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                                                                      Exhibit 24

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

         The undersigned directors and officers of Applied Materials, Inc., a
Delaware corporation (the "Company") hereby constitute and appoint James C.
Morgan and Gerald F. Taylor, and each of them with full power to act without the
other, the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of
substitution and resubstitution, for the undersigned and in the undersigned's
name, place and stead in the undersigned's capacity as an officer and/or
director of the Company, to execute in the name and on behalf of the undersigned
an annual report of the Company on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October
29, 1995 (the "Report"), under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, and to file such Report, with exhibits thereto and other documents in
connection therewith and any and all amendments thereto, with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact, and each of them,
full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing
necessary or desirable to be done and to take any other action of any type
whatsoever in connection with the foregoing which, in the opinion of such
attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit to, in the best interest of, or legally
required of, the undersigned, it being understood that the documents executed by
such attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this Power of
Attorney shall be in such form and shall contain such terms and conditions as
such attorney-in-fact may approve in such attorney-in-fact's discretion.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of
December, 1995.
/s/ MICHAEL H. ARMACOST                        /s/ ALFRED J. STEIN
- -------------------------------------          ---------------------------------
Michael H. Armacost                            Alfred J. Stein
Director                                       Director

/s/ HERBERT M. DWIGHT, JR.                     /s/ JAMES C. MORGAN
- -------------------------------------          ---------------------------------
Herbert M. Dwight, Jr.                         James C. Morgan
Director                                       Chairman, Chief Executive Officer
                                               and Director (Principal Executive
                                               Officer)

/s/ GEORGE B. FARNSWORTH                       /s/ JAMES W. BAGLEY
- -------------------------------------          ---------------------------------
George B. Farnsworth                           James W. Bagley
Director                                       Vice Chairman and Director

/s/ PHILIP V. GERDINE                          /s/ DAN MAYDAN
- -------------------------------------          ---------------------------------
Philip V. Gerdine                              Dan Maydan
Director                                       President and Director

/s/ TSUYOSHI KAWANISHI                         /s/ GERALD F. TAYLOR
- -------------------------------------          ---------------------------------
Tsuyoshi Kawanishi                             Gerald F. Taylor
Director                                       Senior Vice President and Chief 
                                               Financial Officer (Principal 
                                               Financial Officer)

/s/ PAUL R. LOW                                /s/ MICHAEL K. O'FARRELL
- -------------------------------------          ---------------------------------
Paul R. Low                                    Michael K. O'Farrell
Director                                       Corporate Controller (Principal 
                                               Accounting Officer)


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