A T M I EXPANDS SPECIALTY EPITAXIAL FOUNDRY SERVICES TO TAIWAN
Qualifying Wafer Specs for Taiwan Customers
DANBURY, CT -- December 8, 2000 -- ATMI, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATMI) today
announced the expansion of its Epitaxial Services business into the Taiwan
and Asia-Pacific semiconductor regions. To further enhance customer
service, ATMI is in the final planning stages to build a local,
Taiwan-based, epitaxial services facility on a fast-track. ATMI is now
qualifying wafer specifications for major Taiwan customers at its Mesa,
Arizona service facility. James Huang, formerly of MEMC Electronic
Materials, Inc. joins ATMI's Epitaxial Services as Vice President for Asian
Operations.
Doug Neugold, President of ATMI, said, "ATMI's sales to Asia are
expanding even faster than the rate the region's semiconductor companies
are growing. Our foundry customers are experts in understanding the value
and benefit from targeted outsourcing. We believe we are the top epi
outsource facility in North America because of our high yields, top
quality, and fast turnaround. Our epi outsourcing model is readily
transferable around the globe. We are excited to be announcing these first
steps toward duplicating ATMI's success for our customers in Asia."
Phil Yin, President of ATMI Services, said, "Taiwan's major foundries
are expanding their product focus beyond older CMOS into BiCMOS
technologies. They understand the need for a high-quality epi service that
provides the special skills needed for Bipolar, BiCMOS, SiGe, and
GaAs-based applications. ATMI's Epitaxial Services offers them the
knowledge and expertise they need, with the confidence they require for
consistent high quality results with high yield."
James Huang will be responsible for business development, marketing,
and selling of ATMI's Epitaxial Services to customers in Japan, Korea,
Taiwan, China, and Southeastern Asia. Before joining ATMI Services, Mr.
Huang was Sales and Marketing Director, Southeastern Asia, for MEMC
Electronic Materials, Inc. He has 14 years' sales & marketing experience in
the semiconductor industry.
About Epitaxial Technology
An epitaxial film - epi - is a layer of single crystal semiconductor,
seeded from a substrate's (wafer's) crystalline structure, which offers
advanced features that differentiate it from the substrate wafer.
Epi allows for novel structures such as high resistivity layers over
heavily doped buried layers, for dopants to be incorporated into the epi
layers, and for freedom of contaminants within the epi layers.
These epi advantages make it an essential step in the fabrication of
CMOS, BiCMOS, and analog and power devices. Device manufacturers are able
to manipulate and tightly control the dopant concentration of device
structures, which can result in a tenfold increase in yield during the
manufacturing process.
ATMI provides specialty materials, and related equipment systems and
services for the worldwide semiconductor industry. Related equipment
includes delivery, treatment, monitoring, and analytical process monitoring
systems. Services include material management, equipment servicing, and
thin film wafer deposition.
Semiconductor Lingo:
CMOS = Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
BiCMOS = Bipolar Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor; helps
wireless and Internet backbone device applications operate faster with
better performance than CMOS devices.
Epi = Epitaxy; creating a more electrically "perfect" layer to improve
performance of subsequent layers.
Foundry = Outsourcing production; a chip manufacturing plant that
produces chips for many customers, using the customers' designs.
GaAs = Gallium arsenide; used mostly for wireless communications, it
helps to produce higher performance transistors than silicon can.
SiGe = Silicon Germanium; a newer technology which adds germanium to
help produce faster transistors.
Statements which are not historical information are forward looking,
and involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: changes
in semiconductor industry growth or ATMI's markets; competition, problems,
or delays developing and commercializing new products; problems or delays
in integrating acquired operations and businesses into ATMI; and other
factors discussed in ATMI's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Such risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to
differ from those projected. |
