Applied Materials, Inc. specializes in the design, manufacture, and marketing of equipment for producing integrated circuits and semi-conductor components. The group develops systems used in the principal manufacturing stages of microchips (deposition systems using chemical vapors, the physical process or through epitaxy, photomasking systems, control programs, etc.). Net sales break down by activity sector as follows: semiconductor industry (73.3%), flat screen industry (3.2%) and other (23.5%; photovoltaic and electronic industries). Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: the United States (14.1%), China (37.2%), Korea (16.5%), Taiwan (14.8%), Japan (7.9%), Asia (4.2%) and Europe (5.3%).