Lam Research Corporation has been a major supplier of wafer fabrication equipment and services to the worldwide semiconductor industry for nearly 30 years.  As the industry transitions from business computer-based applications to feature-rich consumer products, chipmakers are challenged to mass produce highly sophisticated devices.  To keep pace and meet demanding production requirements, semiconductor manufacturers will need to invest in highly versatile and reliable wafer fabrication equipment.  As the market leader in plasma etch and a leading supplier of single-wafer clean products, Lam Research strives to consistently deliver the technical capability and cost-effective performance our customers require.  With corporate headquarters located in Fremont, California, the Company maintains a network of facilities throughout North America, Europe, and Asia to meet the complex and changing needs of its global customer base.

Plasma etch and wafer cleaning processes are critical steps semiconductor device manufacturing and used numerous times throughout chip fabrication.  Etch processes are used to create the finely delineated features in conductive and dielectric layers.  Wafer cleaning removes residues and particles after etch or photoresist strip or to prepare a wafer surface for subsequent processing steps.  With each new technology node, the number and complexity of etch and clean steps increase significantly, providing ongoing need for innovation.