Applied Materials and SCREEN Join Forces on Advanced Wafer Cleaning at EPIC Center

May 27, 2026 - 03:41

Applied Materials has announced a new partnership with SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions to bring advanced wafer cleaning technologies to its EPIC Center in Silicon Valley. The collaboration aims to improve chip yields and speed up the path to commercial production for next-generation semiconductors.

The two companies are deepening a long-standing joint development relationship. Their work together will focus on solving tough process challenges that come with making leading-edge chips. By combining Applied Materials' expertise in materials engineering with SCREEN's cleaning technology, the partnership hopes to tackle issues that arise during advanced chip manufacturing.

Wafer cleaning is a critical step in semiconductor production. Even tiny particles or residues can ruin a chip's performance. As chip designs get smaller and more complex, cleaning becomes harder and more important. The new setup at the EPIC Center will allow engineers to test and refine cleaning processes in a real-world manufacturing environment.

This announcement comes from Santa Clara, California, where Applied Materials is headquartered. The company is known as a leader in materials engineering solutions for the semiconductor industry. SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions brings deep experience in cleaning equipment and process technology.

The collaboration is expected to help chipmakers bring new products to market faster. By working together early in the development cycle, both companies hope to reduce the time it takes to solve manufacturing problems. That could mean quicker adoption of new chip designs and better performance for end users.

For the semiconductor industry, partnerships like this one are becoming more common. As manufacturing challenges grow, companies find they need to share expertise to keep pushing technology forward.