*****NEWS*****
Ultratech awarded multi-million dollar follow-on order from Motorola for lithography systems; Model 1500 steppers to be used to manufacture micromachining devices
Wednesday, April 30, 1997 5:48 AM
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 30, 1997--Ultratech Stepper Inc. (NASDAQ: UTEK), a leading supplier of photolithography systems used to manufacture semiconductors, micromachining devices and thin film heads (TFHs) for disk drives, today announced that Motorola's MEMS I facility (Phoenix, Ariz.) has placed a multi-million dollar follow-on order for three Ultratech Model 1500 steppers.
Replacing older technology scanning projection aligners, the new systems will be used to manufacture advanced micromachining devices and are expected to improve the fab's production line capacity.
Motorola will use the new Ultratech Model 1500 systems to create lateral X/Y accelerometers, which ultimately produce advanced airbag deployment devices for the automotive industry. Demetre Kondylis, fab manager for Motorola's MEMS I facility, noted, "We selected the Ultratech systems based on their production-proven performance across a large number of Motorola fabs, as well as our experience with Ultratech's service and support team. The Model 1500 gives us the best of both worlds -- advanced throughput and resolution capabilities as well as low cost of ownership," said Kondylis.
The micromachining process involves the fabrication of minute mechanical, electromechanical and optical devices for a number of end-user markets such as automotive, health care and process control. According to the SPCMCMS Market Study conducted by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), micromachining devices comprise a market which is projected to grow from $2.1 billion to $14 billion by the year 2000. The Model 1500 is one in a series of lithography systems Ultratech offers to this industry.
According to Ultratech's senior vice president of Sales, Service and Marketing, Daniel Berry, the demand for automotive accelerometers, as well as pressure and temperature control sensors, is contributing to Ultratech's increased penetration of the micromachining industry. "The Model 1500 offers resolution down to 0.8 micron, with excellent depth of focus, alignment and critical dimension (CD) control capabilities. These features make it an ideal tool for Motorola to maintain a competitive edge in this growing market, where geometry sizes continue to drop and requirements for alignment and CD control steadily tighten," stated Berry.
In addition to micromachining, the Model 1500 addresses a wide range of lithography applications, including application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), low cost ICs, charge coupled devices (CCDs) and scanner replacements. Two system configuration options -- 1.0 micron and 0.8 micron resolution -- allow customization of the tool to meet chipmakers' specific needs. Combining reliability and throughput with low reticle costs, the Ultratech Model 1500 is designed to offer low cost of ownership to manufacturers.
Delivery of the systems began in the fourth fiscal quarter of 1996.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this news release that may be considered forward-looking statements may be subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those projected, including uncertainties in the market, the timely development and acceptance of new products and upgrades, pricing competition, procurement and manufacturing efficiencies, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's SEC reports. The company assumes no obligation to update the information in this release.
About Motorola
Motorola is one of the world's leading providers of electronic equipment, systems, components and services for global markets. The company's products include two-way radios, pagers and telepoint systems, cellular telephone systems, semiconductors, defense and aerospace electronics, automotive and industrial electronic equipment, computers, data communications, and information processing and handling equipment.
About Ultratech
Founded in 1979, Ultratech Stepper Inc. designs, manufactures and markets photolithography steppers used worldwide in the fabrication of semiconductors, micromachining devices and thin film heads for disk drives. The company produces products that substantially reduce the cost of ownership for manufacturers in the electronics industry. Ultratech's common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol UTEK.
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