AURORA, Ill., Oct. 20, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cabot Microelectronics Corporation (Nasdaq:CCMP), the world's leading supplier of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) polishing slurries and growing CMP pad supplier to the semiconductor industry, today announced the launch of three new CMP polishing pads from its Epic® D100 platform that are intended to address customers' specific needs by polishing application.
The Epic® CMP polishing pads are the result of extensive research and development by Cabot Microelectronics to deliver best-in-class performance and quality at advanced technology nodes, and optimal cost of ownership. Cabot Microelectronics identified and developed a key thermoplastic technology allowing for continuous manufacturing of CMP pads. This continuous manufacturing process has attracted many customers due to its unique design that successfully reduces pad-to-pad variation. At the elevated temperatures encountered in the CMP process, thermoplastic polyurethane polymers are softer than conventional thermoset polymers. This characteristic of thermoplastic polyurethane polymers has a direct impact on customers' polishing performance as it helps improve defectivity by minimizing microscratches on customers' wafers.
Advances in semiconductor IC technology have resulted in a complex set of requirements for CMP processes that differ by IC manufacturer and IC product. As a result, Cabot Microelectronics has expanded its Epic® product portfolio to now include the following new CMP polishing pads:
- Epic® D110-CU, with an engineered surface finish optimized for the advanced copper CMP application, provides extremely short break-in time (i.e., the time needed to reach steady state performance) and excellent defectivity performance. A major customer confirmed the improvement in break-in time, while still benefiting from the improvement in defectivity of the Epic® platform.
- Epic® D120-STI has an engineered surface finish optimized for the advanced shallow trench isolation (STI) CMP application. This CMP polishing pad provides short break-in time and enhanced defectivity performance when used with ceria CMP slurries. A customer reported significant improvement in defectivity for its STI process when using the D120-STI pad.
- Epic® D150-W, with stronger top sheet/sub-pad adhesion, provides extremely long pad life and enhanced defectivity performance for tungsten CMP applications. Customers have validated three times longer pad life compared to conventional pads.
Dinesh Khanna, Cabot Microelectronics' Global Business Director for CMP Pads, stated, "We have expanded the Epic® product portfolio to respond to specific customer needs and to deliver best-in-class performance for a range of CMP polishing applications. We believe our new pad products offer customers unmatched quality, performance and optimal cost of ownership."
ABOUT CABOT MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Cabot Microelectronics Corporation, headquartered in Aurora, Illinois, is the world's leading supplier of CMP polishing slurries and growing CMP pad supplier to the semiconductor industry. The company's products play a critical role in the production of advanced semiconductor devices, enabling the manufacture of smaller, faster and more complex devices by its customers. The company's mission is to create value by developing reliable and innovative solutions, through close customer collaboration, that solve today's challenges and help enable tomorrow's technology. Since becoming an independent public company in 2000, the company has grown to approximately 925 employees on a global basis. For more information about Cabot Microelectronics Corporation, visit www.cabotcmp.com or contact Amy Ford, Director of Investor Relations at 630-499-2600.
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SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT
This news release may include statements that constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities regulations. These forward-looking statements include statements related to: future sales and operating results; company and industry growth, contraction or trends; growth or contraction of the markets in which the company participates; international events or various economic factors; product performance; the generation, protection and acquisition of intellectual property, and litigation related to such intellectual property; new product introductions; development of new products, technologies and markets; the acquisition of or investment in other entities; uses and investment of the company's cash balance; and the construction of facilities by Cabot Microelectronics Corporation. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors, including those described from time to time in Cabot Microelectronics' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described by these forward-looking statements. In particular, see "Risk Factors" in the company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 and in the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, both filed with the SEC. Cabot Microelectronics assumes no obligation to update this forward-looking information.