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EXHIBIT 99.1
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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For Further Information Contact:
Ray Christie
Phone: (510) 668-2200 or
Email: [email protected]
Therma-Wave Signs Strategic Agreement with Applied Materials
FREMONT, Calif., July 25, 2000 -- Therma-Wave, Inc., (Nasdaq: TWAV) a leading
supplier of process control metrology systems, today announced the signing of a
strategic agreement with Applied Materials, Inc., the world's leading supplier
of wafer fabrication solutions to the semiconductor industry. Under the
agreement, Therma-Wave will develop and supply advanced metrology solutions for
integration with Applied Materials' process systems and modules.
"We are continuously working to provide our customers with innovative
capabilities that can increase the efficiency of their chipmaking operations
while also minimizing costs," said Dr. Jaim Nulman, vice president and general
manager of Applied Materials' Factory Efficiency Technologies Group. "Combining
Therma-Wave's innovative metrology capabilities with our advanced equipment and
Process Module(TM) technologies should enable us to improve process performance
and increase system productivity to meet our customers' next-generation
manufacturing requirements."
Applied Materials is bringing a new line of process control options to its
customers by integrating metrology and inspection tools directly with its
process equipment. In addition to increasing the availability of its systems in
the manufacturing environment, these capabilities provide a way for chipmakers
to minimize risk and improve factory economics.
"We are very excited to be working with Applied Materials, the leading equipment
supplier to the semiconductor industry," said Martin Schwartz, president and CEO
of Therma-Wave. "This agreement allows Therma-Wave to make an important
contribution to Applied Materials' strategy for improving the efficiency of the
chip manufacturing process."
Since 1982, Therma-Wave, Inc. has been revolutionizing process control metrology
systems through innovative, proprietary products and technologies. The company
is a worldwide leader in the development, manufacture, marketing and service of
process control metrology systems
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used in the manufacture of semiconductors. Therma-Wave currently offers leading
edge products to the semiconductor manufacturing industry for the measurement of
transparent, semi-transparent, and opaque thin films, for the monitoring of ion
implantation, and for the integration of metrology into semiconductor processing
systems. For further information about Therma-Wave, Inc., access web site:
www.thermawave.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, particularly as they
apply to possible future business and market situations, as that term is defined
in the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995 which are subject to known and
unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements
are based on current expectations. Such statements are subject to risks,
uncertainties, and changes in condition and other risks some of which are
detailed in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including specifically Exhibit 99.1 to Therma-Wave's annual report on Form 10-K
for the year ended March 31, 2000 and Applied Materials' quarterly report on
Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 2000. Therma-Wave and Applied
Materials undertake no obligation to update the information in this press
release.
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