OEM Group Buys ‘Legends’ Tools From Applied

The OEM Group has acquired the “Legacy” tools from Applied Materials, bringing the Eclipse PVD system and AGHeatpulse RTP tool into its fold. Applied had acquired the tools as part of its 2004 Metron Technology Inc. acquisition.

David Lammers, News Editor -- Semiconductor International, 7/16/2008 8:00:00 AM

The OEM Group (Phoenix) announced at SEMICON West that it has acquired the “Legacy” tools from Applied Materials Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.), bringing the Eclipse physical vapor deposition (PVD) system and AGHeatpulse rapid thermal processing (RTP) tool into its fold. Applied had acquired the tools as part of its 2004 Metron Technology Inc. acquisition, keeping the “Legends” name that Metron had used.

To date, the OEM Group has worked in the refurbished equipment; spares and consumables; and pumps, cryogenics and POV abatement fields. With the Legacy tools, the company will have the opportunity to make new copies of the tools should established customers seek to add to their existing PVD and RTP systems, said OEM President Wayne Jeveli.

“We will be supporting the 1000 systems that are out there in the market and providing brand new systems if the customers want to buy more,” Jeveli said, adding that OEMs will be updating the tools’ designs to improve their performance. The acquisition adds 25 people and the Applied manufacturing facility for the two tools in Gilbert, Ariz., located nearby the OEM facility.

Tom Stepien, vice president of Applied’s refurbished tools business unit, said, “The Legends tools were not really core to our overall manufacturing strategy. As we tried to determine who a new owner might be, we came in contact with the OEM people who were right down the street from our Gilbert facility. The location minimized the disruption for our employees.”

Stepien said the divestment will allow Applied to concentrate on servicing the market for Applied’s own tools, including refurbished Endura PVD and RTP systems. He said the Eclipse and AGHeatpulse systems remain in demand. “There are some major semiconductor manufacturers who have an installed base of Eclipse machines. Maybe they have 10 Eclipse tools in their fabs and need an 11th,” he said.

Paul Strong, product manager for the Eclipse PVD systems, said there are ~400 Eclipse systems in production in fabs around the world, and the small footprint of the tool makes it attractive to MEMS, LEDs and other emerging markets.

Don Whiteside, product manager for the AGHeatpulse RTP, said the system can produce 75 and 200 mm substrates, and is “a perfect fit for the emerging MEMs, photovoltaics and GaAs markets, as well as the established silicon markets."