Applied Materials to Acquire Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates

Applied Materials announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement under which Applied will acquire Varian for $63 per share in cash for a total price of approximately $4.9 billion on a fully-diluted basis.

The acquisition will extend Applied's leadership in wafer fabrication equipment (WFE) with the addition of the technology leader in ion implantation - a critical step in integrated circuit manufacturing.

The full press release can be found at the Applied Materials Newsroom.

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Additional Information and Where to Find It

Varian intends to file with the SEC a proxy statement in connection with the proposed acquisition.  The definitive proxy statement will be sent or given to Varian stockholders and will contain important information about the proposed Merger and related matters. SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT CAREFULLY WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.  The proxy statement and other relevant materials (when they become available), and any other documents filed by Varian with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website, at www.sec.gov.  In addition, security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy statement from Varian by contacting Investor Relations by mail at Varian Semiconductor, 35 Dory Road, Gloucester, MA 01930, Attn: Investor Relations Department; or by telephone at 978-282-2000.

Participants in the Solicitation

Varian and Applied, and their respective directors and executive officers, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Varian’s stockholders in connection with the proposed acquisition.  Information about Varian’s directors and executive officers is set forth in Varian’s proxy statement for its 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders filed with the SEC on December 1, 2010, and its Form 10-K for the year ended October 1, 2010 filed on November 22, 2010.   These documents are available free of charge at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov, and from Varian by contacting Investor Relations by mail at Varian Semiconductor, 35 Dory Road,  Gloucester, MA 01930, Attn: Investor Relations Department; or by telephone at 978-282-2000, or by going to Varian’s Investor Relations page on its corporate web site at www.vsea.com.  Information about Applied’s directors and executive officers is set forth in Applied’s proxy statement for its 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders filed with the SEC on January 27, 2011, and its Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2010 filed on December 10, 2010.  These documents are available free of charge at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov, and from Applied by contacting Investor Relations by mail at Applied Materials, 3050 Bowers Avenue M/S 1261, P.O. Box 58039, Santa Clara, CA 95052-8039, Attn: Investor Relations Department, or by going to Applied’s Investor Relations page on its corporate web site at www.appliedmaterials.com.  Additional information regarding the interests of participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the acquisition will be included in the proxy statement that Varian intends to file with the SEC.