Our History

1984 Novellus is founded by Brad Mattson
1985 At the SEMICON West show in San Mateo, Novellus launches the Concept One® CVD (chemical vapor deposition) system.
1986 Bob Graham is hired as President/COO on September 29.
1987 The first Concept One CVD dielectrics tool, used for putting down insulation layers on computer chips, is shipped. The Concept One features a revolutionary production architecture, Multi-station Sequential Deposition, or MSSD, that features 7 deposition stations in the chemical vapor deposition chamber. With 1/7th of the film deposited at each station, Concept One provides a film averaging effect that provides near-perfect uniformity from one wafer to another, while maintaining the very high system throughput characteristic of batch processing systems. In an increasingly competitive semiconductor manufacturing environment, the Concept One is ideally suited for depositing high quality films with the throughput required to improve productivity levels.

    In its quest to redefine productivity, Novellus pioneers new equipment industry manufacturing practices, becoming the first company to manufacture CVD process equipment in a cleanroom environment, and performing an actual deposition as part of the final test process for its equipment. These practices minimize particulate contamination during system start-up, and eliminate the need for field service personnel to make last minute adjustments in customer fabs as tools are brought up for production.


1988 Novellus goes public. The company moves from its Scott Boulevard location in Santa Clara to 3950 N. 1st Street in San Jose.
1989 The 100th Concept One system is shipped, giving Novellus a significant share of the "in-the-field" processing capability held by the "new generation" CVD systems.
1990 Novellus introduces the Concept One-W system for the chemical vapor deposition of tungsten plugs. In addition to providing the same high-quality films, high throughput, and low cost advantages of the Concept One platform, Concept One-W features several unique design features that solve particulate contamination problems that have inhibited the use of tungsten in advanced circuits up until now. Notable among these is a patented gas exclusion technique, called MOER, that precludes tungsten deposition on the backside of the wafer, eliminating a major source of yield-killing particles without the complex clamping schemes used in competing products.
1991 With the industry starting to move towards multilevel interconnect structures, Novellus introduces Concept Two®, a revolutionary new CVD/PVD platform allowing the integration of a sequence of manufacturing processes within a single system. The unique flexibility of the Concept Two's modular design allows it to be configured for specific process applications while retaining the ability to offer the particle control, performance, process performance and repeatability offered by the Concept One MSSD.
1992 More than 350 Concept One systems have been installed in fabs around the world.
1993 Rick Hill becomes Chief Executive Officer on December 4.

    The Concept Two ALTUS® for CVD tungsten deposition is introduced. ALTUS provides a path for the integration of several process steps, such as deposition of a barrier layer prior to tungsten deposition. The system also meets the factory automation requirements of the next generation of ultraclean fabrication facilities.

1994 Capitalizing on the company's reputation for tool reliability, Novellus offers the industry's first two-year warranty on all consumable and preventive maintenance parts. The warranty program allows Novellus' customers to treat routine parts and maintenance as a fixed cost of operation, rather than as an expensive variable cost.

    In July, the company celebrates the shipment of its 500th CVD system.

1995 Novellus introduces the Concept Two SEQUEL® for dielectric CVD applications. The SEQUEL combines the Concept One's proven multi-station sequential deposition architecture with advanced multi-wafer handling capabilities. In it's Dual SEQUEL configuration, the new product becomes the first tool in the industry to deliver a throughput in excess of 100 wafers per hour for thin dielectric films, a core technology for advanced memory devices.
1996 The company introduces SPEED®, the industry's first production-ready high-density-plasma (HDP) CVD solution for advanced intermetal dielectrics at 0.35 micron and below. SPEED's patented hemispherical plasma source allows for the void-free gapfill of high-quality dielectric films in high-aspect ratio device structures, while simultaneously providing industry-leading throughput and manufacturability. The new product captures a 75% market share in the emerging HDP CVD marketplace, with Novellus exceeding $100 million in SPEED system bookings.

Eschewing a space on the Moscone Convention Center show floor, Novellus puts on "Angstromania" at SEMICON West, renting an entire San Francisco city block and erecting a circus tent.
1997 Novellus acquires the Thin Film Products Division of Varian Associates, providing an entry for the company in the PVD (physical vapor deposition) metallization business for barrier deposition, and positioning Novellus to be a leader in the next wave of technology for advanced devices with feature sizes of 0.25 um and below.

     At the annual SEMICON West tradeshow, Novellus articulates its vision for the future by previewing DAMASCUS-a strategy for an integrated family of Novellus products and processes that will lead the market transition to copper interconnects.

     The company also launches its Concept 3® platform for chemical vapor deposition of dielectrics and tungsten on 300 mm wafers.

     By 1997, more than 2,000 Novellus CVD and PVD systems have been installed in fabs around the world.


1998 In April, Novellus launches the INOVA®, a next-generation PVD platform specifically designed for 0.18 micron and smaller device generations. Combining a proprietary, breakthrough Hollow Cathode Magnetron (HCM) source technology with a high productivity platform, INOVA delivers the PVD metallization technology, reliability, and cost of ownership needed to achieve production goals in the manufacturing of the most advanced devices.

     In June, the company unveils Damascus Complete Copper, a full spectrum of equipment and processes designed to deliver advanced, production-worthy copper interconnect structures for the next frontier in integrated circuit fabrication. The centerpiece of Damascus--which includes industry-leading CVD, PVD, etch, CMP, and clean technologies provided by Novellus and its Damascus Alliance partners, Lam Research and SpeedFam-IPEC-is a revolutionary new copper electrochemical deposition system called SABRE®. The SABRE system enables the void-free Electrofill™ of copper interconnects in extremely narrow geometry, high aspect ratio IC structures. With the introduction of the reliable, productive SABRE tool, copper electrofill comes out of the lab, and the industry starts the inevitable shift towards using copper electrofill widely within production environments.

     The next month, at SEMICON West, Novellus announces the signing of a licensing agreement with IBM, allowing Novellus to use IBM's copper electroplating technology in the new SABRE system.



1999 In April, Novellus introduces the SABRE xT, a second-generation copper Electrofill tool optimized for high-volume manufacturing. The xT, a 300 mm system, features variable electrical waveforms and advanced chemistry for fill of features down to the 0.10 um design rule.

    Following the SABRE xT introduction, in June Novellus introduces the CORAL® family of low-k dielectric films, deposited on the new SEQUEL Express® platform, and optimized for the copper dual damascene process down to the 0.10 um design rule. With Novellus' entry into the market, the CORAL films position the CVD approach as the preferred method for the deposition of low-k films.

    By the end of the year, the SABRE has been adopted by 8 of the top 10 semiconductor manufacturers for either copper pilot or production lines.

2000 In April, Novellus becomes the first company in the semiconductor capital equipment industry to achieve ISO14001 certification. Also this month, the SABRE and the SABRE xT pass the one million wafer pass milestone.

    In July, at SEMICON West, Novellus launches the VECTOR® PECVD system; in the words of one analyst, a "category killer" product. Designed specifically for thin films deposition in damascene processes, including CVD low-k films, VECTOR delivers twice the capital productivity of competitive systems, in two-thirds the footprint, with one-third the number of critical subassemblies.

    In October, Novellus announces an agreement to acquire Gasonics International Corporation, giving the company it's first entry into a processing area outside the deposition market space.

    In November, the company passes an historic milestone by surpassing $1 billion in revenue.


2001 May brings a couple of notable customer awards. Novellus is announced as the sole foreign recipient of Samsung Electronics "Best Supplier award for 2000. The company also receives Intel's Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement (SCQI) award for the year 2000. Novellus is the only supplier of deposition equipment in the industry to receive this award.

    On June 27th the Company opens its first office in India, a software development center in Bangalore.

2002 In the early Spring, Intel recognizes Novellus with its Preferred Quality Supplier Award, and Novellus' Tungsten business unit receives the 2001 Supplier Excellence Award from Texas Instruments

    In May, Novellus expands its engineering and manufacturing infrastructure with the official opening of its new facility in Tualatin, Oregon. The 382,000-square-foot "copper campus" is designed to produce copper metallization and damascene dielectric deposition tools.

    Also in May, Novellus ships the 100th SABRE Electrofill tool to TSMC. The delivery underscores Novellus' dominant share of the electrochemical deposition market, and further accelerates the company's lead over its nearest competitor. SABRE systems have now processed more than 20 million wafers worldwide.

    In July, the GAMMA™ 2130 photoresist removal system is introduced at SEMICON West. The 300-mm surface preparation tool delivers dramatic improvements in cost of ownership (CoO), productivity and reliability over existing market offerings, with extendibility to the 65-nm node.

    In August, Novellus announces its intent to acquire SpeedFam-IPEC in a stock swap. The acquisition will provide Novellus with an entrée into the growing market for CMP (chemical mechanical planarization) systems, and help to further position the company as the leader in advanced interconnect technology for copper damascene manufacturing.




2003 In October, Novellus announces the establishment of the Fudan-Novellus Interconnect Technology Center at Shanghai's Fudan University, commemorating the partnership in a signing ceremony attended by university officials and local dignitaries. The company donates four 200 mm systems to be used for basic research and applied learning, including a Concept One dielectric tool, a SABRE, an INOVA, and a MOMENTUM®. With the newly-acquired Novellus equipment, Fudan's success as a microelectronics center of excellence for China's growing high technology industry is further assured.

    At SEMICON Japan, the company introduces its latest SABRE system, the SABRE NExT ("Nano Era extendible technology"). The new system incorporates a number of product improvements--including an advanced single-step chemistry and a new anode cell design-targeted for the challenges of sub-90 nm feature fill. Sony is the first customer to order the new SABRE NExT for use in 45 nm development.

    By year end, the company's field service operations includes more than 700 Field Service Engineers supporting over 5900 Novellus systems worldwide.

2004 In January equipment industry veteran Dr. Sass Somekh joins Novellus as company president. Somekh most recently served as an executive vice president at Applied Materials, and brings with him a long and distinguished track record in semiconductor equipment product development.

    The company celebrates its 20th anniversary on April 11th.

    In late Spring two acquisitions are announced. The first acquisition, of Angstron Systems, provides Novellus with an atomic layer deposition technology that will extend the INOVA system below 45 nm. The second acquisition of Peter Wolters, a 200-year-old German provider of industrial polishing equipment, diversifies Novellus beyond the semiconductor capital equipment market for the first time.

    In July, Novellus launches the XCEDA® system for 300 mm copper CMP applications. In December, the ALTUS DirectFill™ system is announced for Tungsten Nitride applications, potentially opening up new market opportunities for the company.

    The 250th VECTOR system and the 100th ALTUS PNL™ (Pulsed Nucleation Layer) module are shipped.


2005 2005 is notable for the introduction of two new products, one evolutionary and the other revolutionary.

    At SEMICON West in July, the company launches the INOVA NexT, a next-generation PVD system. In the INOVA NexT, the system's Hollow Cathode Magnetron (HCM) PVD source has been extended to the 45-nm process node, and a new ion-induced atomic layer deposition (iALD™) module has been integrated onto the platform for depositing tantalum nitride barrier films in narrow line widths below 45-nm.

    In December, the company introduces SOLA™, the industry's first production-ready standalone ultra-violet thermal processing (UVTP) system for sub-90 nm dielectrics. A key enabler for a variety of advanced film applications, including transistor-level high stress nitrides (HSN) and interconnect-level low-k dielectrics, SOLA uses a combination of UV light and heat to modify the properties of deposited dielectric films, creating higher stress levels in the case of HSN films and mechanically strengthening low-k dielectrics through the removal of porogens.

2006 The company expands on its commitment to microelectronics education in China with the donation of a 200 mm chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) tool to Tsinghua University in Beijing. The orbital CMP system will enable the integration of multi-level metallization into the University's semiconductor manufacturing process flow, and will assist in furthering research and education efforts in nanoelectronics IC processing and design. In addition to the tool donation, Novellus announces that it is establishing a three-year sponsored professorship at the university.  
2007 Responding to the needs of a changing market, Novellus introduces three new versions of its VECTOR 300 mm PECVD system. The first, VECTOR Express, provides a 40% productivity advantage over competitive market offerings for the deposition of thin films of less than 1000 angstoms. The second new product, VECTOR AHM, addresses the emerging market needs for an ashable hard mask film for advanced, sub-193 nm lithography requirements. Finally, the new VECTOR Extreme system, with up to 12 deposition stations, is capable for wafer throughputs of up to 250 wafers-per-hour to address the emerging needs of DRAM memory “megafabs” with up to 100,000 wafer-starts-per-month.
2008 Novellus introduces five new products, developed for the increasingly specialized needs of the company’s memory and logic customers. For memory applications, Novellus announces an ashable hard mask version of the VECTOR Extreme PECVD platform, as well as a high-throughput ALTUS Max CVD-W system, a SPEED Max platform to extend HDP-CVD to 32 nm, and a GAMMA G400 photoresist strip system capable of 400 wafer-per-hour throughput. For logic customers, the company introduces the GAMMA GxT, a photoresist strip product developed for low silicon loss and HDIS applications in advanced devices.

The company also celebrates the 10th anniversary of the SABRE electrochemical deposition system, now installed at 9 out of the top 10 copper IC manufacturers in the world. 		 
2009 In 2009, a very challenging year for the semiconductor equipment industry, Novellus introduced a wide range of thin films and technologies targeted for high volume manufacturing at 32 nm and beyond. Among other announcements, the company unveiled its SABRE Excel system for 22 nm copper electroplating, the CoolFill™ CVD process for sub-32 nm tungsten plugs, and an HCM® IONX XL tantalum nitride PVD barrier for the 3x/2x nm memory transition from aluminum to copper interconnects. Novellus also announced that it had entered into a $20 million partnership with the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) at the University at Albany to conduct next-generation research and development in sub-22 nm semiconductor manufacturing technology. 3x nm IONX XL Ta(N) barrier