cabot continues to be our exclusive supplier of fumed metal
oxides for our current slurry products. We also expect Cabot will be our primary
supplier of fumed metal oxides for products we develop in the future.

     Our continued supply of fumed metal oxides from Cabot is subject to a
number of risks, including:

     - the destruction of one of Cabot's fumed metal oxides manufacturing
       facilities, particularly its Tuscola facility, or its distribution
       infrastructure;

     - a work stoppage or strike by Cabot employees who manufacture fumed metal
       oxides;

     - the failure of Cabot to provide fumed metal oxides of the requisite
       quality for production of our various CMP slurries;

     - the failure of essential fumed metal oxides manufacturing equipment at a
       Cabot plant;

     - the failure or shortage of supply of raw materials to Cabot;

     - contractual amendments and disputes with Cabot, including those relating
       to the fumed metal oxide supply agreement; and

     - our required quantities may exceed the amount Cabot is obligated to
       supply under the agreements.

     Any of these factors could interfere with our ability to produce our CMP
slurries in the quantities and of the quality required by our customers and in
accordance with their delivery schedules. It may also be difficult to secure
alternative sources of fumed metal oxides in the event Cabot encounters supply
problems.

                                       26
<PAGE>   29

     In addition, if we change the supplier or type of fumed metal oxides we use
to make our CMP slurries or are required to purchase them from a different Cabot
manufacturing facility, our customers might be forced to requalify our CMP
slurries for their manufacturing processes and products. The requalification
process would likely take a significant amount of time to complete, during which
our sales of CMP slurries to these customers could be interrupted or reduced.

     We have also specifically engineered our slurry chemistries with the fumed
metal oxides currently used in the production of our CMP products. A change in
the fumed metal oxides we use to make our slurry products could require us to
modify our chemistries. This modification may involve a significant amount of
time and cost to complete and therefore have an adverse effect on our business
and sales.

  Our Business Could be Seriously Harmed if Our Existing or Future Competitors
  Develop Superior Slurry Products or Offer Better Pricing Terms or Service, or
  If Any of Our Major Customers Develop In-House Slurry Manufacturing Capability

     Increased competition from current CMP slurry manufacturers, new entrants
to the CMP slurry market or a decision by any of our major customers to produce
slurry products in-house could seriously harm our business and results of
operations. We are aware of only four other manufacturers of CMP slurries
currently selling to IC device manufacturers. Opportunities exist for companies
with sufficient financial or technological resources to emerge as potential
competitors by developing their own CMP slurry products. Some of our major
customers, and some potential customers, currently manufacture slurries in-house
and others have the financial and technological capability to do so. The
existence or threat of increased competition and in-house production could limit
or reduce the prices we are able to charge for our slurry products. In addition,
our competitors may have or obtain intellectual property rights which may
restrict our ability to market our existing products and/or to innovate and
develop new products.

  Our Inability to Attract and Retain Key Management Personnel or Technical
  Employees Could Cause Our Business to Suffer

     If we fail to recruit and retain the necessary management personnel, our
business and our ability to maintain existing and obtain new customers, develop
new products and provide acceptable levels of customer service could suffer. The
success of our business is also heavily dependent on the leadership of our key
management personnel, all of whom are employees-at-will. We have no key man
insurance on any of our personnel. The loss of any number of our key management
personnel could harm our business and results of operations.

     Our success also depends on our ability to recruit, retain and motivate
technical personnel for our research and development activities. Competition for
qualified personnel, particularly those with significant experience in the CMP
and IC device industries, is intense, and we may not be able to successfully
recruit, train or retain these employees. The loss of services of any key
technical employee could harm our business generally as well as our ability to
research and develop new and existing products and to provide technical support
and service to our customers.

  Because We Have Limited Experience in Manufacturing and Selling CMP Polishing
  Pads and Slurries for CMP Polishing of the Magnetic Heads in Hard Disk Drives,
  Expansion of our Business into these Areas and Applications May Not Be
  Successful

     An element of our strategy is to leverage our current customer
relationships and technological expertise to expand our business into new
product areas and applications, including manufacturing CMP polishing pads and
slurries for CMP polishing of the magnetic heads in hard disk drives. We have
had limited experience in developing and marketing these products, particularly
polishing pads, which involve technologies and production processes that are new
to us. We or the suppliers of the raw materials that we use to make our
polishing pads may not be able to solve any technological or production problems
that we or they may encounter. In addition, if we or these suppliers are unable
to keep pace with technological or other developments in the design and
production of polishing pads, we will probably not be competitive in the

                                       27
<PAGE>   30

polishing pad market For these reasons, the expansion of our business into these
new product areas or applications may not be successful.

  Because We Rely Heavily on Our Intellectual Property, Our Failure to
  Adequately Protect it Could Seriously Harm Our Business

     Protection of intellectual property is particularly important in our
industry because CMP slurry manufacturers develop complex and technical formulas
for CMP slurries which are proprietary in nature and differentiate their
products from those of competitors. Our intellectual property is important to
our success and ability to compete. We attempt to protect our intellectual
property rights through a combination of patent, trademark, copyright and trade
secret laws, as well as employee and third-party nondisclosure and assignment
agreements. Our failure to obtain or maintain adequate protection of our
intellectual property rights for any reason could seriously harm our business.

     Policing the unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult,
and the steps we have taken may not detect or prevent the misappropriation or
unauthorized use of our technologies. In addition, other parties may
independently develop or otherwise acquire the same or substantially equivalent
technologies to ours.

  We are Subject to Some Risks Associated With Our Foreign Operations

     We currently have operations and a large customer base outside the United
States. For 2000, approximately 56% of our revenue was generated by sales to
customers outside the United States compared to 46% in the prior year. We
encounter potential risks in doing business in foreign countries, including:

     - the difficulty of enforcing agreements and collecting receivables through
       some foreign legal systems;

     - foreign customers may have longer payment cycles than customers in the
       United States;

     - tax rates in some foreign countries may exceed those of the United States
       and foreign earnings may be subject to withholding requirements or the
       imposition of tariffs, exchange controls or other restrictions;

     - general economic and political conditions in the countries where we
       operate may have an adverse effect on our operations in those countries;

     - the difficulties associated with managing a large organization spread
       throughout various countries; and

     - the difficulty in enforcing intellectual property rights in some foreign
       countries.

     As we continue to expand our business globally, our success will depend, in
part, on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these and other risks.

  Exchange Rate Fluctuations Could Adversely Affect Our Financial Results

     As a result of our international operations, we expect to generate an
increasing portion of our revenue and incur a significant portion of our
expenses in currencies other than U.S. dollars. To the extent we are unable to
match revenue received in foreign currencies with costs paid in the same
currency, exchange rate fluctuations in any foreign currency could have a
negative impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

     The financial condition and results of operations of some of our operating
entities are reported in various foreign currencies and then translated into
U.S. dollars at the applicable exchange rate for inclusion in our financial
statements. As a result, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against these foreign
currencies will have a negative impact on our reported revenue and operating
profits.

  Our Ability to Raise Capital in the Future May Be Limited and This May Limit
  Our Ability to Expand Our Business and Improve Our Technology

     We plan to expand our business and continue to improve our technology. To
do so we may be required to raise additional funds in the future through public
or private equity or debt financing, strategic relationships or other
arrangements. Financing may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all, and
our failure to raise
                                       28
<PAGE>   31

capital when needed could negatively impact our financial condition or results
of operations. Additional equity financing may be dilutive to the holders of our
common stock and debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive
covenants.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR SEPARATION FROM CABOT

  We Currently Use Cabot's Information Technology Services and Systems and Our
  Ability to Satisfy Our Customers and Operate Our Business Will Suffer if We Do
  Not Implement a New Cost Effective Infrastructure to Support Our Expanding
  Business Needs

     We currently use duplicated versions of Cabot's systems to support our
operations, including systems covering order processing, inventory management,
shipping and accounting. Many of these systems were not optimized for our
business processes. We have initiated a project to implement new systems to
replace the duplicated versions of Cabot's systems within the next 12 to 18
months. We may not be successful in implementing these systems and transitioning
data from the duplicated versions of Cabot's systems to our new systems. We
continue to rely upon the network infrastructure provided and maintained by
Cabot. We are in the process of migrating to our own network infrastructure the
maintenance of which we intend to outsource to a third party. We may experience
network interruptions related to either the current Cabot network infrastructure
or the migration to our new network infrastructure maintained by a third party.

     Any failure or significant downtime in Cabot's or our own network or
information systems could prevent us from taking customer orders, shipping
products or billing customers and could harm our business. In addition, our
network and information systems require the services of employees with extensive
knowledge of these information systems and the business environment in which we
operate. To successfully implement and operate our systems, we must be able to
attract and retain a significant number of highly skilled employees. If we fail
to attract and retain the highly skilled personnel required to implement,
maintain, and operate our information systems, our business could suffer.

  A Number of Our Directors May Have Conflicts of Interest Because They are Also
  Directors or Executive Officers of Cabot or Own Cabot Stock

     Three members of our board of directors are directors and/or executive
officers of Cabot. Our directors who are also directors and/or executive
officers of Cabot have obligations to both companies and may have conflicts of
interest with respect to matters involving or affecting us, such as acquisitions
and other corporate opportunities that may be suitable for both us and Cabot, as
well as related party transactions and intercompany agreements between us and
Cabot such as our fumed metal oxide and dispersion services agreements. In
addition, a number of our directors and executive officers own Cabot stock and
options on Cabot stock they acquired as employees of Cabot. This ownership could
create, or appear to create, potential conflicts of interest when these
directors and officers are faced with decisions that could have different
implications for our company and Cabot.

  We May Have Conflicts With Cabot With Respect to Our Past and Ongoing
  Relationships

     We may have conflicts with Cabot that we cannot resolve and, even if we are
able to do so, the resolution of these conflicts may not be as favorable as if
we were dealing with a party with whom we had never been affiliated. Cabot
continues to be our exclusive supplier of fumed metal oxides for our existing
slurries under a fumed metal oxide supply agreement between Cabot and our
company. While we are not required to do so under the terms of that agreement,
we expect we also will purchase from Cabot most of the fumed metal oxides we
require for any new slurries we develop. These agreements were made in the
context of an affiliated relationship and were negotiated in the overall context
of our separation from Cabot. The prices and other terms under these agreements
may be less favorable to us than what we could have obtained in arm's-length
negotiations with unaffiliated third parties for similar services or under
similar leases. It is particularly difficult to assess whether the price for
fumed metal oxides provided under our fumed metal oxide supply agreement with
Cabot is the same as or different from the price we could have obtained in
arm's-length negotiations with

                                       29
<PAGE>   32

an unaffiliated third party in light of the long-term nature of the contract,
the volumes provided for under the agreement and our particular quality
requirements.

     Conflicts of interest may arise between Cabot and us in a number of areas
relating to our past and ongoing relationships, including:

     - the terms of our fumed metal oxide supply agreement and other interim and
       ongoing agreements with Cabot;

     - the nature, quality and pricing of transitional services Cabot has agreed
       to provide us;

     - business opportunities that may be attractive to both Cabot and us;

     - litigation, labor, tax, employee benefit and other matters arising from
       our separation from Cabot; and

     - the incurrence of debt and major business combinations by us.

 We Face Risks Associated With Being a Member of Cabot's Consolidated Group for
 Federal Income Tax Purposes

     For the period in which Cabot continued to own 50% or greater of the vote
and value of our capital stock, we will be included in Cabot's consolidated
group for federal income tax purposes. Under a tax sharing agreement with Cabot,
we will pay Cabot the amount of federal, state and local income taxes we would
be required to pay to the relevant taxing authorities if we were a separate
taxpayer not included in Cabot's consolidated or combined returns. In addition,
by virtue of its controlling ownership and the tax sharing agreement for the
period of time up to September 29, 2000, Cabot will effectively control
substantially all of our tax decisions for that time period. Under the tax
sharing agreement, Cabot will have sole authority to respond to and conduct all
tax proceedings including tax audits relating to Cabot consolidated or combined
income tax returns in which we are included. Moreover, notwithstanding the tax
sharing agreement, federal law provides that each member of a consolidated group
is liable for the group's entire tax obligation. Thus, to the extent Cabot or
other members of the group fail to make any federal income tax payments required
of them by law, we could be liable for the shortfall. Similar principles may
apply for state income tax purposes in many states.

  If the Spin-Off Is Not Tax-Free, We Could Be Liable to Cabot for the Resulting
  Taxes

     On September 29, 2000, Cabot effected the spin-off of Cabot
Microelectronics by distributing 0.280473721 shares of our common stock as a
dividend on each outstanding share of Cabot common stock outstanding on
September 13, 2000, or an aggregate of 18,989,744 shares of our common stock. We
have agreed to indemnify Cabot in the event the spin-off is not tax-free to
Cabot as a result of various actions taken by or with respect to us or our
failure to take various actions, all as set forth in our tax sharing agreement
with Cabot. We may not be able to control some of the events that could trigger
this liability. In particular, any acquisition of us by a third party within two
years of the spin-off could result in the spin-off becoming a taxable
transaction and give rise to our obligation to indemnify Cabot for any resulting
tax liability.

RISKS RELATING TO THE MARKET FOR OUR COMMON STOCK

  The Market Price May Fluctuate Widely and Rapidly

     The market price of our common stock could fluctuate significantly as a
result of:

     - economic and stock market conditions generally and specifically as they
       may impact participants in the semiconductor industry;

     - changes in financial estimates and recommendations by securities analysts
       following our stock;

     - earnings and other announcements by, and changes in market evaluations
       of, participants in the semiconductor industry;

     - changes in business or regulatory conditions affecting participants in
       the semiconductor industry;

                                       30
<PAGE>   33

     - announcements or implementation by us or our competitors of technological
       innovations or new products; and

     - trading volume of our common stock.

     The securities of many companies have experienced extreme price and volume
fluctuations in recent years, often unrelated to the companies' operating
performance. Specifically, market prices for securities of technology related
companies have frequently reached elevated levels, often following their initial
public offerings. These levels may not be sustainable and may not bear any
relationship to these companies' operating performances. In the past, following
periods of volatility in the market price of a company's securities,
stockholders have often instituted securities class action litigation against
the company. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert the
attention of senior management, and, if adversely determined, have a negative
impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

  Anti-Takeover Provisions Under Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws,
  Our Rights Plan and Delaware General Corporation Law May Adversely Affect the
  Price of Our Common Stock, Discourage Third Parties from Making a Bid for Our
  Company or Reduce Any Premiums Paid to Our Stockholders for Their Common Stock

     Our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, our rights plan and various
provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law may make it more difficult to
effect a change in control of our company. Our certificate of incorporation, our
by-laws, our rights plan and the various provisions of Delaware General
Corporation Law may adversely affect the price of our common stock, discourage
third parties from making a bid for our company or reduce any premiums paid to
our stockholders for their common stock. For example, we have amended our
certificate of incorporation to authorize our board of directors to issue up to
20 million shares of blank check preferred stock and to attach special rights
and preferences to this preferred stock. The issuance of this preferred stock
may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us. We also
amended our certificate of incorporation to provide for the division of our
board of directors into three classes as nearly equal in size as possible with
staggered three-year terms. This classification of our board of directors could
have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire our
company, or of discouraging a third party from acquiring control of our company.
In addition, the rights issued to our stockholders under our rights plan may
make it more difficult or expensive for another person or entity to acquire
control of us without the consent of our board of directors.

     We have adopted change-in-control arrangements covering our executive
officers and are in the process of adopting similar arrangements for other key
employees. These arrangements provide for a cash severance payment, continued
medical benefits and other ancillary payments and benefits upon some
terminations of a covered employee's employment following a change in control.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

EFFECT OF CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES AND EXCHANGE RATE RISK MANAGEMENT

     We conduct business operations outside of the United States through our
foreign operations. Our foreign operations maintain their accounting records in
their local currencies. Consequently, period to period comparability of results
of operations is affected by fluctuations in exchange rates. The primary
currencies to which we have exposure are the Japanese Yen and the British Pound.
Our exposure to foreign currency exchange risks has not been significant because
a significant portion of our foreign sales are denominated in U.S. dollars. As
foreign markets become a more significant portion of our business, we have begun
to enter into forward contracts in an effort to manage foreign currency exchange
exposure. Less than 10% of our revenue is transacted in currencies other than
the U.S. dollar. We do not currently enter into forward exchange contracts for
speculative or trading purposes.

                                       31
<PAGE>   34

MARKET RISK AND SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATE RISK

     We have performed a sensitivity analysis assuming a hypothetical 10%
adverse movement in foreign exchange rates. As of September 30, 2000, the
analysis demonstrated that such market movements would not have a material
adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows
over a one year period. Actual gains and losses in the future may differ
materially from this analysis based on changes in the timing and amount of
foreign currency rate movements and our actual exposures. We believe that our
exposure to foreign currency exchange rate risk at September 30, 2000 was not
material.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

         INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                              PAGE
                                                              ----
<S>                                                           <C>
Financial Statements:
  Report of Independent Accountants.........................   33
  Statements of Income for the years ended September 30,
     2000, 1999 and 1998....................................   34
  Pro Forma Statements of Income for the years ended
     September 30, 2000 and 1999............................   35
  Balance Sheets at September 30, 2000 and 1999.............   36
  Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended September 30,
     2000, 1999 and 1998....................................   37
  Statement of Changes in Stockholders' Equity for the years
     ended September 30, 2000, 1999 and 1998................   38
  Notes to the Financial Statements.........................   39
  Selected Quarterly Operating Results......................   58
Financial Statement Schedule:
  Schedule II -- Valuation and Qualifying Accounts..........   59
</TABLE>

     All other schedules are omitted, because they are not required, are not
applicable, or the information is included in the financial statements and notes
thereto.

                                       32
<PAGE>   35

                       REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

To the Directors and Stockholders of Cabot Microelectronics Corporation

     In our opinion, the financial statements listed in the accompanying index
present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Cabot
Microelectronics Corporation at September 30, 2000 and 1999, and the results of
its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period
ended September 30, 2000 in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America. In addition, in our opinion, the
financial statement schedule listed in the accompanying index presents fairly,
in all material respects, the information set forth therein when read in
conjunction with the related financial statements. These financial statements
and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company's
management; our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial
statements and financial statement schedule based on our audits. We conducted
our audits of these statements in accordance with auditing standards generally
accepted in the United States of America, which require that we plan and perform
the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements
are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis,
evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements,
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We
believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

                                            /s/ PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP

Chicago, Illinois
October 26, 2000

                                       33
<PAGE>   36

                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                              STATEMENTS OF INCOME

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                     YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                             -----------------------------------------
                                                                2000            1999           1998
                                                             -----------     ----------     ----------
                                                             (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)
<S>                                                          <C>             <C>            <C>
Revenue....................................................   $178,336        $95,701        $56,862
Revenue -- related party...................................      2,820          2,989          1,969
                                                              --------        -------        -------
                                                               181,156         98,690         58,831
                                                              --------        -------        -------
Cost of goods sold.........................................     82,788         44,902         27,686
Cost of goods sold -- related party........................      2,828          2,989          1,969
                                                              --------        -------        -------
                                                                85,616         47,891         29,655
                                                              --------        -------        -------
          Gross profit.....................................     95,540         50,799         29,176
Operating expenses:
  Research and development.................................     19,256         14,551         10,139
  Selling and marketing....................................      7,003          4,572          3,293
  General and administrative...............................     17,990         11,880          8,576
  Non-recurring compensation expense.......................      3,755             --             --
  Amortization of goodwill and other intangibles...........        718            720            720
                                                              --------        -------        -------
          Total operating expenses.........................     48,722         31,723         22,728
                                                              --------        -------        -------
Operating income...........................................     46,818         19,076          6,448
Other income (expense).....................................        130             --             --
                                                              --------        -------        -------
Income before income taxes.................................     46,948         19,076          6,448
Provision for income taxes.................................     16,446          6,796          2,211
                                                              --------        -------        -------
          Net income.......................................   $ 30,502        $12,280        $ 4,237
                                                              ========        =======        =======
Basic net income per share.................................   $   1.44        $  0.65
                                                              ========        =======
Weighted average basic shares outstanding..................     21,214         18,990
                                                              ========        =======
Diluted net income per share...............................   $   1.39        $  0.65
                                                              ========        =======
Weighted average diluted shares outstanding................     21,888         18,990
                                                              ========        =======
</TABLE>

   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

                                       34
<PAGE>   37

                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                         PRO FORMA STATEMENTS OF INCOME

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                      YEAR ENDED
                                                                     SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                              ---------------------------
                                                                 2000             1999
                                                              ----------       ----------
                                                                   (UNAUDITED AND IN
                                                                      THOUSANDS,
                                                               EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)
<S>                                                           <C>              <C>
Revenue.....................................................   $178,336         $95,701
Revenue -- related party(a).................................      2,236           1,994
                                                               --------         -------
                                                                180,572          97,695
                                                               --------         -------
Cost of goods sold(b).......................................     87,761          50,827
Cost of goods sold -- related party(a)......................      2,043           1,645
                                                               --------         -------
                                                                 89,804          52,472
                                                               --------         -------
          Gross profit......................................     90,768          45,223
Operating expenses:
  Research and development..................................     19,256          14,551
  Selling and marketing.....................................      7,003           4,572
  General and administrative................................     17,990          11,880
  Amortization of goodwill and other intangibles............        718             720
                                                               --------         -------
          Total operating expenses..........................     44,967(c)       31,723
                                                               --------         -------
Operating income............................................     45,801          13,500
Other income (expense)......................................       (499)         (1,213)
                                                               --------         -------
Income before income taxes..................................     45,302          12,287
Provision for income taxes(d)...............................     15,870           4,377
                                                               --------         -------
          Net income........................................   $ 29,432         $ 7,910
                                                               ========         =======
Basic net income per share(e)...............................   $   1.39         $  0.42
                                                               ========         =======
Weighted average basic shares outstanding(e)................     21,214          18,990
                                                               ========         =======
Diluted net income per share(e).............................   $   1.34         $  0.42
                                                               ========         =======
Weighted average diluted shares outstanding(e)..............     21,888          18,990
                                                               ========         =======
</TABLE>

----------

(a)  Reflects the revenue and cost of goods sold which would have resulted had
     our dispersion services agreement with Cabot been in effect throughout the
     periods presented.

(b)  Reflects the cost of goods sold which would have resulted had our fumed
     metal oxide supply agreement with Cabot been in effect throughout the
     periods presented.

(c)  Excludes a one-time charge of $2,113 related to options granted to
     non-Cabot Microelectronics' employees at the time of our initial public
     offering and a one-time charge of $1,642 for the accelerated vesting of
     Cabot Microelectronics' employee incentive compensation and benefits at the
     time of the spin-off from Cabot.

(d)  The effective tax rates derived from our historical income tax expense for
     the years ended September 30, 2000 and 1999 were applied to determine pro
     forma income tax expense for the respective periods.

(e)  Basic and diluted net income per share for the year ended September 30,
     2000 have been calculated using the pro forma 18,990 shares owned by Cabot
     for the period prior to the initial public offering in the weighted average
     shares outstanding calculation. Basic and diluted net income per share for
     the year ended September 30, 1999 have been calculated using the pro forma
     18,990 shares owned by Cabot.

    The accompanying notes are an integral part of these pro forma financial
                                  statements.

                                       35
<PAGE>   38

                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                                 BALANCE SHEETS

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                  SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                              ---------------------
                                                                2000         1999
                                                              ---------    --------
                                                              (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT
                                                                 SHARE AMOUNTS)
<S>                                                           <C>          <C>
                                      ASSETS:

Current assets:
  Cash and cash equivalents.................................  $  9,971     $    38
  Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts
     of $233 at September 30, 2000 and $50 at September 30,
     1999...................................................    30,595      19,888
  Inventories...............................................    14,014       5,269
  Prepaid expenses and other current assets.................     2,752         285
  Deferred income taxes.....................................     1,721         640
                                                              --------     -------
          Total current assets..............................    59,053      26,120
Property, plant and equipment, net..........................    71,873      40,031
Goodwill, net...............................................     1,328       1,610
Other intangible assets, net................................     2,002       2,438
Deferred income taxes.......................................     1,271          75
Other assets................................................       579          --
                                                              --------     -------
          Total assets......................................  $136,106     $70,274
                                                              ========     =======

                       LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY:

Current liabilities:
  Accounts payable..........................................  $  9,425     $   995
  Payable to related party..................................     3,545          --
  Accrued expenses and other current liabilities............    11,230       6,780
                                                              --------     -------
          Total current liabilities.........................    24,200       7,775
  Long-term debt............................................     3,500          --
  Deferred income taxes.....................................       160          --
  Deferred compensation.....................................       684         422
                                                              --------     -------
          Total liabilities.................................    28,544       8,197
Commitments and contingencies (Note 19)
Stockholders' equity:
  Common stock:
     Authorized: 200,000,000 shares, $0.001 par value
     Issued and outstanding: 23,590,293 shares in 2000, no
      shares issued in 1999.................................  $     24     $    --
Capital in excess of par value of common stock..............    88,290          --
Division equity.............................................        --      46,629
Retained earnings...........................................    18,538      16,714
Accumulated other comprehensive income......................       792         974
Unearned compensation.......................................       (82)     (2,240)
                                                              --------     -------
          Total stockholders' equity........................   107,562      62,077
                                                              --------     -------
          Total liabilities and stockholders' equity........  $136,106     $70,274
                                                              ========     =======
</TABLE>

   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

                                       36
<PAGE>   39

                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                            STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                              -----------------------------
                                                                2000       1999      1998
                                                              --------   --------   -------
                                                                     (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                                                           <C>        <C>        <C>
Cash flows from operating activities:
  Net income................................................  $ 30,502   $ 12,280   $ 4,237
  Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided
     by operating activities:
     Depreciation and amortization..........................     4,891      2,777     2,208
     Non-Cabot Microelectronics employee stock options......     2,113         --        --
     Noncash compensation expense...........................     2,338        900       449
     Provision for inventory writedown......................       434        130       140
     Deferred income tax expense............................    (2,117)      (215)     (143)
     Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment......        85        141        30
  Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
     Accounts receivable....................................   (10,994)   (10,616)   (3,213)
     Inventories............................................    (8,865)       646    (3,246)
     Prepaid expenses and other current assets..............    (2,458)      (143)     (139)
     Other noncurrent assets................................      (579)        --        --
     Accounts payable.......................................     8,532         74       290
     Payable to related party...............................     3,545         --        --
     Accrued expenses and current liabilities...............     4,181      2,787     1,600
     Deferred compensation..................................       262        189       114
                                                              --------   --------   -------
Net cash provided by operating activities...................    31,870      8,950     2,327
                                                              --------   --------   -------
Cash flows from investing activities:
  Additions to property, plant and equipment................   (38,923)   (17,194)   (9,313)
  Proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment...     1,675         65         3
                                                              --------   --------   -------
Net cash provided by investing activities...................   (37,248)   (17,129)   (9,310)
                                                              --------   --------   -------
Cash flows from financing activities:
  Proceeds from the issuance of long term debt..............    17,000         --        --
  Repayments of long term debt..............................   (13,500)        --        --
  Net capital contributed by Cabot..........................    10,070      8,067     6,822
  Net proceeds from issuance of stock.......................    82,765         --        --
  Dividends paid to Cabot...................................   (81,300)        --        --
  Net proceeds from stockholder.............................       124         --        --
                                                              --------   --------   -------
Net cash provided by financing activities...................    15,159      8,067     6,822
                                                              --------   --------   -------
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash.....................       152        112       194
                                                              --------   --------   -------
Increase in cash............................................     9,933         --        33
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period............        38         38         5
                                                              --------   --------   -------
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period..................  $  9,971   $     38   $    38
                                                              ========   ========   =======
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
  Cash paid for income taxes................................  $ 11,448   $     --   $    --
  Cash paid for interest....................................       350         --        --
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash financing activities:
  Issuance of restricted stock..............................  $    123   $     --   $    --
</TABLE>

   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

                                       37
<PAGE>   40

                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                           ACCUMULATED
                                                      COMMON        CAPITAL                   OTHER
                                        PARENT     STOCK, $0.001   IN EXCESS   RETAINED   COMPREHENSIVE   COMPREHENSIVE
                                      INVESTMENT     PAR VALUE      OF PAR     EARNINGS      INCOME          INCOME
                                      ----------   -------------   ---------   --------   -------------   -------------
                                                                       (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                                   <C>          <C>             <C>         <C>        <C>             <C>
BALANCE AT SEPTEMBER 30, 1997.......   $ 28,812                                $    197       $  76
Capital contribution from Cabot
  Corporation.......................      6,822
Issuance of Cabot Corporation
  restricted stock under employee
  compensation plans................        878
Amortization of deferred
  compensation......................
Net income..........................                                              4,237                      $ 4,237
Foreign currency translation
  adjustment........................                                                             96               96
                                                                                                             -------
        Total comprehensive
          income....................                                                                         $ 4,333
                                                                                                             =======
                                       --------         ---        --------    --------       -----
BALANCE AT SEPTEMBER 30, 1998.......     36,512                                   4,434         172
Capital contribution from Cabot
  Corporation.......................      8,067
Issuance of Cabot Corporation
  restricted stock under employee
  compensation plans................      2,050
Amortization of deferred
  compensation......................
Net income..........................                                             12,280                      $12,280
Foreign currency translation
  adjustment........................                                                            802              802
                                                                                                             -------
        Total comprehensive
          income....................                                                                         $13,082
                                                                                                             =======
                                       --------         ---        --------    --------       -----
BALANCE AT SEPTEMBER 30, 1999.......     46,629                                  16,714         974
Capital contribution from Cabot
  Corporation.......................      6,900                       2,225
Capitalization of Cabot
  Microelectronics..................    (53,586)         19          53,567
Dividend paid to Cabot
  Corporation.......................                                (52,622)    (28,678)
Proceeds from initial public
  offering (net)....................                      5          82,760
Issuance of stock options to
  non-Cabot Microelectronics
  employees.........................                                  2,113
Issuance of Cabot Corporation
  restricted stock under employee
  compensation plans................         57
Amortization of deferred
  compensation......................
Issuance of Cabot Microelectronics
  restricted stock under employee
  compensation plans................                                    123
Amortization of unearned
  compensation on restricted
  stock.............................
Accelerated vesting of Cabot
  restricted stock under deferred
  compensation plan.................
Proceeds from stockholder...........                                    124
Net income..........................                                             30,502                      $30,502
Foreign currency translation
  adjustment........................                                                           (182)            (182)
                                                                                                             -------
        Total comprehensive
          income....................                                                                         $30,320
                                                                                                             =======
                                       --------         ---        --------    --------       -----
BALANCE AT SEPTEMBER 30, 2000.......   $     --         $24        $ 88,290    $ 18,538       $ 792
                                       ========         ===        ========    ========       =====

<CAPTION>

                                        UNEARNED
                                      COMPENSATION    TOTAL
                                      ------------   --------
                                          (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                                   <C>            <C>
BALANCE AT SEPTEMBER 30, 1997.......    $  (661)     $ 28,424
Capital contribution from Cabot
  Corporation.......................                    6,822
Issuance of Cabot Corporation
  restricted stock under employee
  compensation plans................       (878)           --
Amortization of deferred
  compensation......................        449           449
Net income..........................
Foreign currency translation
  adjustment........................
        Total comprehensive
          income....................                    4,333
                                        -------      --------
BALANCE AT SEPTEMBER 30, 1998.......     (1,090)       40,028
Capital contribution from Cabot
  Corporation.......................                    8,067
Issuance of Cabot Corporation
  restricted stock under employee
  compensation plans................     (2,050)           --
Amortization of deferred
  compensation......................        900           900
Net income..........................
Foreign currency translation
  adjustment........................
        Total comprehensive
          income....................                   13,082
                                        -------      --------
BALANCE AT SEPTEMBER 30, 1999.......     (2,240)       62,077
Capital contribution from Cabot
  Corporation.......................                    9,125
Capitalization of Cabot
  Microelectronics..................                       --
Dividend paid to Cabot
  Corporation.......................                  (81,300)
Proceeds from initial public
  offering (net)....................                   82,765
Issuance of stock options to
  non-Cabot Microelectronics
  employees.........................                    2,113
Issuance of Cabot Corporation
  restricted stock under employee
  compensation plans................        (57)           --
Amortization of deferred
  compensation......................      1,180         1,180
Issuance of Cabot Microelectronics
  restricted stock under employee
  compensation plans................       (123)           --
Amortization of unearned
  compensation on restricted
  stock.............................         41            41
Accelerated vesting of Cabot
  restricted stock under deferred
  compensation plan.................      1,117         1,117
Proceeds from stockholder...........                      124
Net income..........................
Foreign currency translation
  adjustment........................
        Total comprehensive
          income....................                   30,320
                                        -------      --------
BALANCE AT SEPTEMBER 30, 2000.......    $   (82)     $107,562
                                        =======      ========
</TABLE>

   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

                                       38
<PAGE>   41

                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                         NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
               (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AND PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

1. BACKGROUND AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

     We are the leading supplier of high performance polishing slurries used in
the manufacture of the most advanced integrated circuit ("IC") devices, within a
process called chemical mechanical planarization ("CMP"). We believe that we
supply approximately 80% of the slurries sold to IC device manufacturers
worldwide. CMP is a polishing process used by IC device manufacturers to
planarize many of the multiple layers of material that are built upon silicon
wafers to produce advanced devices.

     The financial statements have been prepared by Cabot Microelectronics
Corporation ("Cabot Microelectronics," "the Company," "us," "we," or "our"),
pursuant to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Our
financial statements reflect the historical results of operations, financial
position and cash flows of Cabot Microelectronics, which prior to the initial
public offering and spin-off discussed in Note 2, operated as a division and
subsidiary (incorporated October, 1999) of Cabot Corporation ("Cabot").

     The balance sheets have been prepared using the historical basis of
accounting and include all of the assets and liabilities specifically
identifiable to Cabot Microelectronics. The statements of income include all
revenue and costs attributable to Cabot Microelectronics, including an
allocation from Cabot of employee benefits and costs of shared services
(including legal, finance, human resources, information systems, corporate
office, and safety, health and environmental expenses). These costs are
allocated to Cabot Microelectronics based on criteria that management believes
to be equitable, such as Cabot Microelectronics' revenue, headcount, or actual
utilization in proportion to Cabot's revenue, headcount, or actual utilization.
Management believes this provides a reasonable estimate of the costs
attributable to Cabot Microelectronics. For the years ended September 30, 2000,
1999 and 1998, such allocated costs amounted to $5,728, $5,716 and $3,917,
respectively. Allocated costs may not necessarily be indicative of the costs
that would have been incurred by Cabot Microelectronics on a stand-alone basis.

2. SEPARATION FROM CABOT CORPORATION

     In July 1999, Cabot announced its plans to create an independent
publicly-traded company, Cabot Microelectronics, comprised of its
Microelectronics Materials Division. Cabot Microelectronics, which was
incorporated in October 1999, completed its initial public offering in April
2000 ("initial public offering"), receiving net proceeds of $82,765, after
deducting underwriting commissions and offering expenses, from the sale of
4,600,000 shares of common stock. Following the completion of the initial public
offering, Cabot owned approximately 80.5% of Cabot Microelectronics' outstanding
common stock. Cabot Microelectronics has paid Cabot aggregate dividends of
$81,300, of which $17,000 was paid from borrowings under a term credit facility
prior to the initial public offering and $64,300 was paid with proceeds from the
initial public offering.

     On September 29, 2000, Cabot effected the spin-off ("spin-off"), of Cabot
Microelectronics by distributing 0.280473721 shares of Cabot Microelectronics
common stock as a dividend on each outstanding share of Cabot common stock
outstanding on September 13, 2000, or an aggregate of 18,989,744 shares of Cabot
Microelectronics common stock.

3. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

  Cash and Cash Equivalents

     We consider investments in all highly liquid debt instruments with original
maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

                                       39
<PAGE>   42
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

  Inventories

     Inventories are stated at the lower of cost, determined on the first-in,
first-out (FIFO) basis, or market. Finished goods and work in process
inventories include material, labor and manufacturing overhead costs.

  Property, Plant and Equipment

     Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost. Depreciation is based
on the following estimated useful lives of the assets using the straight-line
method:

<TABLE>
<S>                                                       <C>
Buildings..............................................   20-25 years
Machinery and equipment................................    5-10 years
Furniture and fixtures.................................    5-10 years
Information systems....................................     3-5 years
</TABLE>

     Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as
incurred. Expenditures for major renewals and betterments are capitalized and
depreciated over the remaining useful lives. As assets are retired or sold, the
related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any
resulting gain or loss is included in the results of operations.

  Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

     Goodwill and other intangible assets were acquired in connection with a
July 1995 purchase of selected assets (see Note 5). Other intangible assets
consist of trade secrets and know-how, distribution rights, customer lists and
workforce in place. Goodwill and other intangible assets are amortized on the
straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives.

  Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

     Cabot Microelectronics reviews long-lived assets, including goodwill, for
impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that
the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable or that the
useful lives of these assets are no longer appropriate. Each impairment test is
based on a comparison of the undiscounted cash flows to the recorded value of
the asset. If an impairment is indicated, the asset is written down to its
estimated fair value on a discounted cash flow basis. We believe that no
material impairment exists at September 30, 2000.

  Foreign Currency Translation

     Our operations in Europe and Asia operate primarily using the local
currency. Accordingly, all assets and liabilities of these operations are
translated using exchange rates in effect at the end of the year, and revenue
and costs are translated using weighted average exchange rates for the year. The
related translation adjustments are reported in Comprehensive Income in
stockholders' equity. Gains and losses resulting from foreign currency
transactions are recorded in the statements of income for all periods presented.

  Foreign Exchange Management

     As of September 30, 2000, we had one foreign exchange forward contract of
$14.2 million outstanding in which we sold the Japanese yen forward relating to
customer accounts receivable. As of September 30, 2000 we recognized a gain of
$255 related to this forward contract. The contract expired in October 2000. We
did not enter into any forward exchange contracts during fiscal year 1999. In
fiscal 1998, we used forward exchange contracts solely to hedge firm commitments
denominated in Japanese Yen associated with the construction of our Japan plant.
The terms of the currency instrument used to hedge this exposure were consistent
with the timing of the committed hedged transaction. The gains and losses on the
forward exchange
                                       40
<PAGE>   43
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

contracts that were designated as hedges of the firm commitment associated with
the construction of our Japan plant were deferred and capitalized as part of the
cost of the plant. During fiscal 1998, we had a $699 loss on these forward
exchange contracts. Cash flows from these forward exchange contracts have been
included in additions to property, plant and equipment in the statement of cash
flows. The purpose of our foreign currency management activity is to protect
Cabot Microelectronics from the risk that eventual cash flow requirements from
significant foreign currency commitments may be adversely affected by changes in
exchange rates. We do not currently use derivative financial instruments for
trading or speculative purposes.

  Fair Values of Financial Instruments

     The recorded amounts of cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and
long-term debt approximate their fair values.

  Concentration of Credit Risk

     Financial instruments that subject Cabot Microelectronics to concentrations
of credit risk consist principally of accounts receivable. Cabot
Microelectronics performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers' financial
condition and generally does not require collateral to secure accounts
receivable. Cabot Microelectronics' exposure to credit risk associated with
nonpayment is affected principally by conditions or occurrences within the
semiconductor industry. Cabot Microelectronics historically has not experienced
losses relating to accounts receivables from individual customers or groups of
customers and maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts based on an
assessment of the collectibility of such accounts.

     At September 30, 2000, three customers accounted for 48.0% of net accounts
receivable. At September 30, 1999, three customers accounted for 41.0% of net
accounts receivable. At September 30, 1998, one customer accounted for 40.2% of
net accounts receivable.

     Revenue from customers who represented more than 10% of revenue were as
follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                  YEAR ENDED
                                                                SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                              ------------------
                                                              2000   1999   1998
                                                              ----   ----   ----
<S>                                                           <C>    <C>    <C>
Customer A..................................................   15%    22%    38%
Customer B..................................................   11%    10%    12%
Customer C..................................................   17%    15%    --
</TABLE>

     Customers B and C in the above table are distributors.

  Revenue Recognition

     Revenue is recognized upon completion of delivery obligations, provided
acceptance and collectibility are reasonably assured. A provision for the
estimated warranty cost is recorded at the time revenue is recognized based on
our historical experience.

     Cabot Microelectronics manufactures certain dispersions which are sold to
Cabot at cost. These sales are disclosed as revenue from related party in the
statements of income. Cabot and Cabot Microelectronics have entered into a
dispersion services agreement, effective upon the closing date of the initial
public offering, which provides for dispersions to be sold to Cabot at cost plus
a margin. Under this agreement, Cabot supplies to us the fumed metal oxide raw
materials for these dispersions at no cost. Accordingly, the cost of these fumed
metal oxides will not be included in revenue or cost of goods sold (see Note 4).
Had the dispersion services agreement been effective for the entire year ended
September 30, 2000, and the years ended September 30, 1999 and 1998, pro forma
unaudited revenue from related party would have been $2,236, $1,994 and $1,360,
respectively.

                                       41
<PAGE>   44
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

  Cost of Goods Sold

     We have historically purchased all of our fumed metal oxides, critical raw
materials used in the manufacturing process, from Cabot at Cabot's budgeted
standard cost. Purchases of fumed metal oxides from Cabot by us totaled $41,407,
$20,310 and $16,273 during fiscal 2000, 1999, and 1998, respectively.

     Cabot Microelectronics entered into a new fumed metal oxide supply
agreement with Cabot, effective at the time of the initial public offering,
under which we purchase fumed metal oxides at a contractually agreed upon price.
Had the purchases of fumed metal oxides that were recorded in external cost of
goods sold for the entire year ended September 30, 2000 and the years ended 1999
and 1998 been at the price specified in the new supply agreement rather than at
Cabot's budgeted standard cost of manufacturing, pro forma unaudited external
cost of goods sold would have been $87,761, $50,827 and $31,880, respectively.

     Cost of sales made to Cabot is disclosed as cost of goods sold from a
related party in the statements of income. Had the dispersion services agreement
discussed above been effective for the entire year ended September 30, 2000, and
the years ended September 30, 1999 and 1998, pro forma unaudited cost of goods
sold from related party would have been $2,043, $1,645 and $1,150, respectively.

  Research and Development

     Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.

  Income Taxes

     Prior to the spin-off Cabot Microelectronics was not a separate taxable
entity for federal, state or local income tax purposes. Our operations are
included in the consolidated Cabot tax returns. An income tax provision has been
calculated on a separate return basis.

     Deferred income taxes are determined based on the estimated future tax
effects or differences between financial statement carrying amounts and the tax
bases of existing assets and liabilities. Provisions are made for the U.S.
income tax liability and additional non-U.S. taxes.

  Stock Based Compensation

     Cabot Microelectronics participated in Cabot's stock-based compensation
plans up until the September, 2000 spin-off. In accordance with the provisions
of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards ("SFAS") No. 123, "Accounting for
Stock-Based Compensation" ("SFAS 123"), we have elected to account for stock-
based compensation plans in accordance with Accounting Principles Board Opinion
No. 25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees" ("APB 25"), and related
interpretations. Cabot Microelectronics discloses the summary of pro forma
effects to reported net income for fiscal 2000, as if we had elected to
recognize compensation cost based on the fair value of the options and
restricted stock granted by Cabot to employees of Cabot Microelectronics as
prescribed by SFAS 123.

  Earnings Per Share

     For the year ended September 30, 2000, basic net income per share is
calculated based on the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding
during the period, and diluted earnings per share is calculated based on the
weighted average of common stock outstanding, plus the dilutive effect of stock
options, calculated using the treasury stock method. The calculation of weighted
average shares outstanding includes the pro forma 18,989,744 shares that were
owned by Cabot prior to the closing of our initial public offering.

     Basic and diluted net income per share for the year ended September 30,
1999 have been calculated using the pro forma 18,989,744 shares that were owned
by Cabot. These shares take into consideration a 18,989,744 to 1 stock split
which occurred subsequent to March 31, 2000, but prior to the completion of the
initial public
                                       42
<PAGE>   45
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

offering. Earnings per share figures prior to the year ended September 30, 1999
are not presented in the accompanying financial statements as such amounts are
not considered meaningful.

  Comprehensive Income

     We have implemented SFAS No. 130 "Reporting Comprehensive Income" ("SFAS
130"), effective October 1, 1998. This standard requires us to report the total
changes in Stockholders Equity that do not result directly from transactions
with stockholders, including those which do not affect retained earnings. Other
comprehensive income recorded is solely comprised of accumulated foreign
currency translation adjustments, net of related tax effects.

  Use of Estimates

     The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles requires management to make certain estimates and
assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial
statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reported
period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

  Effects of Recent Accounting Pronouncements

     In June 1998, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued SFAS
No. 133, "Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities" ("SFAS
133"). SFAS 133 establishes new standards of accounting and reporting for
derivative instruments and hedging activities. SFAS 133 requires that all
derivatives be recognized at fair value in the balance sheet, and the
corresponding gains and losses be reported either in the statement of income or
as a component of comprehensive income, depending on the type of hedging
relationship that exists. The effective date of this statement was delayed in
June 1999 through the issuance of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 137 ("SFAS 137"). The effective date has been extended to fiscal years
beginning after June 15, 2000. In June 2000, the FASB issued Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 138 ("SFAS 138"), which amends Statement 133
to ease implementation difficulties. Management is evaluating the effect that
adoption of SFAS 133, as amended, will have on the Company's financial
statements. Given our current limited use of derivatives, we do not expect the
impact of SFAS 133, as amended, to be significant.

     In December 1999, the SEC released Statement of Accounting Bulletin No. 101
("SAB 101"), which provides guidance on the recognition, presentation and
disclosure of revenue in financial statements filed with the SEC. Cabot
Microelectronics Corporation is required to be in conformity with the provisions
of SAB 101 no later than July 1, 2001 and we do not expect a material change in
our financial condition or results of operations as a result of SAB 101.

     In March 2000, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued
Interpretation No. 44 ("FIN No. 44") "Accounting for Certain Transactions
Involving Stock Compensation," an interpretation of the Accounting Principles
Board Opinion No. 25 ("APB No. 25"). This interpretation clarifies the
definition of an employee for purposes of applying APB No. 25, "Accounting for
Stock Issued to Employees," the criteria for determining whether a plan
qualifies as a noncompensatory plan, the accounting consequence of various
modifications to the terms of a previously fixed stock option or award, and the
accounting for an exchange of stock compensation awards in a business
combination. FIN No. 44 became effective on July 1, 2000, but certain
conclusions in FIN No. 44 cover specific events that occur after either December
15, 1998, or January 12, 2000. During fiscal 2000, the company adopted the
provisions of FIN No. 44 and the effects are reflected in the financial
statements.

                                       43
<PAGE>   46
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

4. ARRANGEMENTS WITH CABOT CORPORATION

     Cabot Microelectronics' relationship with Cabot following the initial
public offering and spin-off are governed by the following agreements:

  Fumed Metal Oxide Supply Agreement

     We have entered into a fumed metal oxide supply agreement with Cabot that
became effective upon the closing of the initial public offering. Cabot
continues to be the exclusive supplier of fumed metal oxides, including fumed
silica, for our existing slurry products. The agreement provides for a fixed
annual increase in the price of fumed silica of approximately 2% and additional
increases if Cabot's raw material costs increase. The agreement contains
provisions requiring Cabot to supply us with fumed silica in specified volumes.
We are obligated to purchase at least 90% of the six-month volume forecast and
must pay damages to Cabot if we purchase less than that amount. In addition, we
are obligated to pay all reasonable costs incurred by Cabot to provide quality
control testing at levels greater than that which Cabot provides to other
customers. Under the agreement, Cabot will also supply fumed alumina on terms
generally similar to those described above. Cabot is not permitted to sell fumed
metal oxides to third parties for use in CMP applications.

     Under the agreement, Cabot warrants that its products will meet our agreed
upon product specifications. Cabot will be obligated to replace noncompliant
products with products that meet the agreed upon specifications. The agreement
also provides that any change to product specifications for fumed metal oxides
must be by mutual agreement. Any increased costs due to product specification
changes will be paid by us.

     Historically, we did not provide detailed product specifications to Cabot
and we had the ability to return products that met specifications. Under the new
agreement, we will provide detailed specifications but our ability to return
products may be limited.

     The agreement has an initial term that expires in June 2005 and may be
terminated thereafter by either party on June 30 or December 31 in any year upon
18 months prior written notice.

  Dispersion Services Agreement

     We have entered into a dispersion services agreement with Cabot that became
effective upon the closing of the initial public offering. We continue to
provide fumed metal oxide dispersion services to Cabot, including the
manufacturing, packaging and testing of the dispersions. Under the agreement,
Cabot supplies us with the fumed metal oxide particles necessary for the
manufacture of the dispersions. The pricing of the dispersion services is
determined on a cost-plus basis. Our obligation to provide Cabot with
dispersions is limited to certain maximum volumes and Cabot is obligated to
supply to us certain forecasts of their expected dispersion purchases. Cabot
agrees not to engage any third party other than Davies to provide dispersion
services unless we are unable to supply the requested or agreed-upon services.
The agreement has an initial term that expires in June 2005 and may be
terminated by either party on June 30 or December 31 in any year upon 18 months
prior notice.

  Facilities Lease Arrangements

     Beginning in March 2000, we began subleasing from Cabot the land and
building space located in Barry, Wales that we have utilized in the past. These
assets, with a carrying value of approximately $0.8 million as of the date of
the initial public offering, have been included in the property, plant and
equipment balance in the financial statements for the fiscal years ended
September 30, 1999 and 1998. As noted below under the caption "Master Separation
Agreement," these assets were not transferred to Cabot Microelectronics and
accordingly, have not been included in our balance sheet at September 30, 2000.
The lease will expire after ten years, subject to earlier termination under
certain circumstances.

                                       44
<PAGE>   47
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

  Master Separation Agreement

     We have entered into a master separation agreement with Cabot that provides
for the transfer of the legal ownership of substantially all of the assets and
liabilities of the former Microelectronics Materials Division to Cabot
Microelectronics. However, the land and building located in Barry, Wales were
not transferred to us as discussed above under the caption "Facilities Lease
Arrangements".

     Cabot Microelectronics has assumed all liabilities and obligations of Cabot
relating to or arising out of our business operations any time on or before the
date of the transfer of the former division's business operations to Cabot
Microelectronics other than various excluded liabilities.

     Under the master separation agreement, Cabot has transferred intellectual
property rights related solely to the business conducted by us, including
patents, copyrights, trademarks, technology and know-how and licenses and other
rights concerning third party technology and intellectual property.

     Cabot Microelectronics has agreed to indemnify Cabot against any losses or
actions arising out of or in connection with the liabilities assumed by Cabot
Microelectronics as part of the separation, including any liabilities arising
out of the current litigation with Rodel (Note 19) and the conduct of Cabot
Microelectronics' business and affairs after the separation date. The Master
Separation Agreement also provides that Cabot would continue to defend the
lawsuits instituted by Rodel against Cabot until Cabot Microelectronics notifies
Cabot that it will assume defense of the lawsuits, which it did in October,
2000.

  Trademark License Agreement

     We have entered into a trademark license agreement with Cabot that governs
our use of various trademarks used in our core business. Under the agreement,
Cabot has granted a worldwide royalty-free license to use the trademarks in
connection with the manufacture, sale or distribution of products related to our
business and we agreed to refrain from various actions that could interfere with
Cabot's ownership of the trademarks. The agreement also provides that our
license to use the trademarks may be terminated for various reasons, including
discontinued use of the trademarks, breach of the agreement, or a change in
control of Cabot Microelectronics.

  Confidential Disclosure and License Agreement

     We have entered into a confidential disclosure and license agreement with
respect to confidential and proprietary information, intellectual property and
certain other matters. Cabot has granted a fully paid, world-wide non-exclusive
license to us for Cabot's copyrights, patents and technology that were used by
Cabot in connection with our activities prior to the separation from Cabot. We
have granted to Cabot a fully paid, world-wide, non-exclusive license to
copyrights, patents and technologies that are among the assets transferred to us
under the master separation agreement and that would be infringed by the
manufacture, treatment, processing, handling, marketing, sale or use of any
products or services sold by Cabot for applications other than CMP.

     In addition, Cabot has assigned an undivided one-half interest in various
patents, copyrights and technology that relate to dispersion technology, which
are owned by Cabot and used in Cabot's dispersion business and our business. Any
costs, taxes or other fees related to the assignments and transfers of
intellectual property will generally be paid by us.

  Tax-Sharing and Tax Reporting and Cooperation Agreements

     Cabot Microelectronics will be included in Cabot Corporation's consolidated
federal income tax group through the fiscal year ended September 30, 2000 as
Cabot beneficially owned at least 80% of the total voting power and value of our
outstanding common stock. Cabot Microelectronics and Cabot entered into a tax-

                                       45
<PAGE>   48
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

sharing agreement pursuant to which Cabot Microelectronics and Cabot will make
payments between them to achieve the same effects as if Cabot Microelectronics
were to file separate federal, state and local income tax returns. Under the
terms of the tax-sharing agreement, Cabot is required to make any payment to us
for the use of our tax attributes that arose prior to the spin-off until such
time as we would otherwise be able to utilize such attributes. Each member of
Cabot's consolidated group is jointly and severally liable for the federal
income tax liability of each other member of the consolidated group.
Accordingly, although the tax-sharing agreement allocates tax liabilities
between Cabot Microelectronics and Cabot, during the period in which we are
included in Cabot's consolidated group, we could be liable in the event that any
federal tax liability is incurred, but not discharged, by any other member of
Cabot's consolidated group. Cabot Microelectronics will indemnify Cabot in the
event that the spin-off is not tax free to Cabot as a result of various actions
taken by or with respect to Cabot Microelectronics or our failure to take
various actions.

     Further, as of September 29, 2000 Cabot Microelectronics and Cabot entered
into a tax reporting and cooperation agreement that clarifies certain additional
tax matters not specifically addressed by the Internal Revenue Service Private
Letter Ruling and the Tax Sharing Agreement. Pursuant to the agreement, and
subject to relevant tax regulation, Cabot Microelectronics will claim the
benefit of all tax deductions resulting from the awards granted to either Cabot
or Cabot Microelectronics employees under the Cabot Microelectronics 2000 Equity
Incentive Plan. Cabot Microelectronics is also responsible for collecting and
remitting all required taxes and paying all employer taxes related to these
awards.

     Cabot is responsible for collecting and remitting all required taxes and
paying all employer taxes related to the vesting of Cabot restricted stock
awards granted to Cabot Microelectronics employees. Cabot Microelectronics is
entitled to the benefit of all tax deductions and will reimburse Cabot for all
employer taxes related to Cabot restricted stock awards to Cabot
Microelectronics employees.

     Cabot will receive the benefit of all tax deductions and is responsible for
all employment taxes resulting from the vesting of Cabot Microelectronics stock
received by employees of Cabot in the distribution, who held restricted Cabot
stock.

 Employee Matters Agreement

     Cabot Microelectronics and Cabot have entered into an employee matters
agreement under which we will, with certain exceptions, be solely responsible
for the compensation and benefits of our employees who are former employees of
Cabot. The principal exception is the retirement benefits for employees of Cabot
Microelectronics. Cabot's tax-qualified retirement plans retain all assets and
liabilities relating to our employees who are former employees of Cabot (subject
to any distributions from the plans that are required or permitted by the plans
and applicable law). Under the agreement, equity awards granted to our employees
under Cabot's equity incentive plans could be converted into equity awards of
Cabot Microelectronics at the time of the spin-off.

 Guarantee of Employee Loans

     As of September 29, 2000, Cabot fully vested the restricted shares of Cabot
common stock awarded to the Cabot Microelectronics' employees in conjunction
with the Cabot Long Term Incentive Program. As a result of the immediate
vesting, all employee loans from Cabot associated with the restricted stock came
due. Cabot agreed to extend the maturity date of the loans to December 29, 2000,
in consideration of our guaranteeing the repayment of the loans. As a result, we
have guaranteed employee loan obligations totaling $1,235 at an interest rate of
6.0%. If the loans are not repaid as of December 29, 2000, we will be required
to remit to Cabot the remaining outstanding loan balance including interest.

                                       46
<PAGE>   49
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

 Extension of Management Services Agreement

     As of April 2000, we entered into a management services agreement with
Cabot pursuant to which Cabot provided certain administrative and corporate
support services to us on an interim or transitional basis until the spin-off.
Cabot charged us for all costs incurred to provide these services.

     On September 29, 2000 we entered into an Extension of Management Services
Agreement with Cabot to extend the term for certain safety, health, and
environmental, and information technology, services to be provided, pursuant to
terms of the original Management Services Agreement. All terms of the agreement
apply to services provided through March 30, 2001. Cabot is entitled to charge a
reasonable profit for information technology services performed after March 30,
2001.

5. ACQUISITION OF SELECTED ASSETS

     On July 3, 1995, we acquired selected assets used or created in connection
with the development and sale of polishing slurries. The acquisition was
accounted for using the purchase method of accounting. Accordingly, the purchase
price of $9,800 was allocated to the net assets acquired based on their
estimated fair values. Identifiable intangible assets, consisting primarily of
trade secrets and know-how, distribution rights, customer lists and workforce in
place, were valued at $4,300 and are being amortized on a straight-line basis
over their estimated useful lives of 7-10 years. The excess of purchase price
over the fair value of the net assets acquired (goodwill) was approximately
$2,800, and is being amortized on a straight-line basis over ten years.
Accumulated amortization of goodwill and other intangible assets as of September
30, 2000, 1999 and 1998 was $3,770, $3,052 and $2,332, respectively. In addition
to the purchase price, we also make contingent payments in the amount of 2.5% of
total slurry revenue through June 30, 2002. These payments are recorded and paid
on a monthly basis and are included in cost of goods sold.

6. INVENTORIES

     Inventories consisted of the following:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                              ----------------
                                                               2000      1999
                                                              -------   ------
<S>                                                           <C>       <C>
Raw materials...............................................  $ 9,139   $3,297
Work in process.............................................       28       73
Finished goods..............................................    4,847    1,899
                                                              -------   ------
          Total.............................................  $14,014   $5,269
                                                              =======   ======
</TABLE>

                                       47
<PAGE>   50
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

7. PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

     Property, plant and equipment consisted of the following:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                              -----------------
                                                               2000      1999
                                                              -------   -------
<S>                                                           <C>       <C>
Land........................................................  $10,541   $ 4,168
Buildings...................................................   30,935    21,448
Machinery and equipment.....................................   34,479    15,350
Furniture and fixtures......................................    1,690       939
Information systems.........................................      732       374
Construction in progress....................................    2,377     2,778
                                                              -------   -------
Total property, plant and equipment.........................   80,754    45,057
Less: accumulated depreciation..............................   (8,881)   (5,026)
                                                              -------   -------
Net property, plant and equipment...........................  $71,873   $40,031
                                                              =======   =======
</TABLE>

     Depreciation expense was $4,174, $2,057 and $1,488 for the years ended
September 30, 2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively.

8. ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES

     Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                              ----------------
                                                               2000      1999
                                                              -------   ------
<S>                                                           <C>       <C>
Raw material accruals.......................................  $   663   $1,265
Accrued compensation........................................    4,673    1,568
Warranty accrual............................................      773      891
Fixed asset accrual.........................................    2,133      712
Other.......................................................    2,988    2,344
                                                              -------   ------
          Total.............................................  $11,230   $6,780
                                                              =======   ======
</TABLE>

9. LONG-TERM DEBT

     At September 30, 2000 debt was comprised of an unsecured term loan in the
amount of $3,500 funded on the basis of the State of Illinois State Treasurer's
Economic Program which is due on June 1, 2005 and incurs interest at an annual
rate of 6.37%. We originally borrowed $17,000 under a term credit facility and
paid the proceeds of this borrowing to Cabot as a dividend. The original debt
was comprised of a term loan in the amount of $13,500 and the $3,500 term loan
referred to above. During the third quarter of 2000, Cabot Microelectronics
repaid the $13,500 term loan and subsequent to June 30, 2000, this term loan was
converted to a revolving line of credit of $8,500.

     We have a $25,000 unsecured revolving credit facility which terminates in
March 29, 2003. Interest is incurred at either the institutions base rate or the
LIBOR rate plus an applicable margin. We also have a $8,500 revolving line of
credit which terminates in June 1, 2003. Interest is incurred at either the
institutions base rate or the Eurodollar rate plus an applicable margin. Loans
under both facilities will be used primarily for general corporate purposes,
including working capital and capital expenditures. No amounts were outstanding
under either agreement at September 30, 2000.

                                       48
<PAGE>   51
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

10. DEFERRED COMPENSATION

     Under the Cabot Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan, certain officers and
employees of Cabot Microelectronics elected to defer certain percentages of
their compensation to future periods. Amounts deferred at September 30, 2000,
1999 and 1998 were $684, $422, and $233, respectively.

11. JOINT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT

     In September 1998, Cabot Microelectronics entered into a three-year joint
development agreement with a customer in the semiconductor industry. Under the
agreement, we provide the customer with CMP slurries of up to $3,000 over a
three-year period in exchange for the use of CMP equipment provided by the
customer. The arrangement was accounted for as a nonmonetary transaction in
accordance with APB No. 29 "Accounting for Nonmonetary Transactions." The CMP
equipment was accounted for as an operating lease in accordance with SFAS No.
13, "Accounting for Leases." The cost of leasing the CMP equipment was valued
based upon the slurries that the customer is entitled to receive over the
three-year period. Total revenue and lease expense recognized under this
agreement were $637 and $1,000, respectively, for the year ended September 30,
2000. Deferred revenue of $363 was recorded as of September 30, 2000.

12. PENSION PLANS AND POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

     Cabot Microelectronics' employees participated in the following Cabot
sponsored pension and postretirement plans through April 30, 2000 and September
29, 2000, respectively.

     - Noncontributory defined benefit pension plan including the Cabot Cash
       Balance Plan ("CBP"), a defined benefit pension plan, and the Cabot
       Employee Stock Ownership Plan ("ESOP"); and

     - Cabot's postretirement plan, providing certain healthcare and life
       insurance benefits to retired employees.

     Those Cabot employees who accepted employment with Cabot Microelectronics
terminated employment with Cabot on September 29, 2000, but maintained their
vested and unvested rights in the above mentioned plans. Cabot allocated
periodic benefit costs (income) to Cabot Microelectronics as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                  YEAR ENDED
                                                                SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                              ------------------
                                                              2000   1999   1998
                                                              ----   ----   ----
<S>                                                           <C>    <C>    <C>
Pension (CBP)...............................................  $(86)  $61    $96
Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)........................    70    99     90
Postretirement benefit costs................................    75    99     81
</TABLE>

     Because our employees were only eligible to participate in the Cabot
pension plans through April 30, 2000, we incurred a one-time charge in September
2000 for the accelerated vesting charges associated with the spin-off of $150
and $175 for the Cash Balance Plan and Employee Stock Ownership Plan,
respectively.

13. SAVINGS PLAN AND OTHER INCENTIVE COMPENSATION PLANS

     Cabot sponsors a profit sharing and savings plan called the Cabot
Retirement Incentive Savings Plan ("CRISP"), in which substantially all of Cabot
Microelectronics' domestic employees were eligible to participate, and under
which Cabot makes matching contributions of at least 75% of a participant's
contribution up to 7.5% of the participant's eligible compensation, subject to
limitations required by government laws or regulations. Contributions to the
CRISP on behalf of employees of Cabot Microelectronics were $527, $385 and $258
during fiscal 2000, 1999, and 1998, respectively. Accelerated vesting costs of
$200 were also incurred due to the spin-off. On September 29, 2000, all of our
employees were terminated

                                       49
<PAGE>   52
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

from Cabot Corporation. Employees could rollover their balance, take a
distribution, or other action as defined by the CRISP.

  Defined Contribution Plan

     Effective May 1, 2000, the Company adopted the Cabot Microelectronics
Corporation 401(k) Plan (the "401k Plan") covering substantially all eligible
employees meeting certain minimum age and eligibility requirements, as defined
by the plan. Participants may make elective contributions up to 12% of their
eligible salary. All amounts contributed by participants and earnings on these
contributions are fully vested at all times. The 401(k) Plan provides for
matching and fixed nonelective contributions by the Company. Under the 401(k)
Plan, the Company will match 100% of the first four percent of the participant's
eligible compensation and 50% of the next two percent of the participant's
eligible compensation, subject to limitations required by government laws or
regulations. Under the 401(k) Plan, all employees, even non-participants, will
receive a matching contribution by the Company in an amount equal to 4% of
compensation. Participants and employees are 100% vested in all Company matching
contributions. The Company's expense for the defined contribution plan totaled
$320 for the period ending September 30, 2000.

  Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan

     Effective May 1, 2000, we adopted the Cabot Microelectronics Corporation
Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan ("SERP") covering all eligible employees
as defined by the SERP. The purpose of the SERP is to provide for the deferral
of compensation to certain members of the Company's management team or highly
compensated employees as defined under the provision of the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act ("ERISA") of 1974. Under the SERP, the Company contributes
up to 4% of their eligible compensation. All amounts contributed by the Company
and earnings on these contributions are fully vested at all times. The Company's
expense for the SERP was immaterial for the period ending September 30, 2000.

14. EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

     In March 2000, Cabot Microelectronics adopted an Employee Stock Purchase
Plan ("ESPP"). The ESPP allows all full or part-time employees of Cabot
Microelectronics to purchase shares of our common stock through payroll
deductions. Participants can contribute between 1% and 10% of their
compensation. The shares are purchased at a price equal to the lower of 85% of
the closing price at the beginning or end of each semi-annual stock purchase
period. In March 2000, 475,000 shares of common stock were authorized to be
purchased under the ESPP. No shares were issued through the ESPP during fiscal
2000.

15. EQUITY INCENTIVE PLANS -- CABOT CORPORATION

     Cabot sponsors an Equity Incentive Plan for key employees under which
participants may be granted various types of stock-based awards. Awards under
the 1996 plan made as part of Cabot's Long-Term Incentive Program, which
constitutes a significant portion of the awards made under this plan, consist of
restricted stock and non-qualified stock options. Restricted stock could be
purchased at a price equal to 40% of the fair market value on the date of the
award or nonqualified stock options exercisable at the fair market value of
Cabot's common stock on the date of the award. Variations of the restricted
stock awards were made to international employees in order to try to provide
results comparable to U.S. employees. The awards generally vest on the third
anniversary of the grant for employees then employed by Cabot, and the options
generally expire five years from the date of grant. In November 1998, Cabot's
Board of Directors adopted the 1999 Equity Incentive Plan. The 1999 plan was
approved by the stockholders of Cabot in March 1999. This plan is similar to the
1996 Equity Incentive Plan with the exception of the purchase price, which was
established at a price equal to 30% for the fair market value on the date of the
award. A limited number of awards are also available for no consideration under
both the 1996 plan and the 1999 plan in lieu of cash

                                       50
<PAGE>   53
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

compensation. Certain Cabot employees who became employees of Cabot
Microelectronics have been granted non-qualified stock options and restricted
stock under these plans. Compensation expense, equal to the discount on the
restricted stock, is considered unearned and is deferred and recorded as a
charge to income over the vesting period. Unearned compensation is recorded as a
component of equity.

     In May 1999, Cabot adopted a stock purchase assistance plan whereby Cabot
may extend credit to its employees to purchase restricted shares of Cabot common
stock awarded under Cabot's 1999 Equity Incentive Plan. Prior to this date,
loans were made available to employees by a third party financial institution.
On June 30, 1999, Cabot purchased, from the third party financial institution,
all such full recourse loans to Cabot employees outstanding as of that date. In
light of the spin-off, Cabot Microelectronics guaranteed the repayment of the
above mentioned loans to Cabot Corporation (Note 4).

     As of September 29, 2000, all restrictions were lifted on the shares of
restricted stock (Note 16) and all stock options were immediately 100% vested.
Additionally, Company employees were given the opportunity to exchange their
Cabot stock options with Cabot Microelectronics stock options through our Equity
Incentive Plan (Note 16 ). These options were exchanged while maintaining the
same intrinsic value as required by FASB Interpretation ("FIN") No. 44,
"Accounting for Certain Transactions Involving Stock Compensation -- an
Interpretation of APB 25."

16. EQUITY INCENTIVE PLANS -- CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

     In March 2000, our Board of Directors and Cabot's Board of Directors
adopted the Company's 2000 Equity Incentive Plan , which was approved by Cabot
as the sole stockholder of Cabot Microelectronics, and was amended by our Board
of Directors in September 2000 (the "Plan"). The Board authorized 3,500,000
shares of common stock to be granted under the Plan. Subject to adjustment for
stock splits and similar events, the maximum number of shares of common stock
that may be issued under the Plan is 3,500,000 shares. The Plan allows for the
granting of three types of equity incentive awards: Restricted Stock, Stock
Options, and Substitute Awards. According to the Plan, all employees, directors,
consultants, and advisors of the Company are eligible for awards under the Plan,
which awards will be awarded subject to applicable Award Agreements. The Plan is
administered by the Compensation Committee of the Cabot Microelectronics' Board
of Directors.

 Restricted Stock

     Under the Plan, employees and non-employees are granted shares of
restricted stock at the discretion of the Compensation Committee. According to
the Plan, shares of restricted stock may not be sold, assigned, transferred,
pledged, or otherwise encumbered or disposed of, except that restricted stock
may be pledged as security for the purchase price of the restricted stock.
Generally, under our Award Agreement for restricted stock, shares vest over a
two-year period with one-third vesting immediately at the date of grant and the
remaining vesting over a two-year period. Holders of restricted stock have all
the rights of a stockholder, including voting and dividend rights, subject to
the above restrictions. In no event shall the Company issue more than 875,000
shares of restricted stock under the Plan.

     In August 2000, we granted 2,500 shares of restricted stock to an employee
at $49.25 per share. As stated by the applicable Award Agreement, one-third of
the stock was immediately vested with the remaining two-thirds vesting over the
next two years. As a result, we recorded unearned compensation of $123 and
compensation expense of $41 as of September 30, 2000. At September 30, 2000,
1,667 shares were subject to restrictions, which lapse between August 9, 2001
and August 9, 2002.

                                       51
<PAGE>   54
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

  Stock Options

     Under the Plan, employees and non-employees may be granted incentive stock
options ("ISO") to purchase common stock at not less than the fair value on the
date of grant and non-qualified stock options ("NQSO") as determined by the
Compensation Committee and set forth in an applicable Award Agreement. The Plan
provides that the term of the option is ten years from the initial grant date,
but options granted during fiscal 2000 provide for a five year term, with the
options vesting over a two-year period, with one-third immediately vesting on
the date of grant under the Plan. No more than 1,750,000 ISO shares may be
issued.

     In April 2000, we granted stock options to non-Cabot Microelectronics
employees. The term of these options is five years from the initial date of
grant, but the options were fully vested on the date of grant. We accounted for
these grants to non-Cabot Microelectronics employees under the guidance of
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 ("SFAS 123"), "Accounting
for Stock Based Compensation" and, as a result, took a one-time charge of $2.1
million ($1.4 million after tax) at the time of the initial public offering.

     The following tables relate to stock options outstanding as of September
30, 2000:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                          WEIGHTED
                                                                          AVERAGE
                                                                STOCK     EXERCISE
                                                               OPTIONS     PRICE
                                                              ---------   --------
<S>                                                           <C>         <C>
Outstanding at September 30, 1999...........................         --    $   --
  Granted...................................................  1,264,310     20.44
  Exercised.................................................         --        --
  Canceled..................................................     (7,880)    20.00
                                                              ---------    ------
Outstanding at September 30, 2000...........................  1,256,430    $20.44
                                                              =========    ======
</TABLE>

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                               OUTSTANDING                   EXERCISABLE
                                   -----------------------------------   --------------------
                                                 WEIGHTED
                                                 AVERAGE      WEIGHTED               WEIGHTED
                                               CONTRACTUAL    AVERAGE                AVERAGE
                                   NUMBER OF       LIFE       EXERCISE    NUMBER     EXERCISE
RANGE OF EXERCISE PRICE             SHARES      (IN YEARS)     PRICE     OF SHARES    PRICE
-----------------------            ---------   ------------   --------   ---------   --------
<S>                                <C>         <C>            <C>        <C>         <C>
$20.00...........................  1,237,430       4.4         $20.00     586,483     $20.00
$47.88-$49.25....................     19,000       4.9          49.14       6,333      49.14
                                   ---------                   ------     -------     ------
                                   1,256,430                   $20.44     592,816     $20.31
                                   =========                   ======     =======     ======
</TABLE>

     The Company adopted the disclosure requirements of SFAS 123 upon
establishing the Plan. As permitted by SFAS 123, the Company continues to apply
the accounting provisions of Accounting Principles Board ("APB") Opinion Number
25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees" with regard to the measurement of
compensation cost for options granted. Had expense been recognized using the
fair value method described in SFAS 123, the Company would have reported the
following results of operations using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                   YEAR ENDED
                                                               SEPTEMBER 30, 2000
                                                               ------------------
<S>                                                            <C>
Pro forma net income........................................        $27,784
Pro forma net income per diluted share......................        $  1.27
</TABLE>

     These costs may not be representative of the total effects on pro forma
reported income for future years. Factors that may also impact disclosures in
future years include the attribution of the awards to the service

                                       52
<PAGE>   55
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

period, the vesting period of stock options, timing of additional grants of
stock option awards and number of shares granted for future awards.

     The assumptions utilized for calculating the estimated fair value of
options granted in accordance with SFAS 123 are as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                   YEAR ENDED
                                                               SEPTEMBER 30, 2000
                                                               ------------------
<S>                                                            <C>
Annualized dividend yield...................................          0.00%
Risk free rate of return....................................          6.00%
Expected option term (in years).............................             5
Expected volatility.........................................            35%
</TABLE>

17. STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

  Common Stock

     Each share of common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters
submitted to a vote of Cabot Microelectronics' stockholders. Common stockholders
are entitled to receive ratably the dividends, if any, as may be declared by the
Board of Directors. Upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of Cabot
Microelectronics, the common stockholders will be entitled to share, pro
ratably, in the distribution of assets available after satisfaction of all
liabilities and liquidation preferences of preferred stockholders, if any. On
March 24, 2000, the Board of Directors amended our articles of incorporation to
increase the number of authorized shares of its common stock to 200,000,000
shares.

  Stock Splits

     In March 2000, the Board of Directors approved an 18,989,744 to 1 stock
split pursuant to which all 18,898,744 shares were issued to Cabot Corporation
as of the date of the initial public offering.

  Dividends

     Cabot Microelectronics has paid Cabot aggregate dividends of $81.3 million,
of which $17.0 million was paid from borrowings under a term credit facility
prior to our initial public offering (Note 9) and $64.3 million was paid with
proceeds from our initial public offering.

18. INCOME TAXES

     Income before income taxes was as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                 SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                           --------------------------
                                                            2000      1999      1998
                                                           -------   -------   ------
<S>                                                        <C>       <C>       <C>
Domestic.................................................  $43,721   $18,655   $6,178
Foreign..................................................    3,227       421      270
                                                           -------   -------   ------
          Total..........................................  $46,948   $19,076   $6,448
                                                           =======   =======   ======
</TABLE>

                                       53
<PAGE>   56
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

     Taxes on income consisted of the following:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                  SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                            -------------------------
                                                             2000      1999     1998
                                                            -------   ------   ------
<S>                                                         <C>       <C>      <C>
U.S. federal and state:
  Current.................................................  $17,417   $6,522   $1,953
  Deferred................................................   (2,145)    (234)    (182)
                                                            -------   ------   ------
          Total...........................................  $15,272   $6,288   $1,771
                                                            -------   ------   ------
Foreign:
  Current.................................................  $ 1,146   $  489   $  401
  Deferred................................................       28       19       39
                                                            -------   ------   ------
          Total...........................................    1,174      508      440
                                                            -------   ------   ------
          Total U.S. and foreign..........................  $16,446   $6,796   $2,211
                                                            =======   ======   ======
</TABLE>

     The provision for income taxes at our effective tax rate differed from the
provision for income taxes at the statutory rate as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                  SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                            -------------------------
                                                             2000      1999     1998
                                                            -------   ------   ------
<S>                                                         <C>       <C>      <C>
Computed tax expense at the federal statutory rate........  $16,432   $6,677   $2,257
U.S. benefits from research and development activities....     (620)    (344)    (367)
State taxes, net of federal effect........................      882      508       58
Impact of foreign taxation at different rates,
  repatriation and
  other...................................................       28      155      354
Foreign sales corporation.................................     (816)    (243)    (118)
Other, net................................................      540       43       27
                                                            -------   ------   ------
Provision for income taxes................................  $16,446   $6,796   $2,211
                                                            =======   ======   ======
</TABLE>

     Significant components of deferred income taxes were as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                              ---------------
                                                               2000     1999
                                                              ------   ------
<S>                                                           <C>      <C>
Deferred tax assets:
  Depreciation and amortization.............................  $  453   $  367
  Employee benefits.........................................   2,175    1,118
  Inventory.................................................     177       89
  Product warranty..........................................     188      168
  Accrued legal fees........................................      --      105
  State and local taxes.....................................     217      144
  Deferred tax credits......................................     953       --
  Other, net................................................      60      133
                                                              ------   ------
          Total deferred tax assets.........................  $4,223   $2,124
                                                              ======   ======
Deferred tax liabilities:
  Depreciation and amortization.............................  $1,251   $  827
  Translation adjustment....................................     140      582
                                                              ------   ------
          Total deferred tax liabilities....................  $1,391   $1,409
                                                              ======   ======
</TABLE>

                                       54
<PAGE>   57
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

19. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

  Lease Commitments

     Cabot Microelectronics leases certain transportation vehicles, warehouse
facilities, office space, machinery and equipment under cancelable and
noncancelable leases, most of which expire within ten years and may be renewed
by us. Rent expense under such arrangements during fiscal 2000, 1999 and 1998
totaled $1,288, $1,439 and $150, respectively.

     Future minimum rental commitments under noncancelable leases as of
September 30, 2000 are as follows:

<TABLE>
<S>                                                           <C>
2001.......................................................   $1,307
2002.......................................................      259
2003.......................................................       82
2004.......................................................       28
2005.......................................................        7
2006 and thereafter........................................        1
                                                              ------
                                                              $1,684
                                                              ======
</TABLE>

  Other Long-Term Commitments

     We have a long term supply agreement with one of our largest customers
designed to provide this customer with specified quantities of polishing
slurries at agreed-upon prices. The agreement expires, unless renewed by the
parties, as of January 2002.

     We have an agreement with Davies Imperial Coatings, Inc. ("Davies")
pursuant to which Davies will perform certain agreed upon dispersion services.
We have agreed to purchase minimum amounts of services per year and to invest
$150 per year in capital improvements or other expenditures to maintain capacity
at the Davies dispersion facility. The initial term of the agreement expires in
October 2004, with automatic one-year renewals, and contains a 90-day
cancellation clause executable by either party.

     We have a long-term agreement with a supplier to provide materials for a
new product line under development. We have agreed to purchase minimum amounts
of materials per year and to reimburse the supplier for all approved R&D costs
related to the materials. The supplier will repay such R&D reimbursements when
our material purchases from them reach certain agreed upon levels. The agreement
expires in June 2005.

  Contingencies

     In June 1998, one of our major competitors, Rodel Inc., filed a lawsuit
against Cabot in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware
entitled Rodel, Inc. v. Cabot Corporation (Civil Action No. 98-352). In this
lawsuit, Rodel has requested a jury trial and is seeking a permanent injunction
and an award of compensatory, punitive, and other damages relating to
allegations that Cabot is infringing United States Patent No. 4,959,113
(entitled "Method and Composition for Polishing Metal Surfaces"), which is owned
by an affiliate of Rodel. We refer to this patent as the Roberts patent and this
lawsuit as the Roberts lawsuit. Cabot filed an answer and counterclaim seeking
dismissal of the Roberts lawsuit with prejudice, a judgment that Cabot is not
infringing the Roberts patent and/or that the Roberts patent is invalid, and
other relief. Cabot subsequently filed a motion for summary judgment that the
Roberts patent is invalid because all of the claims contained in the patent were
not sufficiently different under applicable patent law from subject matter
contained in previously granted patents, specifically United States Patents Nos.
4,705,566, 4,956,015 and 4,929,257, each of which is owned by a third party not
affiliated with Rodel or us. This motion was denied on September 30, 1999 based
on the court's finding that there were genuine issues of material fact to be

                                       55
<PAGE>   58
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

determined at trial. After the ruling on the summary judgment motion, Rodel
filed a request for reexamination of the Roberts patent with the United States
Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), which was granted on November 12, 1999. On
March 28, 2000 the court issued an order staying the Roberts action, which
presently is in the discovery stage, pending completion of the reexamination of
the Roberts patent by the PTO, which to our knowledge still had not been
completed as of December 15, 2000 (in light of the reexamination, on September
29, 2000, the court denied the parties' respective motions to amend and dismiss,
with leave to refile subsequent to completion of the reexamination).

     In April 1999, Rodel commenced a second lawsuit against Cabot in the United
States District Court for the District of Delaware entitled Rodel, Inc. v. Cabot
Corporation (Civil Action No. 99-256). In this lawsuit, Rodel has requested a
jury trial and is seeking a permanent injunction and an award of compensatory,
punitive, and other damages relating to allegations that Cabot is infringing two
other patents owned by an affiliate of Rodel. These two patents are United
States Patent No. 5,391,258 (entitled "Compositions and Methods for Polishing")
and United States Patent No. 5,476,606 (entitled "Compositions and Methods for
Polishing"). We refer to these patents as the Brancaleoni patents and this
lawsuit as the Brancaleoni lawsuit. Cabot has filed an answer and counterclaim
to the complaint seeking dismissal of the complaint with prejudice, a judgment
that Cabot is not infringing the Brancaleoni patents and/or that the Brancaleoni
patents are invalid, and other relief. On September 29, 2000, the court denied
Cabot's motion to dismiss, and granted Rodel's leave to amend, the Brancaleoni
lawsuit to add Rodel's affiliate that owns the Brancaleoni patent, Rodel
Holdings, Inc., as a plaintiff. On October 24, 2000, Rodel and Rodel Holdings
filed an amended complaint that added Rodel Holdings as a plaintiff to the
Brancaleoni lawsuit. On November 6, 2000, Cabot filed its answer and
counterclaim seeking a judgement that Cabot is not infringing the Brancaleoni
patents and/or that the Brancaleoni patents are invalid, and other relief. The
Brancaleoni lawsuit is presently in the discovery stage. The parties are
awaiting the court's decision on their joint request to extend the currently
scheduled completion of discovery date of February 25, 2000; a trial date has
not yet been scheduled.

     In the Roberts lawsuit, the only product that Rodel to date has alleged
infringes the Roberts patent is our W2000 slurry, which is used to polish
tungsten and which currently accounts for a significant portion of our total
revenue. In the Brancaleoni lawsuit, Rodel and Rodel Holdings have not alleged
that any specific product infringes the Brancaleoni patents; instead, Rodel and
Rodel Holdings allege that our United States Patent No. 5,858,813 (entitled
"Chemical Mechanical Polishing Slurry for Metal Layers and Films" and which
relates to a CMP polishing slurry for metal surfaces including, among other
things, aluminum and copper) is evidence that Cabot is infringing the
Brancaleoni patents through the manufacture and sales of unspecified products.
At this stage, we cannot predict whether or to what extent Rodel and/or Rodel
Holdings will make specific infringement claims with respect to any of our
products other than W2000 in these or any future proceedings. It is possible
that Rodel and/or Rodel Holdings will claim that many of our products infringe
its patents.

     Although Cabot is the only named defendant in these lawsuits, the defense
of which we have assumed and now are controlling, we have agreed to indemnify
Cabot for any and all losses and expenses arising out of this litigation as well
as any other litigation arising out of our business. While we believe there are
meritorious defenses to the pending actions and intend to defend them
vigorously, these defenses may not be successful. If Rodel (and/or Rodel
Holdings) prevails in either of these cases, we may have to pay damages and, in
the future, may be prohibited from producing any products found to infringe or
required to pay Rodel (and/or Rodel Holdings) royalty and licensing fees with
respect to sales of those products. It is not possible to estimate the amount of
a probable loss, if any, that might result from this matter. Accordingly, no
provision has been made in our financial statements.

                                       56
<PAGE>   59
                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                  NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS -- (CONTINUED)

20. EARNINGS PER SHARE

     Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 128 "Earnings per Shares",
requires companies to provide a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator
of the basic and diluted earnings per share computations. Basic and diluted
earnings per share were calculated as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                             -------------------------------
                                                                  2000             1999
                                                             --------------   --------------
                                                             (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT FOR SHARE
                                                                 AND PER SHARE AMOUNTS)
<S>                                                          <C>              <C>
Numerator:
  Income available to common shares (numerator)............   $    30,502      $    12,280
                                                              ===========      ===========
Denominator:
  Weighted average common shares...........................    21,214,414       18,989,744
     (Denominator for basic calculation)
  Weighted average effect of dilutive securities:
     Stock based compensation..............................       673,342               --
                                                              -----------      -----------
  Denominator for diluted calculation......................    21,887,756       18,989,744
                                                              ===========      ===========
Earnings per share:
  Basic....................................................   $      1.44      $      0.65
                                                              ===========      ===========
  Diluted..................................................   $      1.39      $      0.65
                                                              ===========      ===========
</TABLE>

21. FINANCIAL INFORMATION BY INDUSTRY SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA

     Cabot Microelectronics has adopted SFAS No. 131, "Disclosure about Segments
of an Enterprise and Related Information" ("SFAS 131"), which was effective for
the fiscal year ended September 30, 1999. We operate predominantly in one
industry segment -- the development, manufacture, and sale of CMP slurries.

     Cabot Microelectronics does not classify export sales as foreign sales.
Financial information by geographic area was as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                SEPTEMBER 30,
                                                         ----------------------------
                                                           2000      1999      1998
                                                         --------   -------   -------
<S>                                                      <C>        <C>       <C>
Revenue:
  United States.......................................   $157,820   $89,666   $55,600
  Europe..............................................      5,755     4,789     3,231
  Asia................................................     17,581     4,235        --
                                                         --------   -------   -------
          Total.......................................   $181,156   $98,690   $58,831
                                                         ========   =======   =======
Property, plant and equipment, net:
  United States.......................................   $ 50,421   $25,324   $17,376
  Europe..............................................      2,147     3,139     2,461
  Asia................................................     19,305    11,568     4,876
                                                         --------   -------   -------
          Total.......................................   $ 71,873   $40,031   $24,713
                                                         ========   =======   =======
</TABLE>

                                       57
<PAGE>   60

SELECTED QUARTERLY OPERATING RESULTS

     The following table presents our unaudited financial information for the
eight quarters ended September 30, 2000. This unaudited financial information
has been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
applied on a basis consistent with the annual audited financial statements and
in the opinion of management, they include all necessary adjustments, which
consist only of normal recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the
financial results for the periods. The results for any quarter are not
necessarily indicative of results for any future period.

                       CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

                      SELECTED QUARTERLY OPERATING RESULTS

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                        SEPT. 30,   JUNE 30,   MARCH 31,   DEC. 31,   SEPT. 30,   JUNE 30,   MARCH 31,   DEC. 31,
                                          2000        2000       2000        1999       1999        1999       1999        1998
                                        ---------   --------   ---------   --------   ---------   --------   ---------   --------
                                                    (UNAUDITED AND IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AND PER SHARE AMOUNTS)
<S>                                     <C>         <C>        <C>         <C>        <C>         <C>        <C>         <C>
Total revenue.........................   $56,186    $50,589     $39,335    $35,046     $33,084    $22,864     $21,867    $20,875
Cost of goods sold....................    26,882     22,839      19,707     16,188      16,671     11,007      10,177     10,036
                                         -------    -------     -------    -------     -------    -------     -------    -------
Gross profit..........................    29,304     27,750      19,628     18,858      16,413     11,857      11,690     10,839
Operating expenses:
  Research and development............     5,019      5,105       4,648      4,484       4,370      3,669       3,067      3,445
  Selling and marketing...............     2,170      2,002       1,580      1,250       1,427      1,108       1,083        954
  General and administrative..........     5,902      4,581       3,610      3,896       3,089      3,232       2,989      2,570
  Non-recurring compensation
    expense(a)........................     1,642      2,113          --         --          --         --          --         --
  Amortization of goodwill and other
    intangible
    assets............................       180        179         180        180         180        180         180        180
                                         -------    -------     -------    -------     -------    -------     -------    -------
        Total operating expenses......    14,913     13,980      10,018      9,810       9,066      8,189       7,319      7,149
Operating income......................    14,391     13,770       9,610      9,048       7,347      3,668       4,371      3,690
Other income..........................         3         20         107         --          --         --          --         --
                                         -------    -------     -------    -------     -------    -------     -------    -------
Income before taxes...................    14,394     13,790       9,717      9,048       7,347      3,668       4,371      3,690
Provision for income taxes............     4,646      5,000       3,500      3,300       2,617      1,307       1,559      1,313
                                         -------    -------     -------    -------     -------    -------     -------    -------
        Net income....................   $ 9,748    $ 8,790     $ 6,217    $ 5,748     $ 4,730    $ 2,361     $ 2,812    $ 2,377
                                         =======    =======     =======    =======     =======    =======     =======    =======
Basic net income per share............   $  0.41    $  0.38     $  0.33    $  0.30     $  0.25    $  0.12     $  0.15    $  0.13
                                         =======    =======     =======    =======     =======    =======     =======    =======
Weighted average basic shares
  outstanding.........................    23,590     23,383      18,990     18,990      18,990     18,990      18,990     18,990
                                         =======    =======     =======    =======     =======    =======     =======    =======
Diluted net income per share..........   $  0.40    $  0.37     $  0.33    $  0.30     $  0.25    $  0.12     $  0.15    $  0.13
                                         =======    =======     =======    =======     =======    =======     =======    =======
Weighted average diluted shares
  outstanding.........................    24,353     23,921      18,990     18,990      18,990     18,990      18,990     18,990
                                         =======    =======     =======    =======     =======    =======     =======    =======
</TABLE>

---------------

(a) Represents a one-time charge of $2,113 related to options granted to
    non-Cabot Microelectronics' employees at the time of our initial public
    offering and a one-time charge of $1,642 for the accelerated vesting of
    Cabot Microelectronics' employee incentive compensation and benefits at the
    time of the spin-off from Cabot.

                                       58
<PAGE>   61

                SCHEDULE II -- VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNT

     The following table sets forth activities in our allowance for doubtful
accounts:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                    BALANCE AT                             BALANCE AT
                                                    BEGINNING    CHARGES TO                  END OF
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE                                  OF YEAR      EXPENSES    DEDUCTIONS      YEAR
-------------------                                 ----------   ----------   ----------   ----------
<S>                                                 <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>
Year ended:
  September 30, 2000..............................      50          226          (43)         233
  September 30, 1999..............................      50           --           --           50
  September 30, 1998..............................      50           --           --           50
</TABLE>

     We have historically not recorded warranty claims against warranty reserves
but rather provided for them in the period in which they occurred. As such,
charges to expenses represent the net charge required to maintain an appropriate
reserve.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                    BALANCE AT                             BALANCE AT
                                                    BEGINNING    CHARGES TO                  END OF
WARRANTY RESERVES                                    OF YEAR      EXPENSES    DEDUCTIONS      YEAR
-----------------                                   ----------   ----------   ----------   ----------
<S>                                                 <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>
Year ended:
  September 30, 2000..............................     891          222          (340)        773
  September 30, 1999..............................     348          543            --         891
  September 30, 1998..............................     230          118            --         348
</TABLE>

                                       59
<PAGE>   62

                           MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY

     The accompanying financial statements were prepared by Cabot
Microelectronics in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.
Cabot Microelectronics' management is responsible for the integrity of these
statements and of the data, estimates and judgments that underlie them.

     Cabot Microelectronics maintains a system of internal accounting controls
designed to provide reasonable assurance that its assets are safeguarded from
loss or unauthorized use, that transactions are properly authorized and
recorded, and that financial records are reliable and adequate for public
reporting. The standard of reasonable assurance is based on management's
judgment that the cost of such controls should not exceed their associated
benefits. The system is monitored and evaluated on an ongoing basis by
management in conjunction with its internal audit function, independent
accountants, and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.

     The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors provides general oversight
responsibility for the financial statements. Composed entirely of Directors who
are not employees of Cabot Microelectronics, the Committee meets periodically
with Cabot Microelectronics management, internal auditors and the independent
accountants to review the quality of the financial reporting and internal
controls, as well as the results of the auditing efforts. The internal auditors
and independent accountants have full and direct access to the Audit Committee,
with and without management present.

                                                   /s/ MATTHEW NEVILLE
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                      Matthew Neville
                                                  Chief Executive Officer

                                                 /s/ WILLIAM C. MCCARTHY
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                    William C. McCarthy
                                                  Chief Financial Officer

                                                   /s/ DANIEL S. WOBBY
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                      Daniel S. Wobby
                                                Principal Accounting Officer

                                       60
<PAGE>   63

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

     Not applicable.

                                    PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

     The information required by Item 10 of Form 10-K with respect to
identification of directors is incorporated by reference from the information
contained in the section captioned "Election of Directors" in Cabot
Microelectronics' definitive Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of
Stockholders to be held March 13, 2001 (the "Proxy Statement"). For information
with respect to the executive officers of Cabot Microelectronics, see "Executive
Officers" at the end of Part I of this Form 10-K.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

     The information required by Item 11 of Form 10-K is incorporated by
reference from the information contained in the section captioned "Executive
Compensation" in the Proxy Statement.

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

     The information required by Item 12 of Form 10-K is incorporated by
reference from the information contained in the section captioned "Stock
Ownership" in the Proxy Statement.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

     The information required by Item 13 of Form 10-K is incorporated by
reference from the information contained in the section captioned "Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions" in the Proxy Statement.

ITEM 14. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K

     (a) The following Financial Statements and Financial Statement Schedule are
included in Item 8 herein:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                  PAGE
                                                                  ----
    <S>                                                           <C>
    1. Financial Statements:
                                                                    33
        Report of Independent Accountants.......................
                                                                    34
        Statements of Income for the years ended September 30,
         2000, 1999 and 1998....................................
                                                                    35
        Pro Forma Statements of Income for the years ended
         September 30, 2000 and 1999............................
                                                                    36
        Balance Sheets at September 30, 2000 and 1999...........
                                                                    37
        Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended September
         30, 2000, 1999 and 1998................................
                                                                    38
        Statement of Changes in Stockholders' Equity for the
         years ended September 30, 2000, 1999 and 1998..........
                                                                    39
        Notes to the Financial Statements.......................

                                                                    59
    2. Financial Statement Schedule: Schedule II -- Valuation
      and Qualifying Accounts...................................
</TABLE>

     3. Exhibits -- The following exhibits are filed as part of, or incorporated
     by reference into, this Report on Form 10-K:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
        EXHIBIT
         NUMBER                                  DESCRIPTION
        -------                                  -----------
<C>                      <S>
         3.1(1)          -- Certificate of Incorporation of Cabot Microelectronics
                            Corporation.
         3.2(1)          -- Amended and Restated By-Laws of Cabot Microelectronics
                            Corporation.
         3.3(1)          -- Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
                            of Cabot Microelectronics Corporation.
</TABLE>

                                       61
<PAGE>   64

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
        EXHIBIT
         NUMBER                                  DESCRIPTION
        -------                                  -----------
<C>                      <S>
         3.4(1)          -- Form of Certificate of Designation, Preferences and
                            Rights of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock.
         4.1(1)          -- Form of Cabot Microelectronics Corporation common stock
                            Certificate.
         4.2(1)          -- Rights Agreement.
         4.3(2)          -- Amendment to Rights Agreement.
        10.1(1)          -- Master Separation Agreement, between Cabot
                            Microelectronics Corporation and Cabot Corporation.
        10.2(1)          -- IPO and Distribution Agreement, between Cabot
                            Microelectronics Corporation and Cabot Corporation.
        10.3(1)          -- Tax Sharing Agreement, between Cabot Microelectronics
                            Corporation and Cabot Corporation.
        10.4(1)          -- Management Services Agreement, between Cabot
                            Microelectronics Corporation and Cabot Corporation.
        10.5(1)          -- Fumed Metal Oxide Supply Agreement, between Cabot
                            Microelectronics Corporation and Cabot Corporation.+
        10.6(1)          -- Confidential Disclosure and License Agreement, between
                            Cabot Microelectronics Corporation and Cabot Corporation.
        10.7(1)          -- Trademark License Agreement, between Cabot
                            Microelectronics Corporation and Cabot Corporation.
        10.8(1)          -- Dispersion Services Agreement, between Cabot
                            Microelectronics Corporation and Cabot Corporation.+
        10.9(1)          -- Employee Matters Agreement, between Cabot
                            Microelectronics Corporation and Cabot Corporation.
        10.10(1)         -- Registration Rights Agreement, between Cabot
                            Microelectronics Corporation and Cabot Corporation.
        10.11(1)         -- Purchase Agreement between Cabot Corporation and Intel
                            Corporation.+
        10.12(1)         -- Services Agreement by and among Davies -- Imperial
                            Coatings, Inc., Cabot Corporation, Donn Davies and JoAnn
                            Davies.+
        10.13(1)         -- Sublease for Barry, Wales facility.
        10.14            -- 2000 Equity Incentive Plan as amended September 25, 2000*
        10.15(1)         -- 2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.*
        10.16(1)         -- Revolving Credit Agreement, among Cabot Microelectronics
                            Corporation, Fleet National Bank and Fleet National Bank.
        10.17(1)         -- Credit Agreement, between Cabot Microelectronics
                            Corporation and LaSalle Bank National Association.
        10.18            -- Tax Reporting and Cooperation Agreement
        10.19            -- Services Agreement with Cabot
        10.20            -- Extension of Management Services Agreement
        10.21            -- Guarantee of Employee Loans
        10.22            -- Cabot Microelectronics Corporation 401(k) Plan*
        10.23            -- Form of Change in Control Severance Protection
                            Agreement**
</TABLE>

                                       62
<PAGE>   65

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
        EXHIBIT
         NUMBER                                  DESCRIPTION
        -------                                  -----------
<C>                      <S>
        10.24            -- General Release, Waiver and Covenant Not To Sue*
        24.1             -- Power of attorney
        27.1             -- Financial Data Schedule for the period ended September
                            30, 2000, filed herewith.
</TABLE>

---------------

(1) Filed as an exhibit to, and incorporated by reference from the Registrant's
    Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-95093) filed with the Commission
    on April 4, 2000, as amended.

(2) Filed as Exhibit 4.1 to, and incorporated by reference from the Registrant's
    Current Report on form 8-K dated October 6, 2000.

 *  Management contract, or compensatory plan or arrangement.

**  Substantially similar change in control severance protection agreements have
    been entered into with Matthew Neville, H. Carol Bernstein, Kathleen Perry,
    Daniel J. Pike, J. Michael Jenkins, Jeremy K. Jones, and Bruce M. Zwicker,
    with differences only in the amount of payments and benefits to be received
    by such persons.

+   This Exhibit has been filed separately with the Commission pursuant to an
    application for confidential treatment. The confidential portions of this
    Exhibit have been omitted and are marked by an asterisk.

     (b) Reports on Form 8-K

    Cabot Microelectronics filed the following Current Report on Form 8-K during
    the fourth quarter of fiscal 2000:

          1. In a report dated October 6, 2000, Cabot Microelectronics reported
     under Item 5. "Other Events" and Item 7. "Financial Statements and
     Exhibits" that on September 29, 2000 Cabot effected the spin-off of Cabot
     Microelectronics by distributing .280473721 shares of Cabot
     Microelectronics common stock as a dividend on each outstanding share of
     Cabot common stock outstanding on September 13, 2000, or an aggregate of
     18,989,744 shares of Cabot Microelectronics common stock. In connection
     with the spin-off, the Board of Directors of Cabot Microelectronics amended
     the company's rights plan to clarify certain of its provisions.

                                       63
<PAGE>   66

                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on
its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized:

                                            CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION

Date: December 28, 2000                            /s/ MATTHEW NEVILLE
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                      Matthew Neville
                                               President and Chief Executive
                                                     Officer, Director
                                               [Principal Executive Officer]

Date: December 28, 2000                          /s/ H. CAROL BERNSTEIN
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                     H. Carol Bernstein
                                               Vice President, Secretary and
                                                          General
                                                Counsel [Authorized Officer]

Date: December 28, 2000                          /s/ WILLIAM C. MCCARTHY
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                    William C. McCarthy
                                              Vice President, Chief Financial
                                                     Officer, Treasurer
                                                  and Assistant Secretary
                                               [Principal Financial Officer]

Date: December 28, 2000                            /s/ DANIEL S. WOBBY
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                      Daniel S. Wobby
                                                    Corporate Controller
                                               [Principal Accounting Officer]

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this
report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the
registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

Date: December 28, 2000                          /s/ KENNETT F. BURNES*
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                     Kennett F. Burnes
                                                   Chairman of the Board
                                                         [Director]

Date: December 28, 2000                           /s/ SAMUEL W. BODMAN*
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                      Samuel W. Bodman
                                                         [Director]

Date: December 28, 2000                         /s/ JUAN ENRIQUEZ-CABOT*
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                    Juan Enriquez-Cabot
                                                         [Director]

Date: December 28, 2000                         /s/ JOHN P. FRAZEE, JR.*
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                    John P. Frazee, Jr.
                                                         [Director]

                                       64
<PAGE>   67

Date: December 28, 2000                            /s/ MATTHEW NEVILLE
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                      Matthew Neville
                                                         [Director]

Date: December 28, 2000                          /s/ WILLIAM P. NOGLOWS*
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                     William P. Noglows
                                                         [Director]

Date: December 28, 2000                           /s/ RONALD L. SKATES*
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                      Ronald L. Skates
                                                         [Director]

Date: December 28, 2000                         /s/ STEVEN V. WILKINSON*
                                            ------------------------------------
                                                    Steven V. Wilkinson
                                                         [Director]
---------------

* by H. Carol Bernstein as Attorney-in-fact pursuant to the requirements of
  section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

                                       65


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