Amtech Systems Inc. Announced Another System Order from the Solar Cell Industry Resulting in a Backlog in Excess of $15 Million.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Amtech Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: ASYS), a global supplier of production and automation systems and related supplies for the semiconductor, silicon wafer, solar cell and microelectromechanical system (MEMS) industries, today announced another system order from the solar cell industry. The $0.9 million order is from a manufacturer of solar cells located in Asia. The order is for Amtech's solar diffusion furnace and S-300L automation. With this order, Amtech's backlog, including deferred revenue, currently exceeds $15 million, of which $3.3 million represents orders the Company received from the solar cell industry during the last sixty days.

J.S. Whang, the Company's President and CEO, stated, "I am pleased with the recent increase in orders from the growing solar cell industry. We continue to aggressively pursue the solar cell industry and the expanding Asian market. We have received $4.5 million in total commitments from the solar cell industry during the last sixty days, including $3.3 million of orders and a $1.2 million letter of intent. We believe that these commitments from the solar cell industry, most of which came from Asia, demonstrate the success of our growth strategy and sales and marketing activities."

Amtech Systems, Inc. manufactures capital equipment, including silicon wafer handling automation, thermal semiconductor processing equipment and related consumables used in fabricating semiconductor devices. Semiconductors, or semiconductor chips, are fabricated on silicon wafer substrates, sliced from ingots, and are part of the circuitry, or electronic components, of many products including computers, telecommunications devices, automotive products, consumer goods, industrial automation and control systems. The Company's semiconductor handling, thermal processing and consumable products currently address the polishing of newly sliced silicon wafers and reclaimed test wafers and the oxidation and deposition steps used in the fabrication of semiconductors, MEMS and solar cells.

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 Systems, Inc.) contains statements that 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, success of Amtech's growth and sales strategies, the possibility of customer changes in delivery schedules, cancellation of orders or other commitments, potential delays in product shipments, delays in obtaining inventory parts from suppliers, failure to satisfy customer acceptance requirements, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, which can result in transaction gains or losses and may affect the translation of the results of our foreign operations, difficulties in collecting receivables and the effects of Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104, "Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements," issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission.