BILTHOVEN, The Netherlands - May 8, 2003 -- ASM International N.V. (Nasdaq: ASMI and Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) announced that its 54%-owned subsidiary, ASM Pacific Technology, Ltd. (ASMPT) recently received Eagle 60 gold wire bonder orders from two new customers.
Patrick Lam, Managing Director of ASMPT, said that "ASM recently received an initial order from a top-ten US semiconductor manufacturer and production orders from a large Singapore-based chip subcontractor for its latest generation of wire bonders after extensive field evaluations on the Eagle 60". Deliveries schedules crossed the first and second quarters of 2003.
The major US customer will use the Eagle 60 gold wire bonder for ultra fine pitch applications on advanced ball grid array (BGA) devices. Mr. Lam commented that this application pushes the frontiers of wire bonding in pad pitch, pad metallization and looping requirements, and the Eagle 60 was selected for its stability and ease of set up in this challenging application.
The Singapore subcontractor ordered more than 50 sets of the Eagle 60 for use in fine pitch BGA, TQFP and QFN applications. The majority of this order has been installed and is currently running volume production at the customer factory.
Launched in 2002, the Eagle 60 gold wire bonder, is the industry's first production machine capable of 35 micron fine pitch bonding. It also offers 20 percent higher productivity than its predecessor model.
About ASM and ASMPT
ASM International N.V., headquartered in Bilthoven, the Netherlands, is a global company servicing one of the most important and demanding industries in the world. The Company possesses a strong technology base, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, a competent and qualified workforce and a highly trained, strategically distributed support network. ASM International and its subsidiaries design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International and its subsidiaries provide production solutions for wafer processing (Front-end segment) as well as assembly and packaging (Back-end segment) through facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's common stock trades on Nasdaq (symbol ASMI) and the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASMI's website at http://www.asm.com.
ASM Pacific Technology, Ltd. with headquarters in Hong Kong, has operations in Shenzhen China, Singapore and Malaysia. It is the world's largest supplier of a full line of assembly and packaging equipment for the semiconductor industry. It also supplies the Photonics and Optoelectronics markets. With its financial strength and R&D resources, ASMPT offers its customers total solutions in process innovations, package development and factory automation. ASMPT is 54%-owned by ASM International N.V. ASM Pacific Technology, Ltd. common shares trade on the Hong Kong Exchanges under the symbol: 0522. For more information, visit ASMPT's web site at www.asmpacific.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: All 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 and trends in the semiconductor industry, currency fluctuations, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, litigation involving intellectual property, shareholder and other issues, commercial and economic disruption due to terrorist activity, armed conflict or political instability and other risks indicated in the Company's filings from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Company's report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2002.
