ASML, KLA-Tencor, Novellus, Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TEL) and others are also expected to receive tool orders at Taiwan's Inotera, said analyst Steven Pelayo, a semiconductor equipment analyst at Morgan Stanley here.

But chip-equipment giant Applied will apparently received the first orders from Inotera, he said. "ASML will get some orders. Novellus and KLA-Tencor will get some, and, of course, TEL,"

Last year, Germany's Infineon and Taiwanese DRAM maker Nanya signed off on a long expected agreement to create a 50:50 joint-venture for the production of DRAMs. The Taiwan-based, 300-mm production joint venture is called Inotera Memories.

Inotera represents one of several companies adding new fab capacity in the second half of 2003, Pelayo said. "This confirms that second half bookings are a reality," he added.

"The Inotera orders will likely book in the September quarter for the rest of the industry," according to the report from Morgan Stanley. "Additionally, we continue to believe that Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, TSMC, SMIC and Intel are all potential bookers in 2H03."

One of the first benefactors is Applied Materials, which received the order from Inotera this week, the report said. "We believe the order is in excess of $100 million, and although the company will not likely recognize all of the order in the July quarter, we are more confident now that the company meets its F3Q03 [July] flat order guidance from $971 million in F2Q03," the report said.

"This order also provides wind in the sail for F4Q03. We believe bookings guidance will likely be up at least 10 percent sequentially, but Applied can probably do even better, likely up 15-20 percent sequentially in F4Q03," it added.

By: DocMemory
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