Semiconductor CMP Pad Technology Company NexPlanar Introduces New Element Line of High-Performance Pads for Defectivity Reduction

HILLSBORO, OR--(Marketwire - October 27, 2009) - NexPlanar, the semiconductor CMP pad technology company, has introduced the Element™ family of CMP pads designed to deliver high removal rates, excellent planarization and exceptionally low defectivity. NexPlanar utilized its newly developed hybrid polymer technology in concert with patented in-situ molded groove technology to produce a new line of hard and semi-hard pads that provide a level of defectivity performance not available with industry-standard products.

The new line of pads is available with various groove types and groove depths, including NexPlanar's proprietary "S-Groove" design, to provide excellent uniformity, pad life and low cost-of-ownership.

Defectivity Reduction

The Element™ line combines the removal rate and planarization benefits generally associated with hard pads with the lower defectivity levels of softer pads. Customers now sampling the Element line have confirmed the high removal rates, excellent planarization and in some cases, defectivity levels at one-tenth the levels observed on traditional hard pads.

While the pads will be typically sold in standard configurations, NexPlanar is able to modulate pad properties, such as pad hardness, pore size and pore density, to develop customized solutions for demanding applications and integration schemes, including those for emerging technologies.

"We work in a relatively conservative industry when it comes to change," commented Jim LaCasse, NexPlanar president and CEO. "However, the semiconductor industry continues to need lower defectivity and lower cost-of-ownership products in both mature and advanced manufacturing operations. We at NexPlanar are especially pleased with the response to our Element product line, which enables our customers to convert from industry standard hard pads with little or no change to their tool settings or related consumables, such as conditioner disks. As a result they can reduce their costs and improve yields with minimal expenditure of resources."

The Element pads are now available for sampling and the product line will be commercially available worldwide for a variety of applications in late Q4 2009.

About NexPlanar Corporation

NexPlanar builds the next generation of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) pads for the semiconductor device industry. NexPlanar uses proprietary "nano-domain" technology which improves planarity and across wafer uniformity and can be utilized to customize the CMP pads for specific applications. NexPlanar's "nano-lubricants" and patented molded groove technologies allow for low stress CMP (required for the most advanced CMP applications), result in an order of magnitude fewer defects, low slurry consumption processing and lower overall cost of ownership. See www.nexplanar.com.

Contact Information: Company Contact: Haluk Oran 480.539.6889 Agency Contact: Bruce Kirkpatrick Kirkpatrick Communications 925.244.9100