Lookinq Toward Better Times

摘要

The end of 2009 was a welcome event, because itrnbrought with it semiconductor industry optimismrnand improved outlook in the early stages of a cyclern111 characterized by rising technical complexity andrntechnology transitions.rnParticularly for KLA-Tencor, this cycle embodies increasingly challenging yield issues for our chipmaker customers, which will ultimately drive higher adoption of process control solutions. And while there is still a lot of uncertainty about the pace of economic recovery today, the industry environment continues to strengthen off the lows seen at the beginning of the year, and the landscape ahead of us today shadows familiar territory at this stage in the cycle with equipment demand primarily focused on advanced technology development.