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INDEX

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This report contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements included in or incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. You can identify these and other forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “relies,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “intends,” “potential,” “continue,” or the negative of such terms, or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements also include the assumptions underlying or relating to any of the foregoing statements. Such forward-looking statements include, among others, those statements regarding the future results of our operations; the recovery and upturn in the demand for semiconductors; technological trends in the semiconductor industry; our future product offerings and product features, as well as industry adoption of new technology; customers’ results utilizing our products; anticipated revenue from various domestic and international regions; international sales and operations; maintenance of competitive advantage; success of our product offerings; completion of backlog; creation of development and engineering programs for research and development; attraction and retention of employees; the completion of any acquisitions of third parties, or the technology or assets thereof; benefits received from any acquisitions and development of acquired technologies; the outcome of any litigation to which we are a party; results of our investment in leading edge technologies; enhancements of current products and strategic acquisitions; our future income tax rate; sufficiency of our existing cash balance, investments and cash generated from operations to meet our liquidity and working capital requirements; our use of derivative financial instruments to mitigate certain financial market risks; and the effectiveness of our efforts and the effects of hedging transactions.

        Our actual results may differ significantly from those projected in the forward-looking statements in this report. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the “Risk Factors” section in Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Item 1, “Business” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should carefully review these risks and also review the risks described in other documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q that we will file in fiscal 2004. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, and we expressly assume no obligations to update the forward-looking statements in this report that occur after the date hereof.

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PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

The Company

        KLA-Tencor Corporation (“KLA-Tencor”) is the world’s leading supplier of process control and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and related microelectronics industries. Our comprehensive portfolio of products, software, analysis, services and expertise is designed to help integrated circuit (“IC”) manufacturers manage yield throughout the entire fabrication process--from research and development to final mass-production yield analysis.

        We offer a broad spectrum of products and services that are used by every major wafer, IC and photomask manufacturer in the world. These customers turn to us for inline wafer defect monitoring; reticle and photomask defect inspection; critical dimension (“CD”) metrology; wafer overlay; film and surface measurement; and overall yield and fab-wide data analysis. These advanced products, coupled with our unique yield technology services, allow us to deliver the complete yield management solutions our customers need to accelerate their yield learning rates, reduce their yield excursion risks and adopt industry-leading yield management practices.

        KLA-Tencor was formed in April 1997 through the merger of KLA Instruments and Tencor Instruments, two long-time leaders in the semiconductor equipment industry, each with over 20 years of experience. KLA Instruments Corporation was incorporated in Delaware in 1975; Tencor Instruments was incorporated in California in 1976. Effective April 30, 1997, Tencor Instruments merged into a wholly owned subsidiary of KLA Instruments Corporation. Immediately following this merger, KLA Instruments changed its name to KLA-Tencor.

        Additional information about KLA-Tencor is available on our web site at www.kla-tencor.com. KLA-Tencor makes available free of charge on its web site its Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, its Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those Reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file them with or furnish them to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Information contained on our web site is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or our other filings with the SEC.

Industry

General Background

        The semiconductor fabrication process begins with a bare silicon wafer--a round disk that is six, eight or twelve inches in diameter, about as thick as a credit card and gray in color. The process of manufacturing wafers is in itself highly sophisticated, involving the creation of large ingots of silicon by pulling them out of a vat of molten silicon. The ingots are then sliced into wafers and polished to a mirror finish on one surface, upon which the circuits are made.

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        The fabrication of an IC, or “chip,” is accomplished by depositing upon a silicon wafer a series of film layers that act as conductors, semiconductors or insulators. The deposition of these film layers is interspersed with numerous other process steps that create circuit patterns, remove portions of the film layers, and perform other functions such as heat treatment, measurement and inspection. Most advanced chip designs require over 300 individual steps, many of which are performed multiple times. Most chips consist of two main structures: the lower structure, typically consisting of transistors or capacitors, which perform the “smart” functions of the chip; and the upper structure, typically consisting of “interconnect” circuitry, which connects the components in the lower structure.

Current Trends

        Companies that anticipate future market demands by developing and refining new technologies and manufacturing processes, as well as bringing them into production, are better positioned to lead in the semiconductor market. During past industry cycles, semiconductor manufacturers generally contended with one key new technology or market trend, such as a specific design rule shrink. In today’s market, the leading semiconductor manufacturers are investing in bringing a multitude of new technologies into production at the same time, including copper interconnects, new materials, sub-0.10-micron design rules and 300-mm wafers (the next larger wafer size, from which more than twice as many ICs can be produced as from 200-mm wafers).

        While many of these technologies have been adopted at the development and pilot production stages, significant challenges and risks associated with each one have slowed their adoption into full-volume production. For example, as design rules decrease, yields become more sensitive to the size and density of defects, while device performance characteristics (namely speed or capacity) become more sensitive to such parameters as line width and film thickness variation. Copper introduces new physical defects, which are harder to find within the interconnect structure, as well as electrical defects, which cannot be detected using conventional optical inspection systems. New process materials like low-k dielectrics, silicon-on-insulator (“SOI”) and 193-nm photoresists require extensive characterization before they can be made manufacturable. Larger 300-mm wafers are more susceptible to damage than 200-mm wafers since they can bend or bow twice as much, creating stress on the wafer that can result in yield loss. Film uniformity is also more difficult to maintain on these larger wafers. Moving several of these advanced technologies into production at once only adds to the risks that chipmakers face since technical challenges in bringing any one of these into production could also slow the adoption of the other technologies.

        Our key activities during fiscal year 2003 involved the development of new process control and yield management tools that enable chipmakers to accelerate the adoption of these new technologies into full-volume production, while minimizing their associated risks. With our portfolio of application-focused technologies and our dedicated yield technology expertise, we are in a position to be the single source for comprehensive yield management solutions that enable our customers to achieve first-to-market success for their next-generation products.

        The continuing evolution of semiconductor devices to smaller linewidth geometries and more complex multi-level circuitry has significantly increased the cost and performance requirements of the capital equipment used to manufacture these devices. Construction of an advanced wafer fabrication facility today can cost over $3 billion, a substantial increase over the cost of previous-generation facilities. As a result, chipmakers are demanding increased productivity and higher returns from their manufacturing equipment. Because our process control and yield management equipment typically represents only a small, but growing, percentage of the total investment required to build a fabrication facility, our customers are better able to leverage these increasingly expensive facilities and significantly improve their return on investment (“ROI”).

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Our Process Control and Yield Acceleration Solutions

        Accelerating the yield ramp and maximizing the production yields of high-performance devices are key goals of modern semiconductor manufacturing. Achieving higher yields faster, along with higher performance characteristics, increases the revenue a manufacturer can obtain from each semiconductor wafer. Our systems are used to analyze product and process quality at all critical points in the wafer, photomask and IC manufacturing process, and provide feedback to our customers so that fabrication problems can be identified, addressed and eliminated. This ability to locate the source of defects and other process issues, as well as contain them, enables our customers to improve control over their manufacturing processes, as well as increase their yields and device value—thus maximizing their ROI and lowering their manufacturing costs.

        The following are some of the methods used to accelerate yields and optimize device performance, all of which require the capture and analysis of data gathered through many measurements:

        The most significant opportunities for yield and device performance improvement generally occur when production is started at new factories and technology shifts in existing factories. Equipment that helps a manufacturer quickly increase new product yields and optimize device performance enables the manufacturer to offer these new products in high volumes early in the product lifecycle—the time when they are likely to generate the greatest profits.

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        We are a leader in the design, manufacture, marketing and service of process monitoring and yield management systems for the semiconductor wafer, IC and photomask industries. Our technical expertise and understanding of customer needs enable us to provide unique yield management solutions and one of the broadest lines of process monitoring and yield optimization systems available. Our systems are used to analyze product and process quality at critical points during semiconductor manufacturing, as well as provide feedback to our customers that can be used to identify, address, contain and eliminate fabrication problems.

Products

        We market and sell products to virtually all major semiconductor, wafer, photomask and data storage manufacturers worldwide. We combine our hardware—consisting of patterned and unpatterned wafer inspection, optical overlay metrology, e-beam review, reticle and photomask inspection, spectroscopic- and e-beam-based CD metrology, and film and surface measurement tools—with our advanced yield analysis and defect classification software to provide fab-wide yield management solutions that are optimized for the manufacturing process cells used in IC production, including lithography, etch, deposition and chemical mechanical planarization (“CMP”). Our offerings can be broadly categorized into five groups: Defect Inspection, Metrology, Yield Management Software Solutions, Data Storage, and Customer Service and Support.

Defect Inspection

        Our defect inspection tools are used to detect, count, classify and characterize particles, pattern defects and electrical failures both inline at various manufacturing process stages and offline engineering analysis. We pioneered the market for automated defect inspection of semiconductor wafers and reticles more than two decades ago. Our portfolio includes all the tools necessary for our customers to detect, correlate and analyze physical and electrical defects, as well as determine and correct their cause.

       High-Resolution Imaging Inspection

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       High-Speed Laser Scattering Inspection

       Electrical Line Monitoring

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       Optical and E-beam Defect Review

       Unpatterned Wafer Inspection

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       Macro After-Develop Inspection

       Photo Cell Monitoring

       Backside Wafer Inspection

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       Reticle Inspection

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Metrology

        Our metrology or process window optimization products provide virtually all of the critical measurements fabs require to manage their advanced manufacturing processes. With our unique combination of overlay, CD, film thickness and reflectivity measurements, IC manufacturers have the capabilities to maintain tight control of their lithography, etch, deposition and CMP processes.

       Optical Overlay

       Focus-Exposure Line Monitoring

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       Process Window Monitoring

       E-Beam CD Metrology

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       Spectroscopic CD Metrology

       Wafer Geometry and Nanotopography Metrology

       Film Measurement

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       Contamination Monitoring

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       In-situ CMP End-Point Detection

       Surface Metrology

Yield Management Software Solutions

        Our productivity and analysis software systems translate raw inspection and metrology data into patterns that reveal process problems and help semiconductor manufacturers develop long-term yield improvement strategies.

       Yield/Data Analysis and Management

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Data Storage Industry

        Outside the semiconductor industry, we manufacture, sell and service yield management solutions to the data storage market.  In the front-end of thin film head wafer manufacturing, we are the leading provider of the same process control equipment with which we serve the semiconductor industry, with particular strength in photolithography control. In the back-end of head manufacturing, we are the leading provider of a range of test equipment, including fly-height and head resonance testers, CD-SEMs and high resolution surface profilers. Additionally, we are leveraging our expertise in magnetics to meet customers’ needs in the emerging MRAM (magnetic random access memory) market.

Customer Service and Support

        We enhance the value of our products through our customer service and support programs, which provide comprehensive worldwide service and support across all our product lines. We also offer yield technology services to improve our customers’ ROI.

       Global Support Services

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       Yield Technology Services

Customers

        To support our growing, global customer base, we maintain a significant presence throughout the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Japan, staffed with local sales and applications engineers, customer and field service engineers and yield management consultants. We count among our largest customers leading semiconductor manufacturers from each of these regions. In fiscal 2003, one customer (Intel Corporation) accounted for 11% of total revenues. In fiscal 2002 and 2001, no single customer accounted for more than 10 percent of our revenues.

        Our business depends upon the capital expenditures of semiconductor manufacturers, which in turn depend on the current and anticipated market demand for ICs and products utilizing ICs. We do not consider our business to be seasonal in nature, but it is cyclical with respect to the capital equipment procurement practices of semiconductor manufacturers and is impacted by the investment patterns of such manufacturers in different global markets. Downturns in the semiconductor industry or slowdowns in the worldwide economy could have a material adverse effect on our future business and financial results.

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Sales, Service and Marketing

        Our sales, service and marketing efforts are focused on building long-term relationships with our customers. We focus on providing a single and comprehensive resource for the full breadth of process control and yield management products and services. Customers benefit from the simplified planning and coordination, as well as the increased equipment compatibility found when dealing with a single supplier. Our revenues are derived primarily from product sales, principally through our direct sales force and, to a lesser extent, through distributors.

        We believe that the size and location of our field sales, service and applications engineering, and marketing organizations represent a competitive advantage in our served markets. We have direct sales forces in the U.S., Europe, Asia-Pacific and Japan. We maintain an export compliance program that is designed to fully meet the requirements of the U.S. Departments of Commerce and State.

        As of June 30, 2003, we employed over 2,300 sales and related personnel, service engineers and applications engineers. In addition to sales and service offices in the U.S., we conduct sales, marketing and services out of wholly-owned subsidiaries or branches of U.S. subsidiaries in a variety of countries, including China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Kingdom. International revenues accounted for approximately 69%, 67%, and 66% of our revenues in fiscal 2003, 2002, and 2001 respectively. Additional information regarding our revenues from foreign operations for our last three fiscal years is incorporated by reference from Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements found under Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

        We believe that sales outside the U.S. will continue to be a significant percentage of our revenues. Our future performance will depend, in part, on our ability to continue to compete successfully in Asia, one of the largest markets for the sale of yield management services in process monitoring equipment. Our ability to compete in this area is dependent upon the continuation of favorable trading relationships between countries in the region (especially Taiwan, China, Japan and South Korea) and the United States, and our continuing ability to maintain satisfactory relationships with leading semiconductor companies in the region.

        International sales and operations may be adversely affected by imposition of governmental controls, restrictions on export technology, political instability, trade restrictions, changes in tariffs and the difficulties associated with staffing and managing international operations. In addition, international sales may be adversely affected by the economic conditions in each country. The revenues from our international business may also be affected by fluctuations in currency exchange rates. Although we attempt to manage the currency risk inherent in non-dollar sales through “hedging,” there can be no assurance that such efforts will be adequate. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our future business and financial results.

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Backlog

        Our backlog for system shipments and associated warranty totaled $509 million at June 30, 2003. We include in our backlog only those customer orders for which we have accepted purchase orders and assigned shipment dates within twelve months. We exclude from backlog orders for non-released products. We expect to fill the present backlog of orders during fiscal 2004; however, all orders are subject to cancellation or delay by the customer with limited or no penalty. Due to possible customer changes in delivery schedules and to cancellation of orders, our backlog at any particular date is not necessarily indicative of actual sales for any succeeding period.

Research and Development

        The market for yield management and process monitoring systems is characterized by rapid technological development and product innovation. These technical innovations are inherently complex and require long development cycles and appropriate professional staffing. We believe continued and timely development of new products and enhancements to existing products are necessary to maintain our competitive position. Accordingly, we devote a significant portion of our human and financial resources to research and development programs and seek to maintain close relationships with customers to remain responsive to their needs. As part of our customer relationships, we may enter into certain strategic development and engineering programs whereby our customers offset certain of our research and development costs.

        Our key research and development activities during fiscal year 2003 involved development of process control and yield management equipment especially reticle inspection and advanced wafer inspection for smaller feature sizes, copper-based devices and 300-mm wafers. For information regarding our research and development expenses during the last three fiscal years, including costs offset by our strategic development and engineering programs, see Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

        In order to make continuing developments in the semiconductor industry, we are committed to significant engineering efforts toward both product improvement and new product development. New product introductions may contribute to fluctuations in operating results, since customers may defer ordering existing products. If new products have reliability or quality problems, those problems may result in reduced orders, higher manufacturing costs, delays in acceptance of and payment for new products and additional service and warranty expenses. On occasion, we have experienced reliability and quality problems in connection with certain product introductions, resulting in some of these consequences. There can be no assurance that we will successfully develop and manufacture new hardware and software products, or that new hardware and software products introduced by us will be accepted in the marketplace. If we do not successfully introduce new products, our results of operations will be affected adversely.

Manufacturing, Raw Materials and Supplies

        We perform system design, assembly and testing in-house and utilize an outsourcing strategy for the manufacture of components and major subassemblies. Our in-house manufacturing activities consist primarily of assembling and testing components and subassemblies that are acquired through third-party vendors and integrating those subassemblies into our finished products. Our principal manufacturing activities take place in San Jose and Milpitas, California, with additional operations in San Diego and Hayward, California, and Migdal Ha’Emek, Israel. As of June 30, 2003, we employed approximately 960 manufacturing and 1,000 engineering personnel.

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        Many of the parts, components and subassemblies (collectively “parts”) are standard commercial products, although certain items are made to our specifications. We use numerous vendors to supply parts for the manufacture and support of our products. Although we make reasonable efforts to ensure that these parts are available from multiple suppliers, this is not always possible; and certain parts included in our systems may be obtained only from a single supplier or a limited group of suppliers. We endeavor to minimize the risk of production interruption by selecting and qualifying alternative suppliers for key parts, by monitoring the financial condition of key suppliers and by ensuring adequate inventories of key parts are available to maintain manufacturing schedules.

        Although we seek to reduce our dependence on sole and limited source suppliers, in some cases the partial or complete loss of certain of these sources could disrupt scheduled deliveries to customers, damage customer relationships and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Competition

        The worldwide market for process control and yield management systems is highly competitive. In each of our product markets, we face competition from established and potential competitors, some of which may have greater financial, research, engineering, manufacturing and marketing resources than us, such as Applied Materials, Inc. and Hitachi Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd. We may also face future competition from new market entrants from other overseas and domestic sources. 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 improved price and performance characteristics. We believe that to remain competitive, we will require significant financial resources to offer a broad range of products, to maintain customer service and support centers worldwide and to invest in product and process research and development.

        Significant competitive factors in the market for process control and yield management systems include system performance, ease of use, reliability, installed base and technical service and support. We believe that, while price and delivery are important competitive factors, the customers’ overriding requirement is for systems that easily and effectively incorporate automated and highly accurate inspection and metrology capabilities into their existing manufacturing processes, thereby enhancing productivity.

        Our process control and yield management systems for the semiconductor industry are intended to compete based upon performance and technical capabilities. These systems may compete with less expensive and more labor-intensive manual inspection devices.

        Management believes that we are well positioned with respect to both our products and services. However, any loss of competitive position could negatively impact our prices, customer orders, revenues, gross margins, and market share, any of which would negatively impact our operating results and financial condition.

Acquisitions

        We continue to pursue a course of strategic acquisitions and alliances to expand our technologies, product offerings and distribution capabilities. In fiscal 2002, we acquired substantially all of the assets of QC Optics, Inc. (“QC Optics”), a manufacturer of laser-based inspection systems for semiconductor, flat panel and computer hard disk manufacturing industries.

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        The financial position and results of operations of this acquisition were immaterial in relation to those of KLA-Tencor and this transaction was accounted for as a purchase. Further details of our acquisitions during the last three fiscal years are included in Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements found under Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

        Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including management issues and costs in connection with integration of the operations, technologies, and products of the acquired companies, possible write-downs of impaired assets, and the potential loss of key employees of the acquired companies. The inability to manage these risks effectively could negatively impact our operating results and financial condition.

Patents and Other Proprietary Rights

        We protect our proprietary technology through reliance on a variety of intellectual property laws, including patent, copyright and trade secrets. We have filed and obtained a number of patents in the United States and abroad and intend to continue to pursue the legal protection of our technology through intellectual property laws. In addition, from time to time we acquire license rights under U.S. and foreign patents and other proprietary rights of third parties.

        Due to the rapid pace of innovation within the process control and yield management systems industry, we believe that our protection of patent and other intellectual property rights is less important than factors such as our technological expertise, continuing development of new systems, market penetration, installed base and the ability to provide comprehensive support and service to customers.

        No assurance can be given that patents will be issued on any of our applications that license assignments will be made as anticipated or that our patents, licenses or other proprietary rights will be sufficiently broad to protect our technology. No assurance can be given that any patents issued to or licensed by us will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented or that the rights granted hereunder will provide us with a competitive advantage. In addition, there can be no assurance that we will be able to protect our technology or that competitors will not be able to independently develop similar or functionally competitive technology.

Employees

        As of June 30, 2003, we employed a total of approximately 4,900 persons. None of our employees are represented by a labor union. We have experienced no work stoppages and believe that our employee relations are good.

        Competition is intense in the recruiting of personnel in the semiconductor and semiconductor equipment industry. We believe that our future success will depend in part on our continued ability to hire and retain qualified management, marketing and technical employees.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Information regarding our principal properties at June 30, 2003 is set forth below:

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        We also lease office space for other, smaller sales and service offices in several locations throughout the world. Our operating leases expire at various times through June 30, 2012 with renewal options at the fair market value for additional periods up to five years. Additional information of these leases is incorporated by reference from Note 8 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements found under Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We believe our properties are adequately maintained and suitable for their intended use and that our production facilities have capacity adequate for our current needs.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

        We are named from time to time as a party to lawsuits in the normal course of our business. Litigation, in general, and intellectual property and securities litigation in particular, can be expensive and disruptive to normal business operations. Moreover, the results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict. We believe that we have defenses in each of the cases set forth below and are vigorously contesting each of these matters.

ADE Corporation

        On October 11, 2000, ADE Corporation (“ADE”), a competitor, filed a patent infringement lawsuit against us in the U.S. District Court in Delaware. ADE claimed damages and sought an injunction under U.S. Patent No. 6,118,525 (“'525 patent”). We filed a counterclaim in the same court alleging that ADE has infringed four of our patents. We are seeking damages and a permanent injunction against ADE. In addition, we are seeking a declaration from the District Court that ADE’s patent is invalid and not infringed by us. On October 22, 2001, we filed a separate action for declaratory judgment against ADE in the Northern District of California requesting a declaration that U.S. Patent No. 6,292,259 (“'259 patent”) is invalid and not infringed. That action has now been consolidated with the prior action in the Delaware proceeding, and ADE has amended its complaint in that proceeding to allege that we are infringing the ‘259 patent. On August 8, 2002, the magistrate presiding over the action issued a recommendation that the court enter summary judgment in our favor on the issue of non-infringement under ADE’s ‘525 patent. On the same day, the magistrate issued recommendations that the court enter summary judgment in favor of ADE on the issue of non-infringement of two of our patents. The district court judge subsequently substantially adopted the recommendations of the magistrate regarding claims construction.

Tokyo Seimitsu Co. Ltd.

        On June 27, 2001, we sued Tokyo Seimitsu Co. Ltd. and TSK America Inc. ("TSK"), a competitor, in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California alleging that TSK infringes on one of the Company's patents. The suit seeks damages and an injunction under U.S. Patent No. 4,805,123 ("`123 patent"). TSK filed a counterclaim in the same court seeking a declaration that the `123 patent is invalid, unenforceable and not infringed, and also alleged violations of the antitrust and unfair competition laws. The district court judge has entered a ruling that calls into question the validity of the patent in suit. We are examining remedies in connection with that determination.

        Although we cannot predict the outcome of these claims, we do not believe that any of these legal matters will have a material adverse effect on our financial position. Were an unfavorable ruling to occur in one or more of the pending claims, there exists a possibility of a material impact on our operating results for the period in which the ruling occurred.

ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

None.

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PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT'S COMMON STOCK AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

        KLA-Tencor’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market and is quoted on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol KLAC. The price per share reflected in the following table represents the range of high and low closing prices for our common stock on the NASDAQ National Market for the periods indicated.

        As of September 10, 2003, there were 1,008 stockholders of record of our common stock. We have never paid cash dividends to our stockholders and have no plans to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

Equity Compensation Plans

        The following table summarizes our stock option plans as of June 30, 2003:

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(1) In July 2003, an additional 5,750,290 shares were reserved for future issuance in accordance with the stock option plan's evergreen feature.
(2) Officers and directors are not eligible to receive options granted under this plan.

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

        The following tables reflect selected consolidated summary financial data for each of the last five fiscal years. This data should be read in conjunction with Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” and with Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The per share data shown below have been restated to reflect KLA-Tencor’s two-for-one stock dividend, effective January 19, 2000.

        Pro forma amounts for the periods beginning before July 1, 2000 have not been presented as the effect of the change in accounting principle could not be reasonably determined. See Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements found under Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

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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 should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements, which involve risk and uncertainties. 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. (See “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”)

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND THE USE OF ESTIMATES

        The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We based these estimates and assumptions on historical experience, and evaluate them on an on-going basis to ensure they remain reasonable under current conditions. Actual results could differ from those estimates. We discuss the development and selection of the critical accounting estimates with the audit committee of our board of directors on a quarterly basis, and the audit committee has reviewed the Company’s disclosure relating to them in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The items in our financial statements requiring significant estimates and judgments are as follows:

        Revenue Recognition We recognize revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the sale price is fixed or determinable, delivery has occurred or services rendered, and collectibility is reasonably assured. We changed our interpretation of “delivery” based on guidance provided in SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 101 (SAB 101) effective July 1, 2000. Prior to adoption of SAB 101, we generally recognized system revenue when title transferred to the customer (mostly upon shipment). System revenue includes hardware and software that is incidental to the product. We now generally recognize system revenue upon positive affirmation by the customer that the system has been installed and is operating according to pre-determined specifications. This positive affirmation is generally evidenced by an acceptance document signed by the customer. This change has the impact of prolonging the cycle time between order placement and revenue recognition. In limited cases, we allow for exceptions where we recognize system revenue upon shipment if acceptance is not required; however, these exceptions have accounted for approximately 3.1% and 2.5% of our revenue for the fiscal years ended 2003 and 2002. Shipping charges billed to customers are included in system revenue and the related shipping costs are included in cost of sales. (See Note 1 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements under “Revenue Recognition” for detailed description of exceptions.)

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        Revenue from software license fees is typically recognized upon shipment if collection of the resulting receivable is probable, the fee is fixed or determinable, and vendor-specific objective evidence exists to allocate a portion of the total fee to any undelivered elements of the arrangement. Such undelivered elements in these arrangements typically consist of services and/or upgrades. If vendor-specific objective evidence does not exist for the undelivered elements of the arrangement, all revenue is deferred until such evidence does exist, or until all elements are delivered, whichever is earlier. In instances where an arrangement to deliver software requires significant modification or customization, license fees are recognized under the percentage of completion method of contract accounting. Allowances are established for potential product returns and credit losses. To date, revenue from license fees have been less than 10% of total revenue.

        Spare parts revenue is recognized when the product has been shipped, risk of loss has passed to the customer and collection of the resulting receivable is probable.

        Service and maintenance revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the maintenance contract. If maintenance is included in an arrangement, which includes a software license agreement, amounts related to maintenance are allocated based on vendor specific objective evidence. Consulting and training revenue is recognized when the related services are performed.

        The deferred system profit balance as of June 30, 2003 was $177 million. This amount equals the amount of deferred system revenue that was invoiced and due on shipment and deferred under SAB 101 less applicable product and warranty costs. The deferred profit balance decreased from $194 million at June 30, 2002 primarily because shipments were lower than customer acceptance for which revenue was recognized during fiscal 2003.

        We also defer the fair value of non-standard warranty bundled with equipment sales as unearned revenue. Non-standard warranty includes services incremental to the standard 40-hour per week coverage for twelve months. Non-standard warranty is recognized ratably as revenue when the applicable warranty term period commences. The unearned revenue balance decreased to $48 million at June 30, 2003 from $55 million at June 30, 2002 primarily due to the increase in service revenue recognized from fiscal 2002 to fiscal 2003.

        Inventory Reserves We review the adequacy of our inventory reserves on a quarterly basis. For production inventory, our methodology involves matching our on-hand and on-order inventory with our build forecast over the next twelve months. We then evaluate the parts found to be in excess of the twelve-month demand and take appropriate reserves to reflect the risk of obsolescence. For spare parts inventory, we match our on-hand inventory against twenty-four months of usage. We then evaluate the parts in excess of the twenty-four month usage and take appropriate reserves to reflect risk of obsolescence. Both methodologies are significantly affected by the usage assumption. The longer the time period of estimated usage, the lower the reserves are required. Based on our past experience, we believe the twelve-month/twenty-four month time periods best reflect the reasonable and relative obsolescence risks. If actual demand or usage were to be substantially lower than estimated, additional inventory adjustments for excess or obsolete inventory may be required, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Inventory reserves, once established, are not reversed until the related inventory has been sold.

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        Allowance for Doubtful Accounts A majority of our trade receivables are derived from sales to large multinational semiconductor manufacturers throughout the world. In order to monitor potential credit losses, we perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers’ financial condition. An allowance for doubtful accounts is maintained for potential credit losses based upon our assessment of the expected collectibility of all accounts receivable. The allowance for doubtful accounts is reviewed periodically to assess the adequacy of the allowance. We take into consideration (1) any circumstances of which we are aware of a customer’s inability to meet its financial obligations; and (2) our judgments as to prevailing economic conditions in the industry and their impact on our customers. If circumstances change, and the financial condition of our customers were adversely affected resulting in their inability to meet their financial obligations to us, we may need to take additional allowances, which would result in a reduction of our net income.

        Warranty We provide standard warranty coverage on our systems for twelve months, providing labor and parts necessary to repair the systems during the warranty period. We account for the estimated warranty cost as a charge to cost of sales when revenue is recognized. The estimated warranty cost is based on historical product performance and field expenses. Utilizing actual service records, we calculate the average service hours and parts expense per system and apply the labor and overhead rates to determine the estimated warranty charge. We update these estimated charges every quarter. The actual product performance and/or field expense profiles may differ, and in those cases we adjust our warranty reserves accordingly. The difference between the estimated and actual warranty costs tends to be larger for new product introductions for which there is limited or no historical product performance on which to base the estimated warranty expense; more mature products with longer product performance histories tend to be more stable in our warranty charge estimates. Non-standard warranty generally includes services incremental to the standard 40-hour per week coverage for twelve months. Non-standard warranty is deferred as unearned revenue and is recognized ratably as revenue when the applicable warranty term period commences.

        Contingencies and Litigation We are currently named as a party to various legal proceedings, including those outlined in Part I, Item 3, “Legal Proceedings,” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. While we currently believe the ultimate outcome of these proceedings, both individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position but may adversely affect our quarterly operating results, the results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict. We would accrue the cost of an adverse judgment if, in our estimation, the adverse settlement is probable and we can reasonably estimate the ultimate cost to us. We have made no such accruals as of June 30, 2003.

        Income Taxes We account for income taxes in accordance with SFAS No. 109, “Accounting for Income Taxes,” which requires that deferred tax assets and liabilities be recognized using enacted tax rates for the effect of temporary differences between the book and tax bases of recorded assets and liabilities. SFAS No. 109 also requires that deferred tax assets be reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that a portion of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. We have determined that our future taxable income will be sufficient to recover all of our deferred tax assets. However, should there be a change in our ability to recover our deferred tax assets, we could be required to record a valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets. This would result in an increase to our tax provision in the period in which we determined that the recovery was not probable.

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        On a quarterly basis, we provide for income taxes based upon an annual effective income tax rate. The effective tax rate is highly dependent upon the geographic composition of worldwide earnings, tax regulations governing each region, availability of tax credits and the effectiveness of our tax planning strategies. We carefully monitor the changes in many factors and adjust our effective income tax rate on a timely basis. If actual results differ from these estimates, this could have a material effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Results of Operations

        During fiscal 2003 we continued to face a significant downturn in the semiconductor industry, which started in early calendar year 2001. In calendar year 2001, the demand for semiconductors dropped by approximately 32% and remained flat to slightly higher in calendar year 2002. Although new orders grew, quarter on quarter by approximately $21 million in the three months ended June 30, 2003, we are still cautious about the timing of a broad based turnaround in the growth of demand for semiconductors looking forward. Electronics industry analysts forecast semiconductor shipments for calendar year 2003 to grow over calendar year 2002.

        Over the longer term, we expect process control to continue to represent a higher percentage of our customers’ capital spending. We believe this increase in process control spending will be driven by the demand for more precise diagnostics capabilities to address multiple new defects as a result of further shrinking of device feature sizes, the transition to copper and other new materials, and the transition to new 300-millimeter fabs. We anticipate these factors will drive increased demand for our products and services when the semiconductor industry recovers.

        New system and service orders by region were as follows (in millions):

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        KLA-Tencor’s backlog for unshipped system orders as of June 30, 2003 was approximately $509 million, a majority of which we expect to ship over the next six to nine months. In addition, we have $351 million of SAB 101 deferred revenue that is related to products that have been delivered but are awaiting written acceptance from the customer.

Revenues and Gross Margin

        Product revenue in fiscal 2003 decreased $368 million, or 26% to $1.06 billion, from $1.43 billion in fiscal 2002. Product revenue decreased $479 million, or 25%, to $1.43 billion in fiscal 2002 from $1.91 billion in fiscal 2001. Product revenue declines were primarily from reduced capital spending by our customers as a result of a significant reduction in the demand for semiconductors over the last two years. In fiscal 2003, international product revenue increased slightly to 71% of revenue, from 69% in fiscal 2002, due to higher demand in Taiwan. In fiscal 2002, international product revenue increased slightly to 69% of revenue, from 67% in the prior year, due to higher demand in Japan and Western Europe, partially offset by lower demand in Taiwan.

        Service revenue is generated from maintenance service contracts, as well as time and material billable service calls made to our customers after the expiration of the warranty period. Service revenues were $263 million, $209 million, and $196 million in fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001 respectively. Service revenue continued to increase throughout the 3-year-period as our installed base of equipment at our customers’ sites continued to grow. The amount of service revenue generated is generally a function of the number of post-warranty systems installed at our customers’ sites and the degree of utilization of those systems.

        Gross margins as a percentage of revenues were 49%, 50% and 55% in fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. The decrease in fiscal 2003 compared to fiscal 2002 and fiscal 2002 compared to fiscal 2001 were primarily due to reduced capacity utilization, resulting from lower business volume and an increased percentage of revenue in the lower margin service business. Although gross margins fell below the 50% level in fiscal 2003, we have implemented plans for continued expense reductions aimed at bringing margins back above the 50% range even if industry conditions remain weak. Our plans for expense reduction include streamlining manufacturing costs through the use of common platforms, leveraging manufacturing procurement through consolidation of vendors and further expanding on outsourcing initiatives.

Engineering, Research and Development

        Net engineering, research and development expenses were $268 million, $287 million, and $356 million, or 20%, 18% and 17% of revenues in fiscal 2003, 2002, and 2001, respectively. The absolute dollars decreased in fiscal 2003, compared to fiscal 2002, due to engineering programs reaching certain milestones that resulted in reductions in labor and material expense, additional external funding and cost saving measures such as company mandated time-off and reduction in discretionary spending implemented over the last several quarters in response to the industry slow down. The dollars decreased in fiscal 2002, compared to fiscal 2001, primarily due to temporary shutdowns, management pay cuts, reductions in temporary labor and discretionary spending as well as other cost saving measures implemented over the last year. We expect our net engineering, research and development expenses to be flat to slightly up in absolute dollars as we make investments in critical programs focusing on new technologies and existing product enhancements.

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        Net engineering, research and development expenses were partially offset by $18 million, $14 million and $8 million in external funding received under certain strategic development programs conducted with several of our customers and government grants in fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively.

        Our future operating results will depend significantly on our ability to produce products and provide services that have a competitive advantage in our marketplace. To do this, we believe that we must continue to make substantial investments in our research and development efforts. We remain committed to product development in new and emerging technologies as we address the further shrinking of device feature sizes, the transition to copper and other new materials, and the transition to new 300-millimeter fabs. Our investments in new technology and existing product enhancements are intended to enable our customers to achieve a higher return on their capital investments and higher productivity through cost-effective, leading edge technology solutions.

Selling, General and Administrative

        Selling, general and administrative expenses were $254 million, $291 million and $354 million, or 19%, 18% and 17% of revenues, in fiscal 2003, 2002, and 2001, respectively. The absolute dollars for selling, general and administrative expenses decreased primarily due to company mandated time-off, reductions in labor and discretionary spending as well as other cost saving measures implemented over the last several quarters in response to the industry slowdown and the ongoing global economic weakness. We expect our selling, general and administrative expenses to be flat to slightly down in absolute dollars as we continue to realize the benefits from these cost saving measures.

Non-Recurring Acquisition, Restructuring and Other Charges

        The following is a summary of non-recurring acquisition, restructuring and other charges for the three fiscal years ending June 30:

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Restructuring and Other Charges

        In fiscal 2003, we structured certain of our operations to realign costs with planned business levels in light of the industry downturn. We classified restructuring costs into two main categories: facilities and other charges of $4.6 million and severance and benefits of $1.1 million. As part of the facilities consolidation, we exited several of our leased buildings and have included the remaining net book value of the related leasehold improvements as well as the future lease payments, net of anticipated sublease revenue, in the charge. Severance and benefit charges were related to the involuntary termination of approximately 70 personnel from manufacturing, engineering, sales, marketing, and administration in the United States, Japan and Europe. The restructuring actions taken in fiscal 2003 are proceeding as planned, with the termination of employees having been completed and the facilities related lease payments scheduled to be completed by the end of fiscal 2004. In addition, during the first fiscal quarter of 2003, we received $15.2 million as a second and final installment on the sale of software and intellectual property associated with our iSupport™ on-line customer support technology, which was netted against the above non-recurring charges, resulting in a reported net gain of $9.4 million

        In addition to the restructuring action, we also recorded severance charges totaling $10.9 million in operating expenses, throughout fiscal 2003, relating to a series of employee involuntary terminations. We believe that both these actions will result in annual reductions in costs of goods sold and operating expenses of approximately $60 million.

        In fiscal 2002, there were no restructuring charges. We recorded severance charges of $8.5 million in operating expenses relating to a series of employee involuntary terminations throughout fiscal 2002. This resulted in annual cost reductions in costs of goods sold and operating expenses of approximately $44 million. In fiscal 2001, in response to the downturn in the semiconductor industry, we implemented a restructuring plan to reduce spending. Charges related to the restructuring plan included: facilities of $4.7 million, severance and benefits of $1.6 million, and other costs of $1.0 million. Facilities related charges were associated with two of our leased office buildings that were vacated and included the remaining net book value of the related leasehold improvements as well as the future lease payments, net of anticipated sublease revenue in the charge. During fiscal 2001, we reduced our workforce by approximately 5%, primarily in the manufacturing areas and recorded severance charges related to these terminations. The restructuring actions taken in fiscal 2001 were substantially completed at the end of fiscal 2002. These restructuring actions resulted in annual reductions in cost of goods sold and operation expenses of approximately $18 million. In addition, during the fourth fiscal quarter of 2001, we sold software and intellectual property associated with its iSupport™ on-line customer support technology and recorded $10.0 million pretax, non-recurring income, which was netted with the other non-recurring charges.

        The following table shows the details of the facilities, severance and other restructuring costs accrual for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003:

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        The semiconductor equipment industry that we operate in is a highly cyclical industry. This cyclical nature affects our ability to accurately predict future revenue and, thus, future expense levels. We are currently in a down cycle, and if this current down cycle continues to linger or worsens, we may need to take appropriate actions to scale down operating expenses to even lower business levels.

Acquisitions

During fiscal years 2002 and 2001, we completed certain purchase acquisitions. The Consolidated Financial Statements include the operating results of each business from the date of acquisition. Pro forma results of operations have not been presented because the effects of these acquisitions were not material on either an individual or aggregate basis. For a period of up to twelve months from the acquisition date, we may change the original purchase price allocation for pre-acquisition uncertainties. After twelve months, we record the fair value of such reasonably estimable contingencies.

        The amounts allocated to in-process research and development (“in-process R&D”) were determined through established valuation techniques in the high-technology equipment industry and were expensed upon acquisition because technology feasibility had not been established and no future alternative uses existed. Amounts allocated to goodwill and purchased intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over periods not exceeding five years.

        A summary of purchase transactions is outlined as follows (in thousands):

(1) With the acquisition of QC Optics, we received certain intellectual property in laser-based inspection systems for the semiconductor, flat panel and computer hard disk manufacturing industries.
(2) KLA-Tencor acquired certain assets and technology of Phase Metrics, the leading supplier of inspection/certification products in the data storage industry.

        The difference between the purchase price and the goodwill, intangibles and in-process R&D represents amount allocated to the net tangible assets acquired. There was no deferred stock-based compensation for any of the acquisitions.

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Interest Income and Other, Net

        Interest income and other, net was $42 million, $43 million and $54 million in fiscal 2003, 2002, and 2001, respectively. Interest income and other, net is comprised primarily of interest income earned on the investment and cash portfolio, gains realized on sales of marketable securities and income recognized upon settlement of certain foreign currency contracts. The decrease in fiscal 2003 as compared to fiscal 2002 was primarily due to decreased interest income resulting from declining interest rates and an increase in foreign currency losses resulting from increased volatility in foreign exchange markets partially offset by an increase in realized gains on investments resulting from investment decisions which impacted the timing of realizing gains and losses for these investments. The decrease in fiscal 2002 as compared to fiscal 2001 was primarily due to decreased interest income resulting from declining interest rates.

Provision for Income Taxes

        KLA-Tencor’s effective income tax rate was 24%, 25% and 27% in fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. In general, our effective income tax rate differs from the statutory rate of 35% largely as a function of benefits realized from our Extraterritorial Income (“ETI”) exclusion, research and development tax credits and income derived from tax exempt interest.

        The overall reduction in our effective income tax rate from fiscal 2002 to fiscal 2003 of 1% is primarily the result of more R&D credit, more tax-exempt interest and less nondeductible losses relative to these same items as a percentage of pre-tax income in the prior fiscal year. These reductions were partially offset by more relative foreign tax expense. The overall reduction in our effective income tax rate from fiscal 2001 to fiscal 2002 of 2%, was the result of a combination of factors, most important of which, were more export sales benefits, more tax-exempt interest income and less state tax expense relative to these same items as a percentage of pre-tax income in fiscal 2001. These reductions were partially offset by more relative foreign tax expense.

        Our future effective income tax rate depends on various factors, such as tax legislation, the geographic composition of our pre-tax income, non tax deductible expenses incurred in connection with acquisitions, amounts of tax-exempt interest income and research and development credits as a percentage of aggregate pre-tax income, and the effectiveness of our tax planning strategies. There currently is pending legislation to repeal the existing export incentive provided by the United States Internal Revenue Code. If the legislation were enacted it would likely increase our effective rate in future periods.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

        Working capital was $1.16 billion as of June 30, 2003, compared to $932 million as of June 30, 2002. Cash, cash equivalents and short-term marketable securities at June 30, 2003 increased to $957 million from $673 million at June 30, 2002. In addition, we maintained $531 million and $660 million in marketable securities classified as long-term as of June 30, 2003 and 2002, respectively.

        KLA-Tencor has historically financed its operations through cash generated from operations. Cash provided by operating activities was $246 million, $270 million, and $408 million in fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities in fiscal 2003 compared to fiscal 2002 was primarily due to a decline in net income, increase in gains from sale of investments and other long-term assets partially offset by lower accounts receivable and inventory balances. Net income decreased in fiscal 2003 compared to fiscal 2002 primarily due to declining shipments, revenues and gross margins partially offset by decreased engineering, selling, general and administrative expenses associated with cost saving measures in response to the industry slowdown. Gains from the sale of investments increased due to investment decision regarding the timing of realizing gains and losses on these investments. Accounts receivable declined primarily due to strong collection efforts, as well as lower shipments. The reduction in inventory primarily occurred in production inventory, where stringent processes have been put in place for managing material procurement. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities in fiscal 2002 compared to fiscal 2001 was primarily due to decreased income before the cumulative effect of accounting change and lower accounts payable, partially offset by lower accounts receivable and inventory balances. Income before cumulative effect of accounting change decreased in fiscal 2002, compared to fiscal 2001, primarily due to declining shipments, revenues and gross margins partially offset by decreased engineering, selling, general and administrative expenses associated with cost saving measures in response to the industry slowdown. Accounts payable shrank due to decreased expenditures and lower incoming invoices. Accounts receivable declined primarily due to strong collection efforts, as well as lower shipments. The reduction in inventory was driven primarily in production inventory, where stringent processes have been put in place for managing material procurement.

        We have agreements with two Japanese institutions to sell without recourse certain of our trade receivables and promissory notes. During fiscal 2003 we sold $99 million and during 2002 we sold $98 million of trade notes and accounts receivable from Japanese customers, under these arrangements. At June 30, 2003 and 2002, $27 million and $48 million, respectively, of these receivables and notes were outstanding, which have not been included in our consolidated balance sheet as the criteria for sale treatment established by SFAS 140 have been met. Under SFAS 140, after a transfer of financial assets, an entity derecognizes financial assets when control has been surrendered, and derecognizes liabilities when extinguished. The total amount available under the facilities is the Japanese yen equivalent of $92 million based upon exchange rates as of June 30, 2003. We do not believe we are materially at risk for any losses as a result of these agreements.

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        Cash used in investing activities was $99 million, $362 million and $295 million in fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. Investing activities typically consist of purchases and sales or maturities of marketable securities, purchases of capital assets to support long-term growth and acquisitions of technology or other companies to allow access to new market segments or emerging technologies. Additions of capital assets during fiscal 2003 consisted mainly of the purchase of certain of our leased buildings in November 2002 compared to fiscal 2002 additions that consisted mainly of the planned completion of our Livermore facilities.

        We generated $27 million of cash from financing activities in fiscal 2003 compared with $9 million and $58 million of cash used in financing activities in fiscal 2002 and 2001, respectively. Financing activities typically include sales and repurchases of our common stock, as well as borrowings and repayments of debt. Issuance of common stock, net of repurchases, provided $27 million in fiscal 2003. Repurchases of common stock, net of issuance, used $8 million and $60 million in fiscal 2002 and fiscal 2001, respectively.

        We have adopted a plan for the systematic repurchase of shares of our common stock in the open market to reduce the dilution created by our stock-based employee benefit and incentive plans. Since the inception of the repurchase program in 1997 through June 30, 2003 our Board of Directors has authorized KLA-Tencor to repurchase a total of 17.8 million shares, including 5 million shares authorized in October 2002. In fiscal 2003, we repurchased 1,972,000 shares of our common stock at an average price of $33.42 per share, for a total of $66 million. In fiscal 2002, we repurchased 3,341,000 shares of our common stock at an average price of $36.89 per share, for a total of $123 million. In fiscal 2001, we repurchased 4,580,000 shares of our common stock at an average price of $33.54 per share, for a total of $154 million. Since the inception of the repurchase program in 1997 through June 30, 2003, we have repurchased a total of 13,321,000 shares at an average price of $32.70 per share, with an additional 4.5 million shares available for repurchase under the plan. All repurchased shares remain as treasury shares.

        Certain of our leased facilities qualify for operating lease accounting treatment under SFAS 13, “Accounting for Leases,” and, as such, the facilities are not included on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. The lease agreement for certain Milpitas and San Jose, California facilities had a term of five years ending in November 2002, with an option to extend up to two more years. Under the terms of the lease, we, at our option, could acquire the properties at their original cost or arrange for the properties to be acquired. In November 2002, we purchased these facilities at the end of the lease term. The purchase transaction increased land and property by approximately $120 million and decreased cash by the same amount.

        At June 30, 2003, our principal sources of liquidity consisted of $1.49 billion of cash, cash equivalents, and investments. Our liquidity is affected by many factors, some of which are based on the normal ongoing operations of the business, and others of which relate to the uncertainties of global economies and the semiconductor and the semiconductor equipment industries. Although cash requirements will fluctuate based on the timing and extent of these factors, our management believes that cash generated from operations, together with the liquidity provided by existing cash balances, will be sufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements for the next twelve months.

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        The following is a schedule summarizing our significant operating lease commitments as of June 30, 2003 (in millions):

        Additionally, we maintain certain open inventory purchase commitments with our suppliers to ensure a smooth and continuous supply chain for key components. Our liability in these purchase commitments is generally restricted to a forecasted time-horizon as mutually agreed upon between the parties. This forecast time-horizon can vary amongst different suppliers. As such, it is difficult to accurately report our true open commitments at any particular point in time. However, we estimate our open inventory purchase commitment as of June 30, 2003 to be no more than $42 million.

FACTORS AFFECTING RESULTS, INCLUDING RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES

Fluctuations in Operating Results and Stock Price

        Our operating results have varied widely in the past, and our future operating results will continue to be subject to quarterly variations based upon numerous factors, including those listed in this section and throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition, future operating results may not follow any past trends. We believe the factors that could make our results fluctuate and difficult to predict include:

   o   global economic uncertainty;
   o   the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry;
   o   changing international economic conditions;
   o   competitive pressure;
   o   our ability to develop and implement new technologies and introduce new products;
   o   our ability to manage our manufacturing requirements;
   o   our ability to protect our intellectual property;
   o   our ability to attract, retain, and replace key employees;
   o   worldwide political instability; and
   o   earthquake and other uninsured risks.

        Operating results also could be affected by sudden changes in customer requirements, currency exchange rate fluctuations and other economic conditions affecting customer demand and the cost of operations in one or more of the global markets in which we do business. As a result of these or other factors, we could fail to achieve our expectations as to future revenue, gross profit and income from operations. Our failure to meet the performance expectations set and published by external sources could result in a sudden and significant drop in the price of our stock, particularly on a short-term basis, and could negatively affect the value of any investment in our stock.

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Global Economic Uncertainty

        Our business is ultimately driven by the global demand for electronic devices by consumers and businesses. This end-user demand has been significantly depressed over the last few quarters and there has been very limited visibility as to the timing of turnaround in demand growth and from which sector this growth will come. A protracted global economic slowdown will continue to exacerbate this issue and may adversely affect our business and results of operation.

Semiconductor Equipment Industry Volatility

        The semiconductor equipment industry is highly cyclical. The purchasing decisions of our customers are highly dependent on the economies of both the local markets in which they are located and the semiconductor industry worldwide. The timing, length and severity of the up-and-down cycles in the semiconductor equipment industry are difficult to predict. This cyclical nature of the industry in which we operate affects our ability to accurately predict future revenue and, thus, future expense levels. When cyclical fluctuations result in lower than expected revenue levels, operating results may be adversely affected and cost reduction measures may be necessary in order for us to remain competitive and financially sound. During a down cycle, we must be in a position to adjust our cost and expense structure to prevailing market conditions and to continue to motivate and retain our key employees. In addition, during periods of rapid growth, we must be able to increase manufacturing capacity and personnel to meet customer demand. We can provide no assurance that these objectives can be met in a timely manner in response to industry cycles. If we fail to respond to industry cycles, our business could be seriously harmed.

        We are currently in an industry down cycle. We are not able to predict when the semiconductor industry will recover. During a down cycle, the semiconductor industry typically experiences excess production capacity that causes semiconductor manufacturers to decrease capital spending. We generally do not have long-term volume production contracts with our customers, and we do not control the timing or volume of orders placed by our customers. Whether and to what extent our customers place orders for any specific products, as well as the mix and quantities of products included in those orders, are factors beyond our control. Insufficient orders, especially in our down cycles, will result in under-utilization of our manufacturing facilities and infrastructure and will negatively affect our operating results and financial condition.

International Trade and Economic Conditions

        We serve an increasingly global market. A majority of our annual revenue is derived from outside the United States, and we expect that international revenue will continue to represent a substantial percentage of our revenue. Our international revenue and operations are affected by economic conditions specific to each country and region. Because of our significant dependence on international revenue, a decline in the economies of any of the countries or regions in which we do business could negatively affect our operating results.

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        Managing global operations and sites located throughout the world presents challenges associated with, among other things, cultural diversity and organizational alignment. Moreover, each region in the global semiconductor equipment market exhibits unique characteristics that can cause capital equipment investment patterns to vary significantly from period to period. Periodic local or international economic downturns, trade balance issues, political instability in regions where we have operations, such as Israel, and fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates could negatively affect our business and results of operations. Although we attempt to manage near-term currency risks through the use of hedging instruments, there can be no assurance that such efforts will be adequate. In addition, our ability to address normal business transaction issues in Asia is at risk due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in Asia, which has resulted in management’s decision to limit travel to Asia in accordance with the World Health Organization’s recommendations.

Competition

        Our industry includes large manufacturers with substantial resources to support customers worldwide. Our future performance depends, in part, upon our ability to continue to compete successfully worldwide. Some of our competitors are diversified companies with greater financial resources and more extensive research, engineering, manufacturing, marketing and customer service and support capabilities than we can provide. We face competition from companies whose strategy is to provide a broad array of products and services, some of which compete with the products and service that we offer. These competitors may bundle their products in a manner that may discourage customers from purchasing our products. In addition, we face competition from smaller emerging semiconductor equipment companies whose strategy is to provide a portion of the products and services, which we offer, using innovative technology to sell products into specialized markets. Loss of competitive position could negatively affect our prices, customer orders, revenue, gross margin, and market share, any of which would negatively affect our operating results and financial condition. Our failure to compete successfully with these other companies would seriously harm our business.

Technological Change and Customer Requirements

        Success in the semiconductor equipment industry depends, in part, on continual improvement of existing technologies and rapid innovation of new solutions. For example, the semiconductor industry continues to shrink the size of semiconductor devices, transition to copper and other new materials, and transition to new 300-millimeter fabs. While we expect these trends will increase our customers’ reliance on our diagnostic products, we cannot ensure that they will directly improve our business. These and other evolving customer needs require us to respond with continued development programs and to cut back or discontinue older programs, which may no longer have industry-wide support. Technical innovations are inherently complex and require long development cycles and appropriate professional staffing. Our competitive advantage and future business success depend on our ability to accurately predict evolving industry standards, to develop and introduce new products which successfully address changing customer needs, to win market acceptance of these new products and to manufacture these new products in a timely and cost-effective manner. If we do not develop and introduce new products and technologies in a timely manner in response to changing market conditions or customer requirements, our business could be seriously harmed.

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        In this environment, we must continue to make significant investments in research and development in order to enhance the performance and functionality of our products, to keep pace with competitive products and to satisfy customer demands for improved performance, features and functionality. There can be no assurance that revenue from future products or product enhancements will be sufficient to recover the development costs associated with such products or enhancements or that we will be able to secure the financial resources necessary to fund future development. Substantial research and development costs typically are incurred before we confirm the technical feasibility and commercial viability of a product, and not all development activities result in commercially viable products. In addition, we cannot ensure that these products or enhancements will receive market acceptance or that we will be able to sell these products at prices that are favorable to us. Our business will be seriously harmed if we are unable to sell our products at favorable prices or if the market in which we operate does not accept our products.

Key Suppliers

        We use a wide range of materials in the production of our products, including custom electronic and mechanical components, and we use numerous suppliers to supply these materials. We generally do not have guaranteed supply arrangements with our suppliers. Because of the variability and uniqueness of customers’ orders, we do not maintain an extensive inventory of materials for manufacturing. We seek to minimize the risk of production and service interruptions and/or shortages of key parts by selecting and qualifying alternative suppliers for key parts, monitoring the financial stability of key suppliers and maintaining appropriate inventories of key parts. Although we make reasonable efforts to ensure that parts are available from multiple suppliers, key parts may be available only from a single supplier or a limited group of suppliers. Our business would be harmed if we do not receive sufficient parts to meet our production requirements in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Manufacturing Disruption

        Most of our manufacturing facilities are located in the United States, with a small operation located in Israel. Operations at our manufacturing facilities and our assembly subcontractors are subject to disruption for a variety of reasons, including work stoppages, acts of war, terrorism, fire, earthquake, energy shortages, flooding or other natural disasters. Such disruption could cause delays in shipments of products to our customers. We cannot ensure that alternate production capacity would be available if a major disruption were to occur or that, if it were available, it could be obtained on favorable terms. Such disruption could result in cancellation of orders or loss of customers and could seriously harm our business.

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Intellectual Property Obsolescence and Infringement

        Our success is dependent in part on our technology and other proprietary rights. We own various United States and international patents and have additional pending patent applications relating to some of our products and technologies. The process of seeking patent protection is lengthy and expensive, and we cannot be certain that pending or future applications will actually result in issued patents or that issued patents will be of sufficient scope or strength to provide meaningful protection or commercial advantage to us. Other companies and individuals, including our larger competitors, may develop technologies and obtain patents relating to our technology that are similar or superior to our technology or may design around the patents we own, adversely affecting our business.

        We also maintain trademarks on certain of our products and services and claim copyright protection for certain proprietary software and documentation. However, we can give no assurance that our trademarks and copyrights will be upheld or successfully deter infringement by third parties.

        While patent, copyright and trademark protection for our intellectual property is important, we believe our future success in highly dynamic markets is most dependent upon the technical competence and creative skills of our personnel. We attempt to protect our trade secrets and other proprietary information through confidentiality and other agreements with our customers, suppliers, employees and consultants and through other security measures. We also maintain exclusive and non-exclusive licenses with third parties for strategic technology used in certain products. However, these employees, consultants and third parties may breach these agreements and we may not have adequate remedies for wrongdoing. In addition, the laws of certain territories in which we develop, manufacture or sell our products may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States.

        As is typical in the semiconductor equipment industry, from time to time we have received communications from other parties asserting the existence of patent rights, copyrights, trademark rights or other intellectual property rights which they believe cover certain of our products, processes, technologies or information. Our customary practice is to evaluate such assertions and to consider whether to seek licenses where appropriate. However, we cannot ensure that licenses can be obtained or, if obtained, will be on acceptable terms or that costly litigation or other administrative proceedings will not occur. The inability to obtain necessary licenses or other rights on reasonable terms could seriously harm our operating results and financial condition.

Key Employees

        Our employees are vital to our success, and our key management, engineering and other employees are difficult to replace. We generally do not have employment contracts with our key employees. Further, we do not maintain key person life insurance on any of our employees. The expansion of high technology companies worldwide has increased demand and competition for qualified personnel. If we are unable to retain key personnel, or if we are not able to attract, assimilate or retain additional highly qualified employees to meet our needs in the future, our business and operations could be harmed. These factors could seriously harm our business.

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Acquisitions

        In addition to our efforts to develop new technologies from internal sources, we also seek to acquire new technologies from external sources. As part of this effort, we may make acquisitions of, or significant investments in, businesses with complementary products, services and/or technologies. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including management issues and costs in connection with the integration of the operations and personnel, technologies and products of the acquired companies, the possible write-downs of impaired assets, and the potential loss of key employees of the acquired companies. The inability to manage these risks effectively could seriously harm our business.

Litigation

        From time to time we are involved in litigation of various types, including litigation that alleges infringement of intellectual property rights and other claims. Litigation tends to be expensive and requires significant management time and attention and could have a negative effect on our results of operations or business if we lose or have to settle a case on significantly adverse terms. If we lose in a dispute concerning intellectual property, a court could require us to pay substantial damages and/or royalties or could issue an injunction prohibiting us from using essential technologies. For these and other reasons, this type of litigation could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, although we may seek to obtain a license under a third party’s intellectual property rights in order to bring an end to certain claims or actions asserted against us, we may not be able to obtain such a license on reasonable terms or at all.

Terrorism and Political Instability

        The threat of terrorism targeted at the regions of the world in which we do business, including the United States, increases the uncertainty in our markets and may delay any recovery in the general economy. Any delay in the recovery of the economy and the semiconductor industry could seriously impact our business.

        Increased international political instability, as demonstrated by the September 2001 terrorist attacks, disruption in air transportation and further enhanced security measures as a result of the terrorist attacks, and the continuing instability in the Middle East, may hinder our ability to do business and may increase our costs of operations. Such continuing instability could cause us to incur increased costs in transportation, make such transportation unreliable, increase our insurance costs, and cause international currency markets to fluctuate. This same instability could have the same effects on our suppliers and their ability to timely deliver their products. If this international political instability continues or increases, our business and results of operations could be harmed.

Earthquake and other uninsured risks

        We purchase insurance to help mitigate the economic impact of certain insurable risks, however, certain other risks that are uninsurable or are insurable only at significant costs are not mitigated via insurance. An earthquake could significantly disrupt our manufacturing operations, most of which are conducted in California. It could also significantly delay our research and engineering effort on new products, most of which is also conducted in California. We take steps to minimize the damage that would be caused by an earthquake, but there is no certainty that our efforts will prove successful in the event of an earthquake. We self insure earthquake risks because we believe this is the prudent financial decision based on our large cash reserves and the high cost and limited coverage available in the earthquake insurance market. Certain other risks are also self insured either based on a similar cost benefit analysis, or based on the unavailability of insurance. If one or more of the uninsured events occur, we could suffer major financial loss.

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Effects of Recent Accounting Pronouncements

        We have adopted Statement No. 143, (“SFAS 143”) “Accounting for Obligations Associated with the Retirement of Long-Lived Assets” and Statement No. 144 (“SFAS 144”) “Accounting for the Impairment of Disposal of Long-Lived Assets.” SFAS 143 establishes accounting standards for the recognition and measurement of an asset retirement obligation and its associated asset retirement cost. It also provides guidance for legal obligations associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets. SFAS 144 establishes a single accounting model for the impairment or disposal of long-lived assets, including discontinued operations. Adoption of these pronouncements did not have a significant effect on our consolidated financial statements.

        In June 2002, the FASB issued Statement No. 146 (“SFAS 146”), “Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities.” SFAS 146 addresses financial accounting and reporting for costs associated with exit or disposal activities, and nullifies Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) Issue No. 94-3, Liabilities Recognition for Certain Employee Termination Benefits and Other Costs to Exit an Activity (including Certain Costs Incurred in a Restructuring). This Statement requires that a liability for costs associated with an exit or disposal activity be recognized and measured initially at fair value only when the liability is incurred. SFAS 146 will be effective for exit or disposal activities that are initiated after March 31, 2003. The standard will in certain circumstances change the timing of recognition of restructuring costs.

        In November 2002, EITF reached a consensus on Issue No. 00-21, “Accounting for Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables.” This issue addresses determination of whether an arrangement involving more than one deliverable contains more than one unit of accounting and how arrangement consideration should be measured and allocated to the separate units of accounting. EITF Issue No. 00-21 will be effective for revenue arrangements entered into in fiscal periods beginning after June 15, 2003 or we may elect to report the change in accounting as a cumulative-effect adjustment. We are reviewing EITF Issue No. 00-21 and have not yet determined the impact this issue will have on our consolidated operating results and financial position.

        In December 2002, FASB issued SFAS 148, an Amendment of SFAS 123. This Statement amends SFAS 123, to provide alternative methods of transition for an entity that voluntarily changes to the fair value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. It also amends the disclosure provisions of that Statement to require prominent disclosure about the effects on reported net income of an entity’s accounting policy decisions with respect to stock-based employee compensation. Finally, this Statement amends APB Opinion No. 28, Interim Financial Reporting, to require disclosure about those effects in interim financial information. Since we are continuing to account for stock- based compensation according to APB 25, our adoption of SFAS 148 requires us to provide prominent disclosures about the effects of SFAS 123 on reported income and requires us to disclose these affects in our interim consolidated financial statements as well. SFAS 148 was effective for interim fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2002. Adoption of this standard had no material impact on our consolidated operating results and financial position.

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        In January 2003, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 46 (“FIN 46”), “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities,” an Interpretation of ARB No. 51.  FIN 46 requires certain variable interest entities to be consolidated by the primary beneficiary of the entity if the equity investors in the entity do not have the characteristics of a controlling financial interest or do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties. FIN 46 is effective immediately for all new variable interest entities created or acquired after January 31, 2003. For variable interest entities created or acquired prior to February 1, 2003, the provisions of FIN 46 must be applied for the first interim or annual period beginning after June 15, 2003.  We believe that although the adoption of this standard will result in consolidation of certain entities, it will have no material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

        In April 2003, the FASB issued Statement No. 149 (“SFAS No. 149”), “Amendment of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities.” SFAS No. 149 amends and clarifies financial accounting and reporting for derivative instruments by requiring that contracts with comparable characteristics be accounted for similarly. In particular, this statement clarifies the circumstances under which a contract with an initial net investment meets the characteristics of a derivative, clarifies when a derivative contains a financing component, amends the definition of an underlying to conform it to the language used in FIN 45, “Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others,” and amends certain other existing pronouncements. The provisions of SFAS No. 149, which were not already applied under an Implementation Issue, are effective for contracts entered into or modified after June 30, 2003. We believe that the adoption of this standard will not have a material impact on our consolidated balance sheet or statement of operations.

        In May 2003, the FASB issued Statement No. 150 (“SFAS No. 150”), “Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity.” SFAS No. 150 establishes standards for classification and measurement of certain financial instruments with characteristics of both liabilities and equity. It requires financial instruments within its scope to be classified as a liability (or an asset in some circumstances). Many of those financial instruments were previously classified as equity. SFAS No. 150 is effective for financial instruments entered into or modified after May 31, 2003. For financial instruments created before and still existing as of the issuance of this statement, a cumulative effect of change in accounting principle shall be reported upon implementation in the first interim period beginning after June 15, 2003. We believe that the adoption of this standard will not have a material impact on our consolidated balance sheet or statement of operations.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURE ABOUT MARKET RISK

        We are exposed to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and marketable equity security prices. To mitigate these risks, we utilize derivative financial instruments. We do not use derivative financial instruments for speculative or trading purposes. All of the potential changes noted below are based on sensitivity analyses performed on our financial position at June 30, 2003. Actual results may differ materially.

        At the end of fiscal 2003, we had an investment portfolio of fixed income securities of $858 million, excluding those classified as cash and cash equivalents (detail of these securities is included in Note 4 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements found under Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K). These securities, as with all fixed income instruments, are subject to interest rate risk and will fall in value if market interest rates increase. If market interest rates were to increase immediately and uniformly by 10% from levels as of June 30, 2003, the fair value of the portfolio would have declined by $1 million.

        As of June 30, 2003, we had net forward contracts to sell $56 million in foreign currency in order to hedge currency exposures (detail of these contracts is incorporated by reference from Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under “Derivative Instruments.” If we had entered into these contracts on June 30, 2003, the U.S. dollar equivalent would be $55 million. A 10% adverse move in all currency exchange rates affecting the contracts would decrease the fair value of the contracts by $23 million. However, if this occurred, the fair value of the underlying exposures hedged by the contracts would increase by a similar amount. Accordingly, we believe that the hedging of our foreign currency exposure should have no material impact on income or cash flows.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

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KLA-Tencor CorporationConsolidated
Balance Sheets

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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KLA-Tencor CorporationConsolidated
Statements of Operations

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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KLA-Tencor Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity