Asyst Technologies Introduces VersaPort 2200 Load Port Transfer Bridge Tool; SMIF and Open-Cassette Compatibility Offered in a Single Platform.TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 1, 1999-- In an announcement here at the opening of the SEMICON SEMICON Semiconductors Equipment and Material International Conference Japan 99, Asyst Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASYT) today introduced the VersaPort(TM) 2200 load port tool for use in semiconductor manufacturing. A modular 200 mm wafer input/output (I/O (Input/Output) The transfer of data between the CPU and a peripheral device. Every transfer is an output from one device and an input to another. See PC input/output. I/O - Input/Output ) interface, the VersaPort 2200 can accommodate both SMIF-Pod and open cassette loading in a single platform and, as a bridge tool, can also support 300 mm wafers wafers compressed roughage in flat plates useful for feeding to animals in transit. on the same platform when chipmakers make this transition. "The VersaPort system is designed with multiple configurations that address a wide variety of our customers' current and future needs," said Anthony Bonora, Asyst's senior vice president and chief technology officer. "By combining 300 mm bridge capability with the flexibility of SMIF-pod and open cassette loading in a single platform, the VersaPort 2200 reduces the integration and support requirements for original equipment manufacturers (OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and ) customers and simplifies the transition to 300 mm for both OEMs and chip manufacturers." VersaPort 2200 bridge capability is accomplished with optional SEMI-Standard E-63 BOLTS interface hardware and a 300 mm software command set that ensures compatibility with Asyst's 300 mm FrontLoad systems. The VersaPort 2200 is a key component of Asyst's Plus(TM) Portal -- the turnkey, process tool automation solution that enables integration between OEM production tools and advanced fab automation systems. By outsourcing (1) Contracting with outside consultants, software houses or service bureaus to perform systems analysis, programming and datacenter operations. Contrast with insourcing. See netsourcing, ASP, SSP and facilities management. this critical subsystem A unit or device that is part of a larger system. For example, a disk subsystem is a part of a computer system. A bus is a part of the computer. A subsystem usually refers to hardware, but it may be used to describe software. , OEMs can focus on their core competencies A core competency is something that a firm can do well and that meets the following three conditions specified by Hamel and Prahalad (1990):
n. pl. com·mon·al·i·ties 1. a. The possession, along with another or others, of a certain attribute or set of attributes: a political movement's commonality of purpose. to the fab interface. OEMs also benefit from the Plus Portal's open-architecture, which ensures the design flexibility OEMs require to provide their global integrated circuit integrated circuit (IC), electronic circuit built on a semiconductor substrate, usually one of single-crystal silicon. The circuit, often called a chip, is packaged in a hermetically sealed case or a nonhermetic plastic capsule, with leads extending from it for manufacturing customers with customized, mission-specific solutions. Asyst has already shipped 50 beta units of the VersaPort 2200 and is currently accepting orders for the tool. The VersaPort 2200 will debut at the Asyst exhibit at SEMICON Japan, Dec. 1-3, 1999, at the Makuhari Convention Center, booth 6-A801. About Asyst: Asyst Technologies, Inc. is the leading provider of Standard Mechanical Interface-based minienvironment and manufacturing automation systems that enable semiconductor manufacturers to protect customers' valued assets throughout the manufacturing process while increasing manufacturing productivity. Asyst offers a broad range of 200 mm and 300 mm products that enable the Company to provide semiconductor manufacturers and Original Equipment Manufacturers automated manufacturing solutions for the transfer of wafers and information between the process equipment and the fab line. Asyst's homepage is located on the World Wide Web at http://www.asyst.com Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this press release are forward-looking. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. These factors include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, semiconductor industry cycles, risks associated with the acceptance of new products and product capabilities and other factors more fully detailed in the Company's recent S-3 Registration Statement. |
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