Brooks Automation Completes Purchase of e-Diagnostics Infrastructure From KLA-Tencor, Inc.; Acquisition Positions Brooks to Lead the Industry in e-Diagnostics.

Business/Technology Editors

CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 27, 2001

Brooks Automation, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRKS) today announced that it has completed the purchase of the e-diagnostics infrastructure from KLA-Tencor, Inc. (NASDAQ: KLAC) for the combination of cash and Brooks common stock totaling $33M. The transaction will be accounted for using the purchase method of accounting. Additional payments to KLA-Tencor are contingent upon achieving certain business objectives.

"We are pleased by the level of interest in e-diagnostics from both our end user and OEM customers," said Robert J. Therrien, president and chief executive officer of Brooks Automation. "Brooks will be adding e-diagnostics to our software and hardware solutions as an integrated part of our service and applications offerings. We will work closely with our OEM customers to assist them in providing e-diagnostic capable products that meet the evolving industry standards. We are committed to participating with International SEMATECH and Selete in evolving the standards for e-diagnostics."

"Chipmakers and equipment manufacturers alike are focused on improving fab and equipment efficiency with e-diagnostics. But having a standard system for all tools in the fab has been a key need that has yet to emerge," said Dan Hutcheson, President of VLSI Research Inc. "This move by Brooks represents a major change in the industry's infrastructure for e-diagnostics. Brooks' position as a leading independent third-party tool platform supplier should foster e-diagnostics blossoming into an industry-wide standard."

With e-diagnostic programs, service and support teams can remotely access their tools in customer fabs in real-time to diagnose and resolve problems when they occur via a secure on-line connection, which is under the customer's control at all times. This capability enables the technical support staff--regardless of where they are located-- to rapidly resolve problems and cost-effectively provide applications support anywhere in the world.

About KLA-Tencor, Inc.: KLA-Tencor is the world leader in yield management and process control solutions for semiconductor manufacturing and related industries. Headquartered in San Jose, CA, the company has sales and service offices around the world. An S&P 500 company, KLA-Tencor is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol KLAC. Additional information about the company is available on the Internet at http://www.kla-tencor.com.

About Brooks Automation, Inc.:

Brooks Automation, Inc. is the leading global supplier of OEM tool automation and factory management software for the semiconductor, data storage and flat panel display manufacturing industries. As an established market leader in hardware and software automation, Brooks continues to pioneer "Best-in-Class" technologies that outperform their competitors - from vacuum and atmospheric robots, cluster tool platforms and modules, ultra-clean mini-environments for isolating processing equipment and wafers - to factory and tool automation software and integration services. Both OEM and fab customers leverage Brooks Automation's products and environments. The Company has ISO 9001 certification, is headquartered in Chelmsford, MA and has direct operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. Brooks' web site is www.brooks.com.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The foregoing discussion contains forward-looking statements related to future financial results, future performance and market trends. These statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, the risk that the contemplated benefits of the acquisition may not be realized, the risk that iDM will not be adopted by the marketplace as anticipated or smoothly integrated into the Company's products, rapid changes in market demand and the Company's ability to react accordingly, risks relating to the Company's dependence on the cyclical semiconductor industry, the Company's dependence on relatively few customers for a significant portion of its revenues, the Company's reliance on sales to OEM customers and the lengthy sales cycles of those customers, the ability of the Company to continue to successfully develop and market new products and product enhancements on a timely basis, including for the 300mm market, the ability to integrate recent acquisitions into the Company, the highly competitive nature and rapid technological change that characterize the industries in which the Company competes, and other risks and uncertainties described in the Company's reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Company's future results will not be materially different than those projected. The Company also operates in an industry sector where securities' values are highly volatile and may be influenced by economic and other factors beyond the Company's control. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only of the Company's expectations as of the date of this press release. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.