AG Associates Co-Sponsors RTP User Group at SEMICON/West.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 2, 1996--AG Associates (Nasdaq:AGAI), the leading supplier of advanced, single-wafer rapid thermal processing (RTP) equipment used in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs), announced today that it will co-sponsor Technology Forum 1996, a RTP user group that will be held on Monday, July 15, 1996, in San Francisco, preceding SEMICON/West.

Also co-sponsoring this year's forum will be SEMATECH, the semiconductor industry consortium that consists of some of the largest U.S.-based manufacturers of microelectronic products.

The third user group to be sponsored by AG Associates within the last year, Technology Forum 1996 is designed to provide AG Associates' customers with an opportunity to convene and exchange critical information with the company's engineers and technical support personnel on RTP applications and production experiences. Through a series of troubleshooting and open panel discussions with RTP experts, users can learn how to improve equipment effectiveness and reduce cost of ownership. Feedback stemming from this meeting will allow AG Associates to enhance the process capability and performance of its RTP solutions.

The one-day forum will feature a number of presentations from RTP experts on system maintenance, operating procedures, calibration and low-temperature processing techniques. The meeting's agenda also includes an overview of the company's latest RTP solution and a keynote address by AG Associates' President and Chief Operating Officer Julio L. Guardado on the company's new customer satisfaction initiatives.

Commenting on the company's decision to co-sponsor Technology Forum 1996, Guardado noted, "AG Associates is committed to providing complete process solutions to chipmakers around the world. Not only will the information garnered from the meeting be used to identify and resolve current RTP challenges, but it will also help fuel the development of new RTP applications and solutions that will address tomorrow's process challenges," stated Guardado.

For more information on Technology Forum 1996, please contact Dick Hafner of AG Associates via phone: [phone] or fax: [phone].

AG Associates is the leading supplier of rapid thermal processing equipment to the worldwide semiconductor industry. Founded in 1981, AG Associates is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and maintains customer service and support centers in the United States, Europe and Far East to support its global customer base. The company's common stock trades on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol AGAI.

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Cheri Salazar, 408/935-2088

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