BILTHOVEN, The Netherlands - September 26, 2002 -ASM International N.V. (Nasdaq: ASMI and Euronext Stock Exchange in Amsterdam: ASM) today announced that its subsidiary, ASM America, Inc., will increase production of its popular 300mm Epitaxial reactors based on multiple orders received from two of the industry's leading IC manufacturers.
Building on its reputation for innovation, ASM has made significant progress in the development of strained silicon and selective epi processes on bulk and silicon to support the development efforts of major US semiconductor manufacturers, who recently confirmed that such strained silicon technologies appear ready for insertion into advanced performance generations of CMOS devices.
The selection of ASM's Epsilon® 3000 reactor as the high volume tool for strained silicon production confirms its proven track record in production environments. The system's unique reactor design allows chipmakers to increase productivity, throughput, yield and process performance.
"These orders further extend ASM's leadership in supplying single-wafer epitaxial tools and related semiconductor process equipment to the semiconductor industry," said Dr. Armand Ferro, epitaxy business unit manager at ASM. "The acceleration of major IC manufacturers to implement a form of strained silicon at the 90nm node and begin production on 300mm wafers next year comes as no surprise to ASM. ASM's strategy has always been early involvement and technology partnership with device companies that are in the forefront of keeping Moore's law alive,"
Introduced in 1987, ASM's Epsilon reactors are used in mass production by major semiconductor device manufacturers and wafer suppliers worldwide. The 300mm tool is equipped with additional reactor gas flow and temperature control refinements that makes it an ideal match for the required precise control of growth selectivity, uniformity of layers that are in the sub 10 nm thickness regime and reproducibility of germanium concentration profiles which enable ultimate device performance.
ASM is also collaborating with the world's biggest semiconductor companies in the development efforts on high-k for 65nm and 45nm nodes."
About ASM
ASM International N.V. is headquartered in Bilthoven, the Netherlands. ASM International is a global company, serving one of the most important and demanding industries in the world. The Company possesses a strong technological base, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, a competent and qualified workforce and a highly trained strategically distributed support network. ASM International's subsidiaries design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International and its subsidiaries provide production solutions for wafer processing, assembly and packaging through their facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's common stock shares trade on Nasdaq (symbol ASMI) and the Euronext Stock Exchange in Amsterdam (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASM's web site at http://www.asm.com
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Safe Harbor Statement under the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements regarding orders, earnings development and the effects of research and new products on ASM's future, and other matters discussed in this statement, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to economic conditions in the semiconductor industry, currency fluctuations, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, risk factors related to litigation and other risks indicated in filings from time to time with the SEC and Stock Exchange Authorities.
ASM and Epsilon are registered trademarks of ASM International.
