Axcelis Technologies Selects Cognex Wafer Reader for Its Next-Generation Machines.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NATICK, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 27, 2003

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ: CGNX), the world's leading supplier of machine vision systems, announced today that Axcelis Technologies, a leading U.S.-based producer of semiconductor capital equipment, has selected Cognex's In-Sight 1700 for wafer identification in its next-generation Ion Implanters and Rapid Thermal Processing equipment.

The Cognex In-Sight 1700 is a machine vision system that accurately identifies silicon wafers by reading any of a variety of identifying codes...such as alphanumeric characters, 2-D matrix, and bar codes...that are inscribed on them. Axcelis will integrate Cognex vision systems into its next generation equipment; the Cognex systems will automatically identify every silicon wafer as it enters each Axcelis machine.

"As wafers increase in size and value, wafer identification is becoming increasingly critical to chipmakers," said Justin Testa, Cognex's Senior Vice President of Marketing. "Tracking individual wafers at every stage of the manufacturing process provides manufacturers with tools for rapid troubleshooting, and can significantly reduce the number of mis-processed wafers. And, with complex 300mm wafers valued at many thousands of dollars each, avoiding processing errors can significantly increase yields and reduce manufacturing costs."

Mr. Testa continued, "The In-Sight 1700 has built-in Ethernet communications, which fits very well into Axcelis' high-level system architecture. This capability makes wafer tracking data available from the local control level all the way up to the fab network."

Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets machine vision systems, or computers that can "see." Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 175,000 machine vision systems, representing over $1.3 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. Cognex's Modular Vision Systems Division, headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, specializes in machine vision systems which are used for automating the manufacture of a wide range of discrete items and for assuring their quality. Cognex's Surface Inspection Systems Division, headquartered in Alameda, California, specializes in machine vision systems which are used for inspecting the surfaces of products manufactured in a continuous fashion, such as metals, paper, plastics, and nonwovens. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, Cognex also has regional offices located throughout North America, Japan, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Visit Cognex on-line at http://www.cognex.com.