Amtech Systems Inc. Orders for Two New Robotic Automation Products Reach $1.4 Million.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 20, 2001

Amtech Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ASYS) announced that it has received seven orders totaling $1.4 million for its new E-300 and S-300 Robotic Loading Systems.

The company launched these new products at the Semicon West trade show last summer in San Francisco. The S-300 and E-300 automate the loading and unloading of semiconductor diffusion furnaces and expand Amtech's market to a new range of customers.

The new Amtech S-300 Full Batch Robot automatically transports up to 300 wafers to the designated tube level and places them onto the cantilever loader of a diffusion furnace.

The operator gives instructions to the S-300 through a simple touch screen control panel. Like the IBAL Automation System the company has sold for several years, the S-300 enables manufacturers of semiconductors to address ergonomic and safety concerns.

Some of these orders are for the company's new E-300 Full Batch Elevator, which transports up to 300 wafers to the designated tube level, but does not load or unload the cantilever paddle. While the E-300 model offers less functionality than the S-300, it has proven to be extremely reliable and has a much lower selling price than the S-300, making it affordable to a new range of customers.

J.S. Whang, the company's president and chief executive officer, stated, "These two new products are expected to make a significant contribution to the company's revenue growth.

"With our IBAL systems and the new S-300 and E-300 systems, we are now able to address the full spectrum of automation requirements of horizontal diffusion furnace users by offering three different automation solutions; a high end, a midrange and a low end robotic automation system.

"I am very proud of the expertise we are building in the Robotic and Automation Sector, which is very synergistic to our existing business, while, at the same time, diversifying and expanding the markets we serve. I am equally proud of the reliability that our product development team has built into this greatly expanded product line.

"The engineering and procurement of these two new products are virtually unaffected by dimensional differences between brands of loadstations and furnaces, which will increase the volume of units we can produce and make them affordable to a new range of customers with smaller capital budgets.

"I am particularly pleased that the orders we have received for the S-300 and E-300 include orders from two new customers."

The company's products have several competitive advantages compared to those of its competition. Amtech's IBAL and E-300 automation products have a zero-footprint, so they do not require the added costly clean-room floor space needed by most competing products. These products can be sold as retrofits, as well as with new loadstations and/or diffusion systems.

The IBAL Automation line is also modular, making it easier to configure to customers' requirements and easier for the customer to maintain. The company believes that its wafer handling automation products are more cost effective and more reliable than its competition.

Already, the IBAL Automation product line has become the product of choice by a growing number of world-class semiconductor manufacturers. Furthermore, most customers appreciate the benefit of being able to deal with a single vendor for their horizontal furnace, load-station and automation requirements.

Amtech Systems Inc. manufactures capital equipment, including silicon wafer handling automation, 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 and industrial automation and control systems.

The company's semiconductor handling and processing 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.

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 and the success of Amtech's growth and sales strategies.

The company does not undertake any obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements for changing circumstances. For more information, review the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Amtech Systems Inc.'s annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.