Trikon (NASDAQ:TRKN)
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Four-Market Focus Begins to Pay Dividends for Trikon Technologies
NEWPORT, Wales, July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Executives from Trikon
Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRKN) confirmed today that the company remains
committed to its four-market focus, which has already shown progress.
Trikon management reiterated the company's strategic direction originally
disclosed in March 2005, saying it has aligned its business strategy to focus
efforts on production wafer processing tools specialized in the following four
areas:
* "Mainstream silicon" and power IC fabrication;
* Memory IC fabrication, including new non-volatile approaches, such
as magnetic memory (MRAM);
* Communications IC fabrication, particularly III-V based high-speed
ICs and bulk acoustic wave (BAW) devices; and
* Emerging technologies used for fabricating MEMS and wafer level
packages.
Mainstream Silicon and Power ICs
"Mainstream silicon" production involves proven technology nodes that can be
ramped quickly to profitable production with little development and pilot-
lining. Trikon's expertise in this area is demonstrated in its proven line of
cost-effective, high-reliability process tools for deposition and etch.
"Here, we address the needs of manufacturers of cost-sensitive semiconductors
who are not best served by equipment suppliers focused on the leading
technology nodes," said Dr. John Macneil, President and CEO of Trikon. "Our
focus provides us with a significant market opportunity and addresses a
critical market need by delivering proven 200-mm deposition and plasma etch
technologies necessary in order for 'workhorse' fabs to expand or enhance their
productivity."
Trikon has also invested considerable resources into power IC fabrication
technology, and now has achieved a leading market position with its Omega
trench etcher and Sigma fxP PVD tool for front and backside metal deposition.
According to industry research firm, iSuppli, the market for power management
ICs grew 24 percent in 2004 and is forecasted to grow at an annual rate of
approximately 13 percent through 2008. "This is faster than the total
semiconductor market because of the broad exposure of power products to all
segments of the market," said Dr. Macneil. "For example, the rise in battery
powered devices is a significant factor in power IC growth. Consumers want
added functionality on their phones, PDAs, music players and other portable
devices, but will not accept a shorter battery life."
Memory ICs
Trikon's technology and business hook into the leading edge of semiconductor
DRAM and Flash memory manufacturing is with its exclusive dielectric gap-fill
solutions: Flowfill(R) and Low-k Flowfill(R) technologies for pre-metal
dielectric (PMD), shallow trench isolation (STI) and inter-metal dielectric
(IMD) applications. Trikon's flowable oxide technologies for sub 65-nm memory
fabrication are being evaluated by fabs looking for leading-edge solutions
needed for the next technology nodes. "Recent data from these evaluations have
shown a 15-20 percent reduction in capacitance with comparable yields using our
Low-k Flowfill in place of conventional films on 90 nm generation devices,"
said Dr. Macneil. "We are also on our way towards the goal of introducing
Flowfill to the 65 nm and smaller nodes where competing approaches are known to
struggle."
Communications IC Fabrication
Trikon's proven process technologies have some decided advantages for the
fabrication of BAW devices, including meeting demanding film-deposition
uniformity requirements in this niche. Trikon believes it is the leading metal
deposition supplier to this market, and continues to invest in the technology
required to maintain that lead.
According to data from Prismark Partners, 2.3 billion frequency filters were
used in mobile phones in 2004, with less than 3 percent BAW based. However,
analysts expect a significant portion of mobile phone makers to migrate to BAW
due to the advantages of BAW over Surface Acoustic Wave devices (SAW), the main
filter technology used now. The main advantages of BAW over SAW include:
* a 33% reduction of filter-chip footprint and a 50% reduction in
height
* ease of fabrication for higher frequencies;
* reduced sensitivity to surface contamination and
* the ability to handle higher power.
"Very recently, our expertise in Aluminum Nitride (or AlN) films for BAW has
opened up a new opportunity in the Thin Film Head market. Under the right
conditions, AlN has excellent thermal conductivity properties and when
deposited under and over the head, dissipates heat far more effectively than
traditional coating materials," said Dr. Macneil. "Head drives are appearing
in a variety of consumer devices such as mobile phones and music players, which
require a greater temperature tolerance than PCs. If the head gets too hot, it
will expand and potentially crash into the disk - our AlN films can reduce
expansion by up to 50%. In May we shipped a Sigma fxP tool to a leading head
maker and are engaged with a number of well-known names in the field. The head
market is expanding quickly and we intend to capitalize on our expertise."
Emerging Technologies: SiPs and MEMS
Trikon's advanced deep-silicon etch technology is directly applicable to
system-in-package (SiP) and MEMS manufacturing. Trikon's etch, dielectric and
metal deposition processes address the requirements by manufacturers in this
rapidly growing sector. "Trikon is continuing to fund R&D and is actively
looking for additional funding from the UK and European government initiatives
for etch and deposition in these two areas," said Dr. Macneil.
Trikon's Direction
"The conclusion from our business operations today is that our technology,
direction and overall vision are realistic, attainable and gaining traction,"
said Dr. Macneil. "We are seeing significant opportunities within our four
segments, with recent wins in the Power and BAW markets. Flowfill continues to
make inroads into leading fabs that are seeing weaknesses in their traditional
approaches. Combined with new opportunities in the emerging areas of MEMS, WLP
and more recently head drives, we are confident that our four- pronged strategy
matches our strengths, will deliver growth and will help soften the industry
cycles."
About Trikon Technologies
Trikon Technologies is a leading provider of wafer fabrication equipment and
services to the global semiconductor industry. Trikon develops and manufactures
advanced capital equipment for plasma etching and chemical and physical vapor
deposition (CVD and PVD) of thin films for use in the production of
semiconductor, MEMS and similar devices. These are key components in most
advanced electronic products, such as telecommunication devices, consumer and
industrial electronics and computers. More information is available at:
http://www.trikon.com/.
"Safe Harbor" Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, which include,
without limitation, statements in this news release and comments by Dr. Macneil
about Trikon's strategic focus and business strategy, market opportunities in
the semiconductor industry, Trikon's ability to meet the needs of
manufacturers, growth in the market for power management, BAW and Thin Film
Head devices, Trikon's introduction of new solutions and products, and the
ability of Trikon to attract additional funding from the UK and European
governments. The forward-looking statements in this press release are subject
to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially, including, but not limited to, demand for Trikon's products and
services, possible changes in the company's strategy, and the unpredictable and
cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and the power management market.
These factors are not intended to represent a complete list of all risks and
uncertainties inherent in the Company's business and the market for power
semiconductor products, and should be read in conjunction with the more
detailed cautionary statements included in the Company's SEC reports,
including, without limitation, its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. We assume no obligation
to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
DATASOURCE: Trikon Technologies, Inc.
CONTACT: Katrina Bomont, Marketing Publicity Manager of Trikon
Technologies, +44 (0) 1633 414030, or ; or media,
Stew Chalmers of PR Company Inc., +1-818-980-3762; or US IR, Kevin Kirkeby of
The Global Consulting Group, +1-646-284-9416, or
Web site: http://www.trikon.com/