Lam Research and imec Broaden Patterning and Metallization Partnership

Imec Technology Forum—BRUSSELS (Belgium)— June 4, 2014 — Coinciding with imec’s annual Technology Forum, taking place this week in Brussels, the nanoelectronics research center imec and Lam Research, a market-leading equipment supplier for semiconductor manufacturing, signed a collaborative agreement to broaden their R&D partnership. The partnership will combine Lam’s state-of-the-art tools and imec’s advanced integration capabilities to develop patterning and metallization solutions for next generation CMOS process technologies.

More than ever, equipment and material suppliers are playing a key role in collectively tackling the scaling challenges posed by today’s fast-evolving, equipment-intensive, consolidating semiconductor landscape.  Strong R&D interactions between manufacturers and suppliers at an early stage of development help to accelerate technology advancements, enabling very efficient cost sharing, minimizing risk, and optimizing the return on investment for IDMs and foundries as well as for equipment suppliers.

“Lam Research has been a strategic partner in imec’s research platform on advanced semiconductor process technologies for more than a decade. Throughout the years, Lam’s tools and processes have been indispensable in the advancement of consecutive technology nodes,” said An Steegen, senior vice president process technology at imec. “Together, Lam Research and imec will perform R&D on state-of-the-art patterning, deposition and metallization solutions for future technology generations.”

 Developing the next technology node comes with ever more complexity, and imec’s supplier hub aims at offering a neutral, open innovation R&D platform that involves suppliers more deeply and at an early stage of process step and module development. Suppliers joining imec’s supplier hub concept have the ability to assess their tools on product stacks, develop process control and hardware/software options, and integrate new materials. For imec’s partners, the increased involvement of the suppliers will ensure continued access to best-in-class infrastructure and novel materials for process step and module development on next-generation technologies.

“Lam is extremely pleased to become part of imec’s supplier hub, and work with the organization on advanced patterning R&D”, said Dr. Rick Gottscho, executive vice president of Lam’s Global Products Group.  “We believe that the combination of Lam’s process equipment expertise and imec’s in-depth knowledge of integration schemes will allow this partnership to develop the technologies needed to manufacture the chips of tomorrow.”

About imec

Imec performs world-leading research in nanoelectronics.  Imec leverages its scientific knowledge with the innovative power of its global partnerships in ICT, healthcare and energy. Imec delivers industry-relevant technology solutions. In a unique high-tech environment, its international top talent is committed to providing the building blocks for a better life in a sustainable society. Imec is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and has offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, Taiwan, US, China, India and Japan. Its staff of over 2,080 people includes more than 670 industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2013, imec's revenue (P&L) totaled 332 million euro. Further information on imec can be found at www.imec.be. Stay up to date about what’s happening at imec with the monthly imec magazine, available for tablets and smartphones (as an app for iOS and Android), or via the website www.imec.be/imecmagazine
Imec is a registered trademark for the activities of IMEC International (a legal entity set up under Belgian law as a "stichting van openbaar nut”), imec Belgium (IMEC vzw supported by the Flemish Government), imec the Netherlands (Stichting IMEC Nederland, part of Holst Centre which is supported by the Dutch Government), imec Taiwan (IMEC Taiwan Co.) and imec China (IMEC Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.) and imec India (Imec India Private Limited).

About Lam Research

Lam Research Corp. (NASDAQ:LRCX) is a trusted global supplier of innovative wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry. Lam’s broad portfolio of market-leading etch, deposition, strip, and wafer cleaning solutions help customers achieve success on the wafer by enabling device features that are 1,000 times smaller than a grain of sand, resulting in smaller, faster, and more power-efficient chips. Through collaboration, continuous innovation and delivering on commitments, Lam is transforming atomic-scale engineering and enabling our customers to shape the future of technology. Based in Fremont, Calif., Lam Research is an S&P 500® company whose common stock trades on the NASDAQ® Global Select Market™ under the symbol LRCX. For more information, please visit http://www.lamresearch.com.

Press contact

Imec: Hanne Degans, External Communications Officer, T: +32 16 28 17 69, M: +32 486 06 51 75, hanne.degans@imec.be

Lam Research: Bob Climo, Director, Media Relations and Corporate Communications, T: 001.510.572.5048, bob.climo@lamresearch.com