The brief

Analyst view

• Applied Materials supplies deposition, etch and patterning equipment to chip foundries and memory makers.
• The $5B EPIC Center in Silicon Valley is now operational with Samsung, TSMC, Intel and SK Hynix as founding members.
• Partners collaborate on atomic-scale innovations to accelerate the chip development cycle from 10-15 years.

Technical approach

As reported

Equipment

Deposition, etch and patterning

Applied makes machines that deposit and etch thin films and pattern photoresist on wafers, core steps repeated thousands of times per wafer.

Process innovation

Collaboration at EPIC

EPIC lets chipmakers and suppliers work together in real time, proving innovations faster than the traditional 10-15 year cycle.

Materials engineering

New materials for advanced nodes

As features shrink, new materials and deposition techniques are needed. EPIC develops these in partnership with chipmakers.