Corporate Profile

MEMC is a global leader in the manufacture & sale of wafers and related intermediate products to the semiconductor and solar industries. MEMC has been a pioneer in the design and development of wafer technologies over the past four decades. With R&D and manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia, MEMC enables the next generation of high performance semiconductor devices and solar cells.

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COMPANY STRATEGY
MEMC aims to lead the wafer industry through a combination of leading technology, market share, and profits.

BROAD PRODUCT PORTFOLIO AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PORTFOLIO
MEMC's product portfolio is currently the broadest in the company's history. Two of our more recent innovations are Magic Denuded Zone® wafer technology and defect-free crystal, both of which we have incorporated in our OPTIA™ product line. These two innovations are designed to help our customers improve the yield and capability of their semiconductor fabrication processes. MEMC holds over 500 worldwide patents on silicon products and processes and has over 350 worldwide patent applications on file, including patents on MDZ® and OPTIA™.

RICH HERITAGE
Founded in 1959, MEMC was the first merchant manufacturer of wafers and was first to produce:

• Chemical-Mechanical Polishing of Silicon: MEMC was the first to develop chemical-mechanical polishing for the semiconductor industry in 1962.
• Commercial epitaxial wafers: MEMC pioneered epi wafers for CMOS applications in 1982.
• 200mm wafers: MEMC was the first to commercialize 200mm wafers in the mid-to-late 1980s, in partnership with IBM.
• Granular Polysilicon: MEMC developed the first process using granular polysilicon in 1991.
• Magic Denuded Zone® (MDZ®): MEMC developed this breakthrough thermal processing technique in the mid-1990s and was granted the first patent on this technology in 1999.
• Defect-free silicon: MEMC developed the world's first 100% defect-free silicon wafer in the mid-1990s and was granted the first patent on this technology in 1999. This is now marketed as the OPTIA™ product line.