AKT Announces Gen-8 Flat Panel CVD System to Advance LCD-TV Manufacturing

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 18, 2005--AKT, Inc., an Applied Materials company and the world's leading supplier of PECVD(1) systems to the flat panel display (FPD) industry, announces the new AKT-50K PECVD system for manufacturing Generation-8 TFT-LCD(2) panels. Using glass substrates approximately 2160mm x 2400mm in size, this new system can process up to six 52-inch flat panel TV screens per substrate, doubling the capacity of previous Gen-7 systems for that TV screen size. AKT-50K PECVD systems have already been ordered by a leading display manufacturer for its Gen-8 factory, and are expected to be delivered in early calendar 2006.

"Sales of large size flat screen TVs have grown tremendously over the past three years, and LCD technology is rapidly displacing traditional CRTs, and now plasma screens, for many TV applications in the same way that it took over the computer monitor market," said Wendell Blonigan, vice president of Applied Materials and president of AKT. "The exceptional productivity of our new AKT-50K system can be instrumental in helping customers cut production costs, enabling them to lower LCD-TV costs to the point where they can become more affordable to consumers. Our proprietary innovations in large-area deposition technology, which we pioneered for our Gen-7 PECVD systems, give our customers compelling economic and technical advantages for Gen-8 manufacturing."

The new AKT-50K PECVD system expands on AKT's proven multi-chamber platform architecture and technology that have made the company the undisputed leader in flat panel CVD equipment for the past 12 years. With up to five process chambers, the system has a throughput of greater than 30 substrates per hour for a sequential three-layer deposition (gate-SiNx / a-Si / n+a-Si), and more than 60 substrates per hour for single-layer films, making it the fastest processing system available for this application.

Key to the system's enabling technology is the AKT-APXL(TM) PECVD process chamber design, which features proprietary technological innovations that control plasma distribution, providing exceptional film uniformity over large area (greater than 5m squared) substrates. This chamber is optimized for both dielectric films (SiNx, SiOx and SiON) and semiconducting films (a-Si and doped a-Si) using the same hardware set.

AKT, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT), is the largest supplier of PECVD products and services to the global TFT-LCD industry. AKT has consistently led the industry in bringing technical innovation, reduced cost of ownership and continuous yield improvement with its products. Applied Materials' web site is www.appliedmaterials.com).

(1) PECVD = plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

(2) TFT-LCD = thin film transistor -- liquid crystal display