"CD uniformity specifications are very tight at the 45nm node and below, especially for double patterning, and at least half of the variation in CD comes from the mask," said Tom St. Dennis, senior vice president and general manager of Applied Materials' Silicon Systems group. "By taking Applied's proven aerial imaging technology into the lithography cell we're enabling chipmakers to track and correct for changes in photomask quality, leading to more accurate patterning, shorter cycle times and greater mask availability."

The company stated that the key to this new lithography application is the Aera2 platform's IntenCD technology that creates high precision, high definition CDU maps from the aerial image of an entire reticle. By replacing wafer-based measurements with IntenCD maps, the time to decision shrinks from two days to as little as an hour, and accuracy improves by eliminating cumulative errors that can arise from multiple wafer processing steps. The improved uniformity data allows advanced scanners to compensate for CD variations, delivering major improvements in linewidth accuracy on product wafers and ultimately, increased yield.

Applied Materials is a provider of nanomanufacturing technology solutions with a broad portfolio of equipment, service and software products for the fabrication of semiconductor chips, flat panel displays, solar photovoltaic cells, flexible electronics and energy efficient glass.

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http://www.10meters.com

Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com

ASM International N.V., headquartered in Bilthoven, the Netherlands, and its subsidiaries design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International and its subsidiaries provide production solutions for wafer processing (Front-end segment) as well as assembly and packaging (Back-end segment) through facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's common stock trades on NASDAQ (symbol ASMI) and the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASMI's web site at www.asm.com.

# # #

Safe Harbor Statement under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: All matters discussed in this statement, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, economic conditions and trends in the semiconductor industry generally and the timing of the industry cycles specifically, currency fluctuations, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, litigation involving intellectual property, shareholder and other issues, commercial and economic disruption due to natural disasters, terrorist activity, armed conflict or political instability, epidemics and other risks indicated in the Company's filings from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Company's reports on Form 20-F and Form 6-K. The Company assumes no obligation nor intends to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future developments or circumstances.

Contacts:

Erik Kamerbeek Mary Jo Dieckhaus Investor Relations Investor Relations +31 30 229 8500 + 1 212 986 2900 Erik.Kamerbeek@asm.com Maryjo.dieckhaus@asm.com

This announcement was originally distributed by Hugin. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

SOURCE: ASM International NV

* The Dow Jones industrial average slid 4.7 percent on Wednesday, while the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and Nasdaq Composite Index both shed 5.2 percent, after the United States backed away from using its $700 billion bailout to mop up sour mortgages and added to uncertainty about how the government plans to revive bank lending.

* Intel fell 7.2 percent after the bell after the tech bellwether warned its revenue would be about 14 percent below its previous forecast due to weak demand around the globe. .

* Shares of Applied Materials Inc jumped 5.5 percent to $10.50 in extended trading on Wednesday after the company's earnings beat Wall Street estimates.

* Shares of NetApp Inc leapt 3.5 percent to $10.75 in after-hours after the company posted second-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street estimates by a penny.

* Five of the world's richest and most powerful hedge fund managers will face a U.S. Congressional panel that wants to know if the secretive industry poses risks to the financial system.

* Companies reporting later include Wal-Mart Stores, Kohls Corporation, Nordstrom and Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

* On the economic front, weekly jobless numbers, and mortgage data, are due.

(Reporting by Brian Gorman; Editing by Sharon Lindores) Keywords: MARKETS STOCKS US EUROPE

(brian.gorman@thomsonreuters.com; +44 20 7542 9128; Reuters Messaging: brian.gorman.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)

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Results diary

Stocks on the move Real-time Equity News

08:40GMT 14Nov2008-Celesio gains on Deutsche Bank upgrade

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Shares in European drug distributor Celesio rise 6 percent, one of the top gainers in Frankfurt's midcap index, after Deutsche Bank upgrades the stock to "hold" from "sell", citing a drop in the company's share price.

"We upgrade Celesio to Hold (from Sell) because the shares have undershot our price target," Deutsche Bank analysts write.

"Fundamentally, we see no reason to get excited about Celesio at this stage.

However, given potential hype around the liberalization of pharmacy markets we also see risk of aggressive share price rallies, especially as volatility is high for the stock, which trades at new five-year share price low," they add.

The company's shares came under pressure on Thursday, after it released nine-month results and cut its outlook, citing reduced opportunities to finance growth and lower sales in non-medical product.

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08:35GMT 14Nov2008-Salamander Energy bounces after update

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Shares in Salamander Energy up 15.5 percent, topping the FTSE 250 leaders board with the stock rallying after a recent volatile performance as a trading update provides some reassurance.

Oriel Securities says Salamander's interim management statement contains little new information but reaffirms that near-term production at the group growth is on track.

Another analyst points out that Salamander's share price has been "ludicrously volatile" recently, as has the sector, and the stock is simply reacting with the market rally today.

Reuters Messaging:jon.hopkins.reuters.com@reuters.net

08:37GMT 14Nov2008-European shares rally; led by miners, banks

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European shares race higher in early trade, snapping a three-day losing streak, as mining shares track higher metals prices and banks advance after recent declines.

At 0838 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares is up 2.8 percent at 876.72 points after closing 0.2 percent lower in the previous session.

Commodities stocks add most points to the index, with BHP Billiton up 4.4 percent, and Anglo American rising 9.3 percent.

Reuters Messaging rm://blaise.robinson.reuters.com@reuters.net

atul.prakash.reuters.com@reuters.net

08:34GMT 14Nov2008-Vallourec soars after results, raised targets

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Shares in Vallourec soar 11.7 percent, the biggest gainer on the CAC 40 index as the steel tube manufacturer raises its full-year targets after posting a forecast-beating 7.6 percent rise in quarterly sales.

"The very good results and the solid forecasts show the company's good resilience," CM-CIC analysts write in a note.

Vallourec stock is still down 53 percent so far this year, while the DJ Stoxx industrial index is down 49 percent year-to-date.

Reuters Messaging rm://blaise.robinson.reuters.com@reuters.net

08:23GMT 14Nov2008-ASMI shares slump 7.3 pct on deal collapse

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Shares in ASMI slump 7.3 percent after it says Applied Materials and private equity firm Francisco Partners have walked away from an approach to buy key ASMI units, underperforming a 2.6 percent gain in the Amsterdam midcap index.

"No deal, no upside," says Petercam analyst Eric de Graaf. "After a rapid weakening of the market and the results released by Applied Materials a few days

ago, the likelihood of a deal was low."

De Graaf adds the focus will now move to an Amsterdam court decision for a ruling on a push from activist shareholders Hermes and Fursa to dismiss the company management in a drawn-out dispute over ASMI's underperforming Front-end business.

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08:40GMT 14Nov2008-Miners up on metals rebound ahead of G20

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Mining shares jump as metals prices rebound ahead of a meeting of key industrial and emerging nations. Benchmark London Metal Exchange copper prices rise 4 percent on short-covering ahead of any surprises from the G20 meeting.

The DJStoxx basic resources index rises 5.2 percent, making it the strongest performer in Europe, while the UK mining index surges 6.3 percent. compared to a 3.2 percent rise for the FTSE 100.

Anglo American is the biggest gainer of the FTSE 100, shooting up 9.1 percent, while Kazakh group ENRC climbs 7.5 percent and Xstrata rises 6.9 percent.

"It is clearly too early to say that the global economy is stabilising so acquiring shares in the sector is risky -- especially for the more leveraged plays," analyst Michael Rawlinson at Liberium Capital warns.

Reuters Messaging: eric.onstad.reuters.com@reuters.net Keywords: MARKETS EUROPE STOCKSNEWS

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