Asyst Receives Five Orders From Diverse Customers, Including DuPont, Etec Systems and Toshiba Machine, for New Reticle Management System
FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 11, 2001--Asyst Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASYT - news), a leading provider of comprehensive solutions for semiconductor fab and equipment automation, today announced it has received orders totaling more than $3 million for its Reticle Management System(TM) (RMS) from DuPont Photomasks, Etec Systems, Toshiba Machine and two leading North American chipmakers. These customers represent three important target sectors: mask-making, semiconductor capital equipment and semiconductor manufacturing. The company already has shipped several units and expects to ship to all five customers during the fourth calendar quarter of 2001.
This is the company's first entry into the market for photolithography management, currently estimated at $20 million and growing at 20 percent annually. Asyst won these orders following rigorous evaluations pitting the Asyst RMS against a key competitive product. The company collaborated closely with its Japanese distributor, Kobelco Research Institute, which proved instrumental in securing Toshiba Machine's order for the Asyst RMS.
Asyst's RMS protects and manages reticles -- essentially the pattern or template used to define circuits in the semiconductor manufacturing process -- from damage and contamination. A typical 0.13-micron reticle can cost up to $25,000 and companies often need to manage hundreds or even thousands of reticles.
``These top-tier companies clearly recognize the importance of protecting their assets and optimizing the return on their substantial investments in reticles,'' said Steve Schwartz, Asyst's executive vice president, product groups and operations. ``Asyst is the pioneer of technology to protect silicon wafers during semiconductor manufacturing, and this reticle management system is a logical next step in our strategy to bring advanced technology and Asyst know-how to key markets throughout the semiconductor manufacturing industry.''
Asyst RMS components include Standard Mechanical Interface (SMIF(TM)) minienvironments and SMIF-Indexers(TM), as well as SMART-Tag(TM) and AdvanTag(TM) auto-ID tracking systems. The component modules enable Asyst to offer a cost-effective solution that can quickly and easily be configured or customized to suit customer needs. The semiconductor customers are expected to use the RMS for patterned-reticle inspection prior to critical lithography operations during IC manufacturing, while the other customers intend to use the Asyst RMS to verify cleanliness of the quartz blank during the manufacturing of reticle masks. Additionally, all the customers will use the tool as a means of safely and easily introducing incoming blanks and/or reticles into their production environments.
Key RMS capabilities include automated inspection of both patterned and unpatterned reticles; a bright-light inspection option for improving manufacturing yields and providing a rapid return on investment; and reticle transfer to and from SMIF pods, shipping cassettes and compacts to address the special needs of mask houses and semiconductor manufacturers. The RMS opens, identifies and transfers reticles from various shipper boxes, including Hoya multi-reticle cassettes, Toppan single-reticle clamshells, ASML library/Asyst SMIF pods, Asyst single-reticle SMIF-pods, and boxes from Nikon and Canon.
About Asyst: Asyst Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of integrated automation systems that enable semiconductor manufacturers to increase manufacturing productivity and protect investments in silicon wafers during the manufacture of integrated circuits, or ICs. Through its ``Value-Assured Fab'' strategy, Asyst offers a broad range of 200mm and 300mm solutions that enable the safe transfer of wafers and information between process equipment and the fab line throughout the IC fabrication process, while reducing IC damage caused by human, environmental, mechanical and chemical factors. Encompassing isolation systems, work-in-process materials management, substrate-handling robotics, automated transport and loading systems, and connectivity automation software, Asyst's modular, interoperable solutions allow chipmakers and original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, to select and employ the value-assured, hands-off manufacturing capabilities that best suit their needs. Asyst's homepage is asyst.com
Safe Harbor: Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this press release are forward-looking. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. These factors include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, semiconductor industry cycles, risks associated with the acceptance of new products and product capabilities and other factors more fully detailed in the Company's recent 10Q quarterly report on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Note to Editors: Reticle Management System, SMIF, SMIF-Indexer, SMART-Tag and AdvanTag are trademarks of Asyst Technologies, Inc. |
