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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(MARK ONE)

[X] ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended June 27, 2004

OR

[   ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM                     TO                    

Commission file number 0-12933

LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
     
Delaware   94-2634797
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)   (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

4650 Cushing Parkway
Fremont, California 94538

(Address of Principal Executive Offices including Zip Code)
(510) 572-0200
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Common Stock, Par Value $0.001 Per Share
(Title of Class)

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [X] No [   ]

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K, or any amendment to this Form 10-K. [   ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes [X] No [   ]

The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s Common Stock, $0.001 par value, held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, as of December 28, 2003, the last business day of the second fiscal quarter was $2,833,407,363. Common Stock held by each officer and director and by each person who owns 5% or more of the outstanding Common Stock has been excluded from this computation in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination of such status for other purposes.

As of August 29, 2004, the Registrant had 135,517,692 outstanding shares of Common Stock.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Parts of Registrant’s Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on November 4, 2004 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K Report. (The Report of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and the Comparative Stock Performance graph of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement are expressly not incorporated by reference herein.)

 


LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION
2004 ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

TABLE OF CONTENTS

             
        Page
           
  Business     2  
  Properties     10  
  Legal Proceedings     10  
  Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders     10  
           
  Market for the Registrant’s Common Stock and Related Stockholder Matters     10  
  Selected Consolidated Financial Data     11  
  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations     15  
  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk     41  
  Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data     42  
  Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure     42  
  Controls and Procedures     42  
           
  Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant     42  
  Executive Compensation     42  
  Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters     42  
  Certain Relationships and Related Transactions     42  
  Principal Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees and Services     43  
           
  Exhibits, Consolidated Financial Statement Schedules, and Reports on Form 8-K     44  
    78  
    80  
 EXHIBIT 10.97
 EXHIBIT 10.98
 EXHIBIT 10.99
 EXHIBIT 21
 EXHIBIT 23.1
 EXHIBIT 31.1
 EXHIBIT 31.2
 EXHIBIT 32.1
 EXHIBIT 32.2

 


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PART I

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     With the exception of historical facts, the statements contained in this discussion are forward-looking statements, which are subject to the Safe Harbor provisions created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that relate to our future revenue, changing customer requirements, product development, demand, acceptance and market share, competitiveness, gross margins, levels of research and development (R&D), outsourcing plans and operating expenses, our management’s plans and objectives for our current and future operations, the effects of our restructurings and consolidation of operations and facilities, our ability to complete contemplated restructurings or consolidations on time or within anticipated costs, the levels of customer spending or R&D activities, general economic conditions, and the sufficiency of financial resources to support future operations and capital expenditures. Such statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in condition, significance, value and effect, including those discussed below and under the heading “Risk Factors” within the section of this report entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and other documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission such as our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and our current reports on Form 8-K. Such risks, uncertainties and changes in condition, significance, value and effect could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed herein and in ways not readily foreseeable. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof and of information currently and reasonably known. We undertake no obligation to release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements which may be made to reflect events or circumstances which occur after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence or effect of anticipated or unanticipated events. All references to fiscal years apply to our fiscal years, which ended June 27, 2004, June 29, 2003, and June 30, 2002.

Item 1. Business

     Lam Research Corporation (Lam or the Company), a Delaware corporation, was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Fremont, California. The mailing address for our principal executive offices is 4650 Cushing Parkway, Fremont, California 94538, and our telephone number is (510) 572-0200. Additional information about Lam is available on our web site at http://www.lamrc.com. Our Forms 10-K, Forms 10-Q, and Forms 8-K are available online at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) web site on the Internet. The address of that site is http://www.sec.gov. We also make available free of charge the Forms 10-K, Forms 10-Q, and Forms 8-K and any amendments to those reports on our corporate web site at http://www.lamrc.com as soon as reasonably possible after we file them with or furnish them to the SEC.

     We design, manufacture, market, and service semiconductor processing equipment used in the fabrication of integrated circuits and are recognized as a major supplier of such equipment to the worldwide semiconductor industry. Semiconductor wafers are subjected to a complex series of process steps that result in the simultaneous creation of many individual integrated circuits. Our products selectively remove portions of various films from the wafer to create semiconductors. We leverage our expertise in these areas to develop intellectual property (IP) for integrated processing solutions.

     Etch processes, which are repeated numerous times during the wafer fabrication cycle, are required to manufacture every type of semiconductor device produced today. To etch devices designed at current and future technology nodes, our etch systems employ Lam’s TCP™ high density and Dual Frequency Confined™ (DFC™) medium density plasma sources.

     In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, we decided to cease further investment in chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) systems development. This decision was based on the conclusion that the product did not demonstrate sufficient advantages to garner the market share necessary for adequate returns on further investment.

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Etch Process

     The etch process defines linewidths and other microscopic and sub-microscopic features on integrated circuits. Plasma etching was developed to meet the demand for device geometries smaller than 3 microns. Plasma consists of charged and neutral species that react with exposed portions of the wafer surface to remove dielectric, metal, or polysilicon material and produce the finely delineated features and patterns of an integrated circuit.

     Advanced integrated circuit manufacturing requires etch systems capable of creating 130/110 nm features for current-generation products and below 110 nm for future semiconductor products. At this time, the technology node transition accompanies a conversion from aluminum to copper conductive lines to enhance device speeds and the implementation of more fragile insulating dielectric materials (low k and porous low k). In addition to these changes, advanced manufacturing facilities are now producing integrated circuits on 300 mm (12 inch) silicon wafers while other facilities use wafer diameters of 200 mm (8 inch) and smaller. Semiconductor manufacturers will continue to require more precise control over the etching process in order to accommodate these decreasing linewidths and increasing wafer diameters. One clear focus for the differentiation of Lam’s products and services from those of our competitors will be the extent to which we can meet these changing process control requirements.

     Our etch products and services are defined around the Alliance® and 2300™ Etch Series platforms.

Dielectric Etch Products

     Exelan®, Exelan High Performance, Exelan HPT, and 2300 Exelan Systems. The Exelan family of products utilizes Lam’s patented DFC technology to create smaller feature sizes and mixes sequential etch process steps in the same chamber. These integrated capabilities developed by Lam improve productivity and lower the cost of ownership for our customers. Exelan was introduced in July 1999 to define the structures required for manufacturing copper conductive lines in semiconductors utilizing traditional insulating dielectric films. Exelan High Performance, introduced in 2001, extends Exelan’s capabilities for etching newer low k insulating dielectric films. Exelan HPT, introduced early in 2002, targets sub-130 nm geometries. The 2300 Exelan family of products addresses process requirements to sub-65 nm for 200 mm and 300 mm wafer sizes.

Conductor Etch Products

     TCP® 9400 and TCP® 9600 Series and 2300 Versys® Series Systems. The first TCP products were introduced in late 1992. They use Lam’s patented Transformer Coupled Plasma™ source technology, a high-density, low-pressure plasma source that can etch features well below 110 nm. For 200 mm wafer sizes, we offer the TCP® 9400PTX and TCP® 9400DFM for silicon etch applications and the TCP® 9600PTX and TCP® 9600DFM for metal etch applications. These systems are used in the production of a broad range of advanced logic and memory devices with feature sizes down to 130/110 nm.

     The 2300 Versys system for etching silicon and metal films employs a scaled design of TCP technology to address leading-edge device structure requirements. The 2300 Versys system has the capability to process 200 or 300 mm wafer sizes. The 2300 Versys Star™ silicon etch system enables sequential step tuning of gas flow and wafer temperature, which provides the critical dimension uniformity required for sub-65 nm geometries.

     Lam 2300 compatible process chambers can be converted within our customers’ facilities from 200 mm to 300 mm, which has the advantage of providing customers with greater flexibility and lower costs. This capability, combined with an overall system footprint comparable to 200 mm systems, allows semiconductor manufacturers to develop integrated circuits using 200 mm wafers instead of expensive 300 mm wafers and later scale up to 300 mm wafer processing.

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Clean Products

     Synergy cleaning products. Synergy products combine DSS™ technology and Chemical Mechanical Cleaning™ (CMC™) technology to perform mechanical and chemical cleaning in a single-step process. The Synergy Integra™ incorporates Synergy’s cleaning technology with a platform that can be integrated with other suppliers’ CMP systems. Certain integrated systems in the industry are the result of development relationships between Lam and CMP suppliers. The Synergy standalone clean system is used to clean wafers both before and after a range of semiconductor processing steps.

     2300, Chemical Mechanical Cleaning, CMC, DFC, Dual Frequency Confined, Synergy, Synergy Integra, TCP, Transformer Coupled Plasma, and Versys Star are trademarks of Lam Research Corporation. Alliance, DSS, Exelan, the Lam logo, Lam Research, TCP® 9400, TCP® 9400DFM, TCP® 9400PTX, TCP® 9600, TCP® 9600DFM, TCP® 9600PTX, and Versys are registered trademarks of Lam Research Corporation.

Research and Development

     The market for semiconductor capital equipment is characterized by rapid technological change and product innovation. Our ability to maintain competitive advantage depends in part on our continued and timely development of new products and enhancements to existing products. Accordingly, we devote a significant portion of our personnel and financial resources to R&D programs and seek to maintain close and responsive relationships with our customers and suppliers.

     Our R&D expenses during fiscal 2004, 2003, and 2002 were $170.5 million, $160.5 million, and $179.2 million, or 18.2%, 21.3%, and 19.0% of total revenue, respectively. Expenditures are targeted at continued development of advanced etch applications and enhancements to our existing products, including developing the technology necessary to support our customers’ transition to smaller feature sizes, new insulating materials, copper-based devices, and 300-mm wafers.

     We expect to continue to make substantial investments in R&D to meet our customers’ product needs and enhance our competitive position.

Marketing, Sales, and Service

     Our marketing and sales efforts are focused on building long-term relationships with our customers. These efforts are supported by a team of product marketing and sales professionals as well as equipment and process engineers that work closely with individual customers to develop solutions to their processing needs. We maintain ongoing support relationships with our customers and have an extensive network of field service personnel in place throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and Asia Pacific. We believe that comprehensive support programs and close working relationships with customers are essential to maintaining high customer satisfaction and our competitiveness in the marketplace. We have 37 sales and support locations around the world, through which technical personnel sell and/or service our products.

     We offer standard warranties for our systems that generally run for a period of 12 months from system acceptance, not to exceed 14 months from shipment of the system to the customer. The warranty provides that systems shall be free from defects in material and workmanship and conform to our published specifications. The warranty is limited to repair of the defect or replacement with new or like-new equivalent goods and is valid when the buyer provides prompt notification within the warranty period of the claimed defect or non-conformity and also makes the items available for inspection and repair. We also make extended warranty packages available for our customers to purchase as desired.

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Export Sales

     A significant portion of our sales and operations occur outside the United States and, therefore, may be subject to certain risks, including tariffs and other barriers, difficulties in staffing and managing non-U.S. operations, adverse tax consequences, exchange rate fluctuations, and difficulties in accounts receivable collection. There can be no assurance that any of these factors will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, and results of operations and cash flows.

Customers

     Our customers include many of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers. Increasingly, customers have established joint ventures, alliances and technology licensing arrangements, which has potential to positively and negatively impact our competitive position. In fiscal year 2004, revenues, on a standalone basis, from ST Microelectronics accounted for approximately 15% of total revenues, and, in fiscal year 2003, revenues from Samsung Electronics Company, Ltd., accounted for approximately 15% of total revenues. No individual customer accounted for more than 10% of our total revenue in fiscal 2002.

     A material reduction in orders from our customers in the semiconductor industry could adversely affect our results of operations and projected financial condition. Our business depends upon the expenditures of semiconductor manufacturers, which in turn depend on the current and anticipated market demand for integrated circuits and the availability of equipment capacity to support that demand.

Backlog

     Company unshipped orders backlog, at any point in time, includes orders for systems, spares, and services where written customer requests have been accepted and the delivery of products or provision of services is anticipated within the next 12 months. Our policy is to make adjustments to our backlog to reflect, among other things, customer delivery date changes as well as order cancellations. We schedule production of our systems based upon purchase orders in backlog and our customers’ delivery requirements. Included in our systems backlog are orders for which written requests have been accepted, prices have been agreed upon, and shipment of systems is expected within one year. The spares and services backlog includes customer orders for products that have not yet shipped and for services that have not yet been provided. Where specific spare parts and customer service purchase contracts do not contain discrete delivery dates, we use volume estimates at the contract price and over the contract period, not exceeding 12 months, in calculating backlog amounts.

     As of June 27, 2004 and June 29, 2003, our backlog was approximately $403 million and $239 million, respectively. Generally, orders for our products and services are subject to cancellation by our customers with limited penalties. Because some orders are received for shipments in the same quarter and due to possible customer changes in delivery dates and cancellations of orders, our backlog at any particular date is not necessarily indicative of business volumes or actual revenue levels for succeeding periods.

Manufacturing

     Our manufacturing operations consist mainly of assembling and testing components, sub-assemblies, and modules that are then integrated into finished systems prior to shipment to our customers. Most of the assembly and testing of our products is conducted in cleanroom environments.

     Starting in fiscal 2002, we entered into agreements with third parties to outsource certain elements of our manufacturing, production warehousing, and logistics functions. We continue to believe that entering into these outsourcing contracts provides us more flexibility to scale our operations up or down in a more timely and cost effective manner, enabling us to respond to the cyclical nature of our business. We believe that we have selected reputable providers and are securing their performance on terms documented in written contracts. However, it is possible that one or more of these providers could fail to perform as we expect, and such failure could have an adverse impact on our business. In addition, the expanded role of outsource providers has required us to implement changes to our existing supply chain management functions, including the adoption of new procedures to effectively manage performance risk. We believe that we have implemented adequate oversight procedures. Even so, any delay or failure in the implementation of our operational changes could adversely affect our customer relationships and

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have a negative effect on our operating results and financial condition. Refer to Note 15 of our Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8 herein, for further information concerning our outsourcing commitments.

     As is often the case in the high technology industry, due to limited availability of suppliers of certain proprietary or patented technologies, a minority of the components and subassemblies included in our products are only obtained from a single supplier. We believe that, in many cases, alternative sources could be obtained and qualified to supply these products. Nevertheless, a prolonged inability to obtain certain components could have an adverse short-term effect on our operating results and could unfavorably impact our customer relationships.

Environmental Matters

     We are subject to a variety of governmental regulations related to the management of hazardous materials. We are currently not aware of any pending notices of violation, fines, lawsuits, or investigations arising from environmental matters that would have any material effect on our business. We believe that we are in general compliance with these regulations and that we have obtained (or will obtain or are otherwise addressing) all necessary environmental permits to conduct our business. Nevertheless, the failure to comply with present or future regulations could result in fines being imposed on us, suspension of production, and cessation of our operations or reduction in our customers’ acceptance of our products. These regulations could require us to alter our current operations, to acquire significant equipment, or to incur substantial other expenses to comply with environmental regulations. Our failure to control the use, sale, transport or disposal of hazardous substances could subject us to future liabilities.

Employees

     As of August 29, 2004, we had approximately 2,200 regular full-time employees.

     Each of our employees signs an agreement to maintain the confidentiality of our proprietary information, and most of our employees have Lam stock or stock option arrangements with us that generally provide for the vesting of their options over multiple years.

     In the semiconductor and semiconductor equipment industries, competition for highly skilled employees is intense. Our future success depends to a significant extent upon our continued ability to attract and retain qualified employees, particularly in the R&D and customer support functions. We continue to believe that the ability to offer compensation in the form of stock options or similar plans is an important component of our employee retention programs.

Competition

     The semiconductor capital equipment industry is characterized by rapid change and is highly competitive throughout the world. In order to compete effectively, we must invest significant financial resources to continue to strengthen and enhance our product and services portfolio and to maintain customer service and support locations globally. Semiconductor manufacturers evaluate capital equipment suppliers in many areas, including, but not limited to, process performance, productivity, customer support, defect control, and overall cost of ownership, which can be affected by many factors such as equipment design, reliability, software automation, etc. Our ability to succeed in the marketplace will depend upon our ability to introduce product enhancements and new products on a timely basis. In addition, semiconductor manufacturers must make a substantial investment to qualify and integrate new capital equipment into a semiconductor production line. As a result, once a semiconductor manufacturer has selected a particular supplier’s equipment and qualified it for production, the manufacturer generally maintains that selection for that specific production application. Accordingly, we may experience difficulty in selling to a given customer if that customer has qualified a competitor’s equipment.

     We face significant competition with all of our products. Certain of our existing and potential competitors have substantially greater financial resources and more extensive engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and customer service and support organizations. We expect our competitors to continue to improve the design and performance of their current products and processes and to introduce new products and processes with enhanced price performance characteristics. If our competitors make acquisitions or enter into strategic relationships with leading semiconductor manufacturers covering etch or products similar to those we sell, our ability to sell our products to those customers

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could be adversely affected. There can be no assurance that we will continue to compete successfully in the future. Our primary competitors in the etch market are Tokyo Electron Limited and Applied Materials Inc.

Patents and Licenses

     Our policy is to seek patents on inventions relating to new or enhanced products and processes developed as part of our ongoing research, engineering, manufacturing, and support activities. We currently hold a number of United States and foreign patents covering various aspects of our products and processes. We believe that the duration of our patents generally exceeds the useful life of the technologies and processes disclosed and claimed therein. Our patents, which cover material aspects of our past and present core products, have current durations ranging from approximately 5 to 17 years. We believe that, although the patents we own and may obtain in the future will be of value, they will not alone determine our success, which depends principally upon our engineering, marketing, support, and delivery skills. However, in the absence of patent protection, we may be vulnerable to competitors who attempt to imitate our products, manufacturing techniques, and processes. In addition, other companies and inventors may receive patents that contain claims applicable or similar to our products and processes. The sale of products covered by patents of others could require licenses that may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all.

     From time to time, we have received notices from third parties alleging infringement of such parties’ patent or other intellectual property rights by our products. In such cases, it is our policy to defend the claims, or if considered appropriate, negotiate licenses on commercially reasonable terms. However, no assurance can be given that we will be able, in the future, to negotiate necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or that any litigation resulting from such claims would not have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results. For further discussion of legal matters, see Item 3, “Legal Proceedings,” of this Form 10-K.

Other Cautionary Statements

     See the discussion of risks in the section of this report entitled Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY

     As of September 9, 2004, the executive officers of Lam, who are elected by and serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors, were as follows:

                 
Name       Age   Title
James W. Bagley
        65     Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
 
               
Stephen G. Newberry
        50     President and Chief Operating Officer
 
               
Martin B. Anstice
        37     Vice President, Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer
 
               
Nicolas J. Bright
        48     Senior Vice President and General Manager, Global Products
 
               
Steven A. Lindsay
        65     Group Vice President, Global Sales and Corporate Marketing
 
               
Ernest E. Maddock
        46     Group Vice President, Global Operations
 
               
Abdi Hariri
        43     Vice President, Customer Support Business Group

     James W. Bagley became Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Lam upon consummation of the merger with OnTrak Systems, Inc., in 1997. Effective September 1, 1998, Mr. Bagley was appointed Chairman of the Board of Lam. Mr. Bagley currently is a director of Teradyne, Inc. and Micron Technology, Inc. From June 1996 to August 1997, Mr. Bagley served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of OnTrak Systems, Inc. He was formerly Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Applied Materials, Inc., where he also served in other senior executive positions during his 15-year tenure. Mr. Bagley held various management positions at Texas Instruments, Inc., before he joined Applied Materials, Inc.

     Stephen G. Newberry joined the Company in August 1997 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In July 1998, Mr. Newberry was promoted to President of Lam. Mr. Newberry currently is a director on the board of Nextest Systems Corporation and Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Institute (SEMI), the industry’s trade association. Previously, he was employed by Applied Materials, Inc. for 17 years, most recently as Group Vice President of Global Operations and Planning. From 1990 to 1992, Mr. Newberry served as Vice President of Applied Materials Japan and was responsible for customer service, engineering and manufacturing activities in that region. Upon his return to the United States, Mr. Newberry served in a variety of executive management positions at Applied Materials, Inc.

     Martin B. Anstice joined Lam in April 2001 as Senior Director, Operations Controller, was promoted to the position of Managing Director and Corporate Controller in May 2002, and was promoted to Vice President, Finance, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Accounting Officer in June 2004. Mr. Anstice began his career at Raychem Corporation where, during his 13-year tenure, he held numerous finance roles of increasing responsibility in Europe and North America. Subsequent to Tyco International’s acquisition of Raychem in 1999, he assumed responsibilities supporting mergers and acquisition activities of Tyco Electronics. Mr. Anstice is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in the United Kingdom.

     Nicolas J. Bright joined the Company in May 1998 as Vice President of Technology and Engineering. He currently holds the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager, Global Products. Prior to joining Lam, Mr. Bright was employed by Applied Materials, Inc. During his 16-year tenure at that firm, Mr. Bright held senior management positions in engineering and technology within etch, ion implant, and automation business units. He has also held positions at General Electric Co. in the United Kingdom and ABB in Sweden. Mr. Bright holds numerous patents in semiconductor manufacturing disciplines.

     Steven A. Lindsay, Group Vice President of Global Sales and Corporate Marketing since November 2001, joined the Company in September 1999 as Vice President of Corporate Marketing. Previously, Mr. Lindsay was employed by Applied Materials, Inc., where, during his 22-year tenure, he held numerous senior management positions in sales and marketing. Most recently, he was President, Applied Materials North America and Group Vice President, Applied Materials, Inc. He has also held sales management positions at Fairchild Semiconductor and ITT Semiconductor.

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     Ernest E. Maddock, Group Vice President of Global Operations since October 2003, currently oversees Global Operations, Information Technology, Global Security, Corporate Quality, and Facilities. Mr. Maddock joined the Company in November 1997. Mr. Maddock’s previously held positions with the Company include Vice President of the Customer Support Business Group. Prior to his employment with Lam, he was Managing Director, Global Logistics and Repair Services Operations, and Chief Financial Officer, Software Products Division, of NCR Corporation. He has also held a variety of executive roles in finance and operations in several industries ranging from commercial real estate to telecommunications.

     Abdi Hariri, Vice President of the Customer Support Business Group since August 2004, joined the Company in April 1989 and has served in a number of different assignments with the Field and Product Groups. Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Hariri served as the General Manager of Lam Japan for approximately 18 months. His experience prior to his appointment in Japan included over thirteen years at the Company with various responsibilities, including global business development and engineering. Prior to his employment at Lam, Mr. Hariri served as a Process Engineer at Siliconix, Inc. He holds a Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University.

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Item 2. Properties

     Our executive offices and principal operating and R&D facilities are located in Fremont, California, and are under operating leases expiring from 2005 to 2008. As a result of the restructuring of our operations, we have subleased some of our idle facilities, (refer to Note 15 of our Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8 herein, for further information concerning our property leases). In addition, we lease properties for our service, technical support and sales personnel throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and Asia Pacific. Our fiscal 2004 rental payments for the space occupied during that period aggregated approximately $6.2 million. Our facilities lease obligations are subject to periodic increases, and we believe that our existing facilities are well maintained and in good operating condition.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

     From time to time, we have received notices from third parties alleging infringement of such parties’ patent or other intellectual property rights by our products. In such cases it is our policy to defend the claims, or if considered appropriate, negotiate licenses on commercially reasonable terms. However, no assurance can be given that we will be able to negotiate necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or that any litigation resulting from such claims would not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, liquidity, operating results, or our consolidated financial statements taken as a whole.

Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

None.

PART II

Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Stock and Related Stockholder Matters

     The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference from Item 6, “Selected Consolidated Financial Data,” below.

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Item 6. Selected Consolidated Financial Data

                                         
    Year Ended
    June 27,   June 29,   June 30,   June 24,   June 25,
    2004
  2003
  2002
  2001
  2000
    (in thousands, except per share data)
OPERATIONS:
                                       
Total revenue(1)
  $ 935,946     $ 755,234     $ 943,114     $ 1,519,789     $ 1,230,767  
Gross margin
    431,049       303,829       266,089       653,479       541,855  
Restructuring charges, net(2)
    8,327       15,901       44,850       12,780       (33,691 )
Purchased technology for research and development
                      8,000       7,460  
Operating income (loss)
    106,180       (5,385 )     (119,838 )     186,532       229,842  
Loss on equity derivative contracts in Company stock (EITF 00-19)
          (16,407 )     (8,236 )            
Income (loss) before cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles
    82,988       (7,739 )     (90,051 )     141,137       204,756  
Cumulative effect of EITF 00-19(3)
                      33,074        
Cumulative effect of SAB 101, net of tax(4)
                      (122,105 )      
Net income (loss)
    82,988       (7,739 )     (90,051 )     52,106       204,756  
Net income (loss) per share:
                                       
Income (loss) before cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles
                                       
Basic
  $ 0.63     $ (0.06 )   $ (0.71 )   $ 1.14     $ 1.69  
Diluted
  $ 0.59     $ (0.06 )   $ (0.71 )   $ 1.07     $ 1.53  
Cumulative effect of EITF 00-19(3)
                                       
Basic
                    $ 0.27        
Diluted
                    $ 0.25        
Cumulative effect of SAB 101, net of tax(4)
                                       
Basic
                    $ (0.99 )      
Diluted
                    $ (0.92 )      
Net income (loss)
                                       
Basic
  $ 0.63     $ (0.06 )   $ (0.71 )   $ 0.42     $ 1.69  
Diluted(5)
  $ 0.59     $ (0.06 )   $ (0.71 )   $ 0.39     $ 1.53  
Pro forma amounts with the change in accounting principle related to revenue recognition applied retroactively (unaudited):
                                       
Total revenues
    n/a       n/a       n/a     $ 1,519,789     $ 1,009,006  
Net income (loss)
    n/a       n/a       n/a       174,211       108,133  
Net income (loss) per share:
                                       
Basic
    n/a       n/a       n/a     $ 1.41     $ 0.89  
Diluted
    n/a       n/a       n/a     $ 1.32     $ 0.81  
BALANCE SHEET:
                                       
Working capital
  $ 519,782     $ 655,794     $ 757,880     $ 1,076,922     $ 733,579  
Total assets
    1,198,626       1,198,275       1,632,291       1,871,775       1,244,837  
Long-term obligations, less current portion
    9,554       332,209       359,691       659,718       321,657  


(1) We changed our revenue recognition policy in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2001, effective June 26, 2000, based on guidance provided in Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 101 (SAB 101), “Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements.” Refer to our discussion of “Critical Accounting Policies” for additional information about our revenue recognition policy and see item (4) below.

(2) Restructuring charges, net exclude restructuring charges (recoveries) included in cost of goods sold and reflected in gross margin of ($1.7) million, ($1.0) million, $5.9 million, $4.0 million and ($2.2) million, for fiscal years 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, and 2000, respectively. These amounts primarily relate to the write-off of selected, older product line inventories in connection with our restructuring plans and the partial recovery of the charges from the subsequent sale of a portion of such inventories. These restructuring charges/(recoveries) are included as a component of cost of goods sold in accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force 96-9, “Classification of Inventory Markdowns and Other Costs Associated with a Restructuring” (EITF 96-9).

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(3) We recorded a non-cash gain of $33.1 million (no related tax), or $0.25 per diluted share, to reflect the cumulative effect of the accounting change as of June 24, 2001 related to the adoption of Emerging Issues Task Force 00-19, “Derivative Financial Instruments Indexed to, and Potentially Settled in, a Company’s Own Stock” (EITF 00-19).

(4) We recorded a non-cash charge of $122.1 million, after reduction for income tax benefits of $81.4 million, or ($0.92) per diluted share, to reflect the cumulative effect of the accounting change as of June 26, 2000 related to the adoption of SAB 101.

(5) Diluted net income per share for the fiscal year ended June 27, 2004 includes the assumed conversion of the convertible subordinated 4% notes. Accordingly, interest expense, net of taxes, of $3.2 million must be added back to net income for computing diluted net earnings per share.

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UNAUDITED SELECTED QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA

                                 
    1ST
  2ND
  3RD
  4TH
    (in thousands, except per share data)
QUARTERLY FISCAL 2004:
                               
Total revenue
  $ 183,738     $ 191,508     $ 231,128     $ 329,572  
Gross margin
    78,518       87,215       106,113       159,203  
Restructuring charges, net(1)
    1,062       5,948       1,317        
Operating income
    4,937       8,048       24,664       68,531  
Net income
    4,786       6,391       19,156       52,655  
Net income per share
                               
Basic
  $ 0.04     $ 0.05     $ 0.14     $ 0.39  
Diluted
  $ 0.04     $ 0.05     $ 0.13     $ 0.38  
Price range per share
  $ 17.59-$26.76     $ 22.15-$33.83     $ 22.52-$35.50     $ 20.91-$27.50  
Number of shares used in per share calculations:
                               
Basic
    128,351       131,020       133,251       134,414  
Diluted(2)
    134,886       139,658       147,365       139,820  
                                 
    1ST
  2ND
  3RD
  4TH
    (in thousands, except per share data)
QUARTERLY FISCAL 2003:
                               
Total revenue
  $ 197,520     $ 184,569     $ 187,059     $ 186,086  
Gross margin
    78,994       72,490       75,221       77,124  
Restructuring charges, net(1)
          2,053       4,043       9,805  
Operating income (loss)
    4,253       (1,017 )     (1,048 )     (7,573 )
Loss on equity derivative contracts in Company stock
    (16,407 )                  
Net income (loss)
    (13,714 )     1,479       797       3,699  
Net income (loss) per share
                               
Basic
  $ (0.11 )   $ 0.01     $ 0.01     $ 0.03  
Diluted
  $ (0.11 )   $ 0.01     $ 0.01     $ 0.03  
Price range per share
  $ 8.61-$18.60     $ 6.63-$17.31     $ 10.70-$14.38     $ 10.77-$20.20  
Number of shares used in per share calculations:
                               
Basic
    126,931       125,411       125,988       126,872  
Diluted
    126,931       128,537       129,550       131,420  


(1)   Restructuring charges, net exclude restructuring recoveries included in cost of goods sold and reflected in gross margin of ($1.7) million and ($1.0) million, for the years ended June 27, 2004 and June 29, 2003, respectively. These amounts relate to the write-off of selected, older product line inventories in connection with our restructuring plans and the partial recovery of these charges from the subsequent sale of a portion of such inventories. The restructuring recoveries are included as a component of cost of goods sold in accordance with EITF 96-9.
 
(2)   Diluted net income per share for the third fiscal quarter ended March 28, 2004 includes the assumed conversion of the convertible subordinated 4% notes. Accordingly, interest expense, net of taxes, of $0.4 million must be added back to net income for computing diluted net earnings per share.

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Stock and Dividend Information:

     Our Common Stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol LRCX. The price range per share is the highest and lowest bid prices, as reported by the National Association of Security Dealers, Inc., on any trading day during the respective quarter.

     As of August 29, 2004, we had 542 stockholders of record.

     In fiscal 2004 and 2003 we did not declare or pay cash dividends to our stockholders. We currently have no plans to declare and pay cash dividends.

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

     The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in condition, significance, value and effect. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including but not limited to those discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. (See “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K).

Results of Operations

     Lam Research Corporation (Lam or the Company) is a major supplier of wafer fabrication equipment and services to the world’s semiconductor industry. We actively market and sell product offerings that include single-wafer plasma etch systems with a wide range of applications, wafer cleaning systems, and an array of services designed to optimize the utilization of these systems by our customers.

     The semiconductor industry is cyclical in nature and has historically experienced periodic downturns and upturns. Over the past three business cycles, the severity of these fluctuations has increased, and today’s leading indicators of changes in customer investment patterns may not be any more reliable than in prior years. Demand for our equipment can vary significantly from period to period as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, economic conditions, supply, demand, and prices for semiconductors, customer capacity requirements, and our ability to develop and market competitive products. For these and other reasons, our results of operations for fiscal 2004, 2003, and 2002 may not necessarily be indicative of future operating results.

     Strengthening demand that we had noted early in fiscal 2004 and our belief that we are gaining market share manifested themselves in the progression of our quarterly revenues. We have continued to focus on our systems and service competitiveness and the implementation of strategies aimed at achieving a more variable cost structure. These efforts, combined with higher volumes, are illustrated by gross margin improvements year over year, including both fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2003.

     In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, we decided to cease further investment in CMP systems development. This decision was based on the conclusion that the product did not demonstrate sufficient advantages to garner the market share necessary for adequate returns on further investment.

     Also during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, we repaid in full our convertible subordinated 4% notes (4% Notes), two years prior to maturity, and we settled our interest rate swap agreement (the swap) which had been used to minimize the impact of interest rate exposure associated with our fixed rate 4% Notes.

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     We continue to invest significantly in research and development to strengthen our product and service offerings and competitive position. Increases in operating expenses during fiscal 2004 were primarily due to a growth in salary and benefits costs, a result of planned increases of employee compensation to competitive levels and incentive-based benefits triggered by higher profits. In addition, spending increased during fiscal 2004 for discretionary information technology projects designed to contribute to productivity improvements across the Company. These costs have been partially offset by a decrease in facilities-related expenses as a result of infrastructure rationalization and consolidation.

Total Revenue

                                         
    Year Ended
  Percent Change
        2004   2003
    June 27,   June 29,   June 30,   versus   versus
    2004
  2003
  2002
  2003
  2002
            (in thousands)                        
Revenue
  $ 935,946     $ 755,234     $ 943,114       23.9 %     (19.9 %)

     The increase in revenues for fiscal year 2004 compared to the prior year is reflective of a market environment that has improved, evidenced by expanded levels of capital investments by semiconductor manufacturers. Signs of improvement in demand for wafer processing equipment, noted early in 2004, continued through the year. These improvements in demand as well as our belief of market share gains are evidenced by the progression of our quarterly revenues. The overall increase in our revenues is influenced by increased demand, system installation cycles and customer acceptances. Our current estimate for revenues for the September 2004 quarter is approximately $400 to $415 million.

     The decrease in revenue for fiscal year 2003 compared to fiscal year 2002 reflected our customers’ response to excess capacity in the semiconductor industry, which was significantly influenced by the retrenchment of the global economy and levels of end-user demand for products servicing telecommunications, computer, and consumer electronics markets. Semiconductor manufacturers selectively invested in leading-edge technology equipment through fiscal 2003. Overall, demand remained relatively flat during fiscal 2003.

     Based on the guidance provided by Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 101 (SAB 101), “Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements”, as amended by Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104 (SAB 104), “Revenue Recognition”, we generally recognize new systems revenue when we receive customer acceptance or are otherwise released from our customer acceptance obligations. Refer to our discussion of “Critical Accounting Policies” within this document for additional information about our revenue recognition policy. Where customer acceptance provisions exist, the fiscal period in which we are able to recognize systems revenue is typically determined based on the length of time that our customers require to evaluate the performance of our equipment to agreed standards and specifications. In accordance with SAB 104, in situations with multiple deliverables, revenue is recognized upon the delivery of the separate elements to the customer and when we receive customer acceptance or are otherwise released from our customer acceptance obligations. Consideration from multiple element arrangements is allocated among the separate units based on their relative fair values, provided the elements have value on a stand alone basis, there is objective and reliable evidence of fair value, the arrangement does not include a general right of return relative to the delivered item and delivery or performance of the undelivered item(s) is considered probable and substantially in our control. The maximum revenue recognized on a delivered element is limited to the amount that is not contingent upon the delivery of additional items. On average, revenue recognition for systems normally occurs from two to five months after the date of shipment. Spares and system upgrade revenues are generally recognized on the date of shipment, and service revenues are generally recognized upon performance of the activities requested by the customer, including training and extended warranty support.

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Regional geographic breakdown of revenue is as follows:

                         
    Year Ended
    June 27,   June 29,   June 30,
    2004
  2003
  2002
North America
    18 %     28 %     29 %
Europe
    19 %     20 %     21 %
Asia Pacific
    52 %     44 %     35 %
Japan
    11 %     8 %     15 %

     The Asia Pacific region has historically accounted for a significant portion of our revenues as a substantial amount of the worldwide capacity for semiconductor manufacturing is located within this region; this trend has continued. The growth in Asia Pacific revenues during fiscal year 2004 predominantly occurred in Taiwan and Singapore. The fiscal 2003 increase in Asia Pacific revenues reflected expanded foundry capabilities and investments by certain of our customers to support the introduction of latest-generation integrated circuit manufacturing.

Gross Margin

                                         
    Year Ended
  Percent Change
        2004   2003
    June 27,   June 29,   June 30,   versus   versus
    2004
  2003
  2002
  2003
  2002
    (in thousands, except percentages)                
Gross Margin
  $ 431,049     $ 303,829     $ 266,089       41.9 %     14.2 %
Percent of total revenue
    46.1 %     40.2 %     28.2 %                

     We have continued to focus on systems design to achieve more efficient purchasing and installation processes. Our performance is evidenced by six successive quarters’ progression of gross margin as a percent of total revenues. The increase in gross margin as a percent of total revenues of approximately six percentage points in fiscal 2004 compared with fiscal 2003 is primarily due to improved utilization of factory and field resources, expense management programs, and improved sales volumes throughout the year. Fiscal 2004 gross margin includes $2.4 million of asset impairment charges related to our discontinuance of work on CMP systems development as discussed earlier