BUILDING ON THE PAST, READY FOR THE FUTURE: - MEMC

F R O M P R E S I D E N T A N D C E O
Ahmad Chatila
From its modest beginnings as a small part of a division of a chemical company in Missouri to its position
today as a major global enterprise, MEMC can look back on a long history of success.
When we broke ground on our first facility to produce wafers for the semiconductor industry in 1959, no one
could have predicted that the market for silicon wafers would be greater than 45 billion square inch units a
year across two industries. Over the next 50 years MEMC technology would be at the heart of breakthroughs
that helped shape our modern society. Silicon, and the silicon wafer products that MEMC manufactures,
has enabled the modern integrated circuit which enables better healthcare, better communications, and
even better entertainment. It has also advanced the burgeoning solar energy industry, by enabling us to
efficiently harness clean renewable energy in effort to make solar power a more cost effective alternative to
fossil fuels based energy systems. For MEMC this is just the beginning of the journey.
Today, just as 50 years ago, research, development and innovation at MEMC are geared to solving our
customers wafer needs of the day, including providing wafer solutions to improve their cost position
and product offerings. MEMC currently holds more than 600 worldwide patents on silicon products and
processes, plus more than 300 worldwide patent applications currently on file. Our focus on research and
development in every area of silicon, and our long-standing tradition of quality have culminated in a
company that is better positioned than at any point in our history to meet the demands of the highly
competitive electronics and solar industries.
The sacrifice and the true dedication of thousands of employees have enabled MEMC to survive and thrive
for 50 years, a rarity in technology companies. We are eternally indebted to them. We are proud of our
history, and our innovations, and we know we can achieve so much more. MEMC is only 50, and we know
that what we have built will continue to grow. At the same time, our vision for the future encompasses
more than silicon wafers for the semiconductor and solar industries. MEMC teammates are constantly
seeking out new high growth opportunities, industries and sectors where we can utilize our solid R&D
base and expand, both locally, and globally.
I am honored to be leading MEMC in this critical time of our history. The technology made possible
through the production of silicon wafers has revolutionized forever how we create, disseminate, retrieve
and store information and how we generate energy. The people of MEMC, and the products we develop
and manufacture, have made that possible. We are proud of our success over the past 50 years, and look
forward to an equally successful future.
Sincerely,
Ahmad R. Chatila
President and CEO
MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc.
7