Electroglas Receives Major Order for Horizon 4090 Wafer Probers From Tower Semiconductor
Tower Upgrades Existing Line of Electroglas Probers with Flagship 4090s After Competitive Evaluation
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 1999-- Electroglas Inc. (Nasdaq:EGLS - news), a leading supplier of essential process management tools for the semiconductor industry, today announced that it has signed a volume purchase agreement for multiple Horizon 4090 automatic wafer probing systems with long-standing customer Tower Semiconductor (Nasdaq:TSEMF - news) -- a leading manufacturer of embedded non-volatile memory, CMOS image sensors, mixed-signal and analog devices.
Three systems have been delivered to Tower with follow-on orders expected through the end of 1999. Selected as a result of competitive evaluation, the 4090s will upgrade Tower's existing line of Electroglas wafer probing systems at its foundry in Migdal Haemek, Israel.
''As part of Tower's efforts to enhance its non-volatile memory probing capabilities and after evaluating the Electroglas probers, with feedback from other customers, against similar competitive
offerings, we found the Horizon 4090 system to be the best system for our probing requirements,'' said Ronit Yarmut, director, materials and logistics at Tower Semiconductor. ''Key factors for consideration
in making our decision were application flexibility, reliability, accuracy, and software networking capabilities.''
As part of this agreement, Tower Semiconductor will also purchase Electroglas' network communications and data management software package, SORTnet(TM). SORTnet provides centralized access to product files and wafer maps across the factory network to further optimize Tower's sort-floor productivity.
''This purchase agreement with Tower Semiconductor validates our ability to work with semiconductor foundries to develop customized, flexible systems that address their unique probing requirements,'' said Conor O'Mahony, Electroglas' vice president of global customer operations. ''The 4090 system specifically addresses the challenge of managing complex sort-floor operations by combining unparalleled automation, flexible applications and system functionality. Tower's decision to upgrade its existing line of probers to the 4090 system demonstrates our ability to provide our long-standing customers with today's world-class probing systems capable of supporting their transition toward next-generation device development and production.''
About the Horizon 4090
The Horizon 4090 is one of the first wafer probers of its kind to integrate Ethernet communications and can support customer-specific network requirements in any manufacturing environment. In addition,
Electroglas' SORTnet family of products enables collection and distribution of data collected over the network in real-time, while testing is in progress.
Designed to meet the performance demands of 0.25-micron design-rule and beyond, the 4090 offers superior reliability and the industry's highest probing throughput rates. This, combined with its stepping
accuracy of +/-4 micron, provides the technical capabilities required for the production of advanced products.
About Tower Semiconductor Ltd.
Tower Semiconductor Ltd. is an independent manufacturer and service provider of semiconductor integrated circuits (''ICs'') on silicon wafers. As a foundry, Tower provides IC design, manufacturing and turn-key services, using advanced production capabilities and the proprietary IC designs of its customers, and is specializing in providing solutions for embedded non-volatile memory devices and
CMOS image sensors. ICs manufactured by Tower are incorporated into a wide range of products in diverse and rapidly growing markets, including computer and office equipment, communication products
and consumer electronics. Our web site is located at: www.TowerSemi.com.
About Electroglas, Inc.
Electroglas delivers essential tools for process management designed to enhance semiconductor companies' profitability. The company's wafer probers, inspection systems and software solutions serve as data collection, management, and analysis tools that semiconductor manufacturers depend on to improve their productivity and process control by optimizing sort-floor efficiency. Electroglas has been
a leading supplier of wafer probers for over 35 years and has an installed base of more than 10,000 systems. The company's stock trades on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol ''EGLS.'' The
company's World Wide Web site is located at www.electroglas.com.
Note to Editors: SORTnet is a trademark of Electroglas Inc. |
