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Applied Materials

Centura Avatar

EtchProduced 2012–Applied Materials Centura Avatar family
Research Quality: 20% complete

Provisional entry — research in progress

This page was generated automatically from cited public sources and hasn't completed the full research pass yet. Every specification shown carries its source; more detail is added as research completes.

The Applied Materials Centura Avatar is a dielectric etch system launched in 2012. The Centura Avatar is designed for etching deep, narrow features in 3D NAND memory arrays. The Centura Avatar can achieve aspect ratios up to 80:1 and enables precise etching of staircase contact structures.[1]

Applied Materials logo
Fig. — Manufacturer logo, not a photo of this toolWikimedia Commons (see file page for license)

What is it?

Applications

The Centura Avatar is used for dielectric etching in the production of 3D NAND flash memory chips. The application targets the terabit storage densities needed for mobile devices and other data-intensive products.[1]

What do the numbers mean?

Configuration & options2

Etch type
dielectric[1]
Accurate?
Maximum aspect ratio
80:1[1]
Accurate?

Vintage & configurations

  1. 2012-07Production start[1]

    Launched at SEMICON West 2012; more than 30 chambers shipped to multiple customers for pilot production.

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Where are the manuals?

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Not publicly documented

Field notes

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Centura Avatar designed for?

The Centura Avatar is a dielectric etch system designed for etching the deep, narrow features of three-dimensional NAND flash memory arrays.[1]

What aspect ratios can the Centura Avatar achieve?

The Centura Avatar can etch holes and trenches in complex film stacks with depth-to-width aspect ratios of up to 80:1.[1]

How many chambers had been shipped at the time of the launch?

More than 30 chambers had been shipped to multiple customers for critical applications including pilot production of future chips.[1]

What specific contact structure does the Centura Avatar enable?

The system enables the simultaneous and precise etching of features with varying depths, which is critical for fabricating the staircase contact structures that connect each layer of memory cells.[1]

Where was the Centura Avatar showcased?

The Centura Avatar was one of several new chip-making technologies showcased by Applied Materials at SEMICON West 2012, held July 10-12, 2012.[1]

Not publicly documented

The following facts about the Centura Avatar are absent from this record as of this revision. First-hand knowledge or a citation closes a gap; every submission is reviewed before publication.

  • Fewer than 3 independently cited specifications for the Centura Avatar are on record; the remainder await public documentation.

    Answerable by: an OEM datasheet, a cleanroom equipment inventory, or an engineer who operated or installed it

  • No publicly documented variants, configuration options, or revision breakpoints of the Centura Avatar are on record.

    Answerable by: an OEM product catalog or an engineer who ordered or specified the tool

  • The control-system platform and OS era of the Centura Avatar are not on record.

    Answerable by: an engineer who operated it or OEM installation records

  • No publicly documented failure modes or field errata for the Centura Avatar are on record.

    Answerable by: a field service engineer, process engineer, or maintenance technician

  • The process node or technology generation of the Centura Avatar is not on record.

    Answerable by: an OEM datasheet or a fab qualification report

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Sources & citations

Sources (2)Every fact above is drawn from these public sources
  1. [1]storagenewsletter.com — storagenewsletter.comstoragenewsletter.com
  2. [2]Equipment inventory listing
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Last updated Oct 4, 2026.

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