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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
26, 1997 (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 11th day of December,
1997.
 

                                               
/s/ MICHAEL H. ARMACOST                           /s/ ALFRED J. STEIN
- ---------------------------------------------     --------------------------------------------
Michael H. Armacost                               Alfred J. Stein
Director                                          Director
 
/s/ DEBORAH A. COLEMAN                            /s/ JAMES C. MORGAN
- ---------------------------------------------     --------------------------------------------
Deborah A. Coleman                                James C. Morgan
Director                                          Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and
                                                  Director
                                                  (Principal Executive Officer)
 
/s/ HERBERT M. DWIGHT, JR.                        /s/ DAN MAYDAN
- ---------------------------------------------     --------------------------------------------
Herbert M. Dwight, Jr.                            Dan Maydan
Director                                          President and Director
 
/s/ PHILIP V. GERDINE                             /s/ GERALD F. TAYLOR
- ---------------------------------------------     --------------------------------------------
Philip V. Gerdine                                 Senior Vice President and Chief Financial
Director                                          Officer (Principal Financial Officer)
 
/s/ TSUYOSHI KAWANISHI                            /s/ MICHAEL K. O'FARRELL
- ---------------------------------------------     --------------------------------------------
Tsuyoshi Kawanishi                                Michael K. O'Farrell
Director                                          Vice President and Corporate Controller
                                                  (Principal Accounting Officer)
 
/s/ PAUL R. LOW
- ---------------------------------------------
Paul R. Low
Director