ADE Receives Multi-Million Dollar Order From Major Asian Silicon Wafer Supplier; Particle Inspection and Flatness Systems to Support 300mm Capacity Expansion.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

WESTWOOD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 2004

ADE Corporation (NASDAQ: ADEX) announced today that it has received orders for multiple 300mm production wafer quality certification systems, including the AFS(TM) Advanced Flatness System and AWIS(TM) Advanced Surface Inspection System, from a major Asian customer. Delivery of these tools is expected to be complete during the first half of 2004 to support further 300mm capacity and expands the number of existing ADE tools at the customer's production facility.

"ADE is proud of its long-standing partnerships with silicon wafer industry leaders," said Dr. Chris L. Koliopoulos, ADE's president and chief executive officer. "This order demonstrates that wafer manufacturers worldwide continue to view ADE as the leader in the bare wafer metrology and inspection market. It is also a sign that expansion in 300mm capacity is ongoing, creating an exciting opportunity for further growth at ADE."

According to Gartner Dataquest, 10 projects to construct 300mm fabs will start in 2004, in addition to expansion of existing fab capacities, and will augment 300mm wafer demand significantly in 2004 and 2005. They estimate the 300mm wafer market at 400,000 wafers per month in the fourth quarter of 2004. Total demand will reach 600,000 wafers per month at the end of 2004 and exceed 1 million at the end of 2005 (including wafers used for test and monitoring).

ADE's AFS Advanced Flatness System, with the Mark IV Gage, is the latest version of the industry-standard production dimensional measurement tool for 300mm silicon, epi, SOI, SiGe and reclaimed wafers. The editors of MICRO Magazine have selected the AFS Advanced Flatness System as one of the "Greatest Hits of 2003" products.

ADE's state-of-the-art AWIS systems are fully automatic advanced laser scanning surface inspection tools that identify and classify particles and crystalline defects on polished silicon and epitaxial wafers. These tools ensure the high quality levels required for leading-edge semiconductor device processing. In addition to incorporating ADE's patented Angular Resolved Scatter technology, AWIS systems are tailored to meet the inline production and factory automation needs of high-volume wafer manufacturing.

ADE will be exhibiting the AFS and AWIS systems, along with the full line of ADE production inspection and metrology tools for bare silicon and non-patterned wafers, at Semicon Korea, February 18 to 20, in Bytech booth # 1522A.

About ADE Corporation

ADE Corporation is a leading supplier of metrology and inspection systems required for production in the silicon wafer, semiconductor device, magnetic data storage and optics manufacturing industries. The Company's systems analyze and report product quality at critical manufacturing process steps for yield enhancement, providing quality certification data that is relied upon by semiconductor wafer, device and computer disk manufacturers. The Company's systems also are used for production measurements in the semiconductor chip fabrication process. To learn more about ADE, visit the Company's Web site at http://www.ade.com.

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Those statements that make reference to the Company's expectations, predictions, assumptions and anticipations should be considered forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, those associated with the Company's shipment of products to silicon wafer suppliers and future demand for ADE's wafer inspection systems and wafer flatness metrology systems. These statements involve risks and uncertainties including those associated with the strength of the semiconductor and device markets, wafer pricing and wafer demand, the results of its product development efforts, the success of ADE's product offerings to meet customer needs within the timeframes required by customers in these markets, and developments in the Company's ongoing patent litigation with KLA-Tencor Corporation. Further information on potential factors that could affect ADE Corporation's business is described in the Company's reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2003 and its subsequent 10-Q filings.