Asyst and TSMC Team On Next-generation 300mm Automation Solution.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 11, 2001 Strategic Collaboration to Expand Capabilities of Asyst's FasTrack(TM) AMHS AMHS ATS Message Handling System (air traffic control) AMHS Alaska Marine Highway System AMHS Automated Message Handling System AMHS Aeronautical Message Handling System AMHS Academic Magnet High School for High-capacity Intrabay Applications Further demonstrating its pioneering role in 300mm technology, Asyst Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASYT) today announced it is collaborating with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC TSMC Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd TSMC Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation TSMC Traffic Systems Management Center TSMC Toll Station Management Controller TSMC Transportation Supply Maintenance Command TSMC Technical Services Manager Code ) on a strategic 300mm fab-transport development project. Under the agreement, Asyst, the leading provider of Standard Mechanical Interface (SMIF SMIF Standard Mechanical Interface SMIF Stream-based Model Interchange Format SMIF Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (Duke University) SMIF Stanford Management Internship Fund SMIF SMAD4-Interacting Transcription Factor )-based manufacturing automation systems, will team with TSMC, one of the world's leading semiconductor foundries, to expand the capabilities of Asyst's FasTrack(TM) automated material handling system (AMHS). The companies' shared goal is to optimize the product for TSMC's cutting-edge 300mm manufacturing vision. The aggressive four-month project timetable includes key milestones aimed at allowing TSMC to fully optimize Asyst's vehicle-less, continuous-flow transport (CFT CFT complement fixation test; see under fixation. CFT complement fixation test. ) system to meet TSMC's critical 300mm automation objectives: increased capacity, reduced lot-delivery time and maximized tool utilization. The project calls for Asyst to provide TSMC with a FasTrack transport system, which will be installed initially at Asyst's facility in Taichung, Taiwan, to facilitate the joint development work. Extensive performance testing Performance Testing covers a broad range of engineering or functional evaluations where a material, product, or system is not specified by detailed material or component specifications: Rather, emphasis is on the final measurable performance characteristics. will be conducted to integrate the FasTrack system's ability to significantly increase tool utilization and fab throughput. Like product yield enhancement, proven via Asyst's SMIF technology, these factors represent the next principal "levers" in fab productivity and profitability. Commenting on the cooperative effort between the two companies, C.H. Hung, TSMC's Department Manager of 300mm Manufacturing, stated, "Asyst has an established track record of working closely with TSMC to understand our critical requirements, and they are a proven leader in addressing the innate challenges associated with manufacturing and handling of costly 300mm wafers. We are pleased to be working with Asyst on this important project that will have a profound effect on the future of 300mm AMHS and manufacturing." Dr. Mihir Parikh, Asyst's chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , noted, "Asyst is deeply committed to optimizing our leading technology to meet the needs of IC foundries, which have the industry's most demanding material transport, storage and equipment micro-stocking/buffering requirements. Through this intensive development project, we look forward to enhancing the capabilities of our innovative FasTrack system so that it is fully optimized for TSMC's current and future 300mm automation requirements." 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: the volatility of semiconductor industry cycles, failure to respond to rapid demand shifts, dependence on a few significant customers, the transition of the industry from 200mm wafers to 300mm wafers, risks associated with the acceptance of new products and product capabilities, including our Plus Portal systems portal system: see circulatory system. , competition in the semiconductor equipment industry, failure to efficiently integrate acquired companies, failure to retain employees, and other factors more fully detailed in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K Form 10-K A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information. Form 10-K See 10-K. for the year ended March 31, 2001 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 19, 2001, as amended. About Asyst: Asyst Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of integrated automation systems for the semiconductor manufacturing industry, which enable semiconductor manufacturers to increase their manufacturing productivity and protect their investment in silicon wafers during the manufacture of integrated circuits Integrated circuits Miniature electronic circuits produced within and upon a single semiconductor crystal, usually silicon. Integrated circuits range in complexity from simple logic circuits and amplifiers, about 1/20 in. (1. , or ICs. Through its "Value-Assured Fab" strategy, Asyst offers a broad range of 200mm and 300mm solutions that enable the safe transfer of wafers and information between the process equipment and the fab line throughout the IC fabrication fabrication (fab´rikā´sh  n),n the construction or making of a restoration. process, while reducing IC damage caused by human, environmental, mechanical and chemical factors. Encompassing isolation systems, work-in-process materials management Materials management is the branch of logistics that deals with the tangible components of a supply chain. Specifically, this covers the acquisition of spare parts and replacements, quality control of purchasing and ordering such parts, and the standards involved in ordering, , substrate-handling robotics, automated transport and loading systems, and connectivity automation software, Asyst's modular, interoperable The ability for one system to communicate or work with another. See interoperability. solutions allow chipmakers and original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, to select and employ the value-assured, hands-off manufacturing capabilities that best suit their needs. Asyst's homepage is http://www.asyst.com Note to Editors: SMIF and FasTrack are trademarks of Asyst Technologies, Inc. |
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