Amtech Systems, Inc. Announces Near $1 Million Repeat Order for IBAL Automated Diffusion Furnace.

TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 1999--AMTECH SYSTEMS, INC. (Nasdaq:ASYS) announced that it is making a repeat sale to a well respected U.S. based semiconductor manufacturer in the amount of approximately $1 million. The customer's purchase order is for a new Amtech/Tempress 200-mm silicon wafer processing horizontal diffusion furnace, with its most advanced IBAL Automation System.

The zero footprint IBAL Automation solution fits onto the load station rather than requiring additional costly clean-room floor space. This is a competitive advantage as most competing automation systems do require additional clean-room floor space.

J.S. Whang, the Company's President and CEO, stated "We strive to provide a high level of customer satisfaction. I am pleased with the number of repeat orders for our products from our worldwide customer base. I am particularly proud of this because of the high caliber of the competition for this business. A significant number of semiconductor manufacturers have facilities full of horizontal furnaces that are over 10 years old. We believe many of these manufacturers will decide to replace many of those systems with new six-inch (6") to eight-inch (8") horizontal systems, many of which will be equipped with Amtech's ergonomically-correct IBAL Automation products. We believe this proves that we have the right product at the right time and have successfully combined that with a high level of customer service. Amtech intends to capitalize on this opportunity, specifically the potential for a number of multi-million dollar furnace and automation orders that are likely to result from such replacement and upgrade programs."

Amtech Systems, Inc. manufactures capital equipment and related consumables used in fabricating semiconductor devices and in the polishing and lapping steps of manufacturing and reclaiming silicon wafers used in the fabrication of such devices, as well as of other wafer-thin materials.

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain information included in this press release (as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by Amtech) contains statements that we believe are forward-looking. Such forward looking information involves a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed or anticipated by management. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among other factors, industry specific and general business conditions, competitive market conditions and the success of Amtech's growth and sales strategies. For more information, review Amtech's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Amtech's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.