Brooks Automation and Schneider Electric Form Alliance to Deliver New Semiconductor APC Solutions; Focus on Improving 300mm Wafer Process Quality.

Business Editors

RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 15, 2003

Brooks Automation, Inc., a leading supplier of automation solutions to the semiconductor industry, and Schneider Electric, one of the world's largest manufacturers of automation and control products and solutions, have formed an alliance to deliver new advanced process control (APC) solutions for wafer fabrication.

The agreement between Brooks and Schneider Electric's Microelectronics Engineering Services (SEMES) team will allow the two companies to work together to develop new sensor technologies that improve semiconductor manufacturing process quality. The alliance also creates a joint sales and marketing effort to microelectronics end-users. In addition, Schneider Electric will be licensed as an authorized reseller of certain Brooks Automation products.

"This agreement will create a bridge between the two worlds we work in," explained John Scoville, director of Equipment Engineering Systems (EES) for Brooks Automation. "By working together, Brooks and Schneider will be able to bring customers much greater value."

Schneider Electric's focus has been on applying APC solutions at the tool level using intellectual property from its PLC and SEMES groups, while Brooks has provided PC-based automation solutions between the tool and enterprise levels, from software products for APC solutions to robotics to full-fab automation systems.

"This alliance is an important step in our strategy to grow our industrial business in the important microelectronics segment," said Mike Harley, general manager for Schneider Electric's North American Industrial Market Business. "It lays a solid foundation for delivering integrated solutions that improve process control and therefore the profitability of this key industry."

While the semiconductor industry has begun to rapidly improve its ability to efficiently produce 300mm wafers, the core manufacturing processes are still being perfected, according to Scoville. "Making 300mm wafers will continue to challenge the leaders in the industry due to the larger wafers, ever-shrinking line width and the introduction of copper interconnects and low-K dielectrics. With all these new variables, fabs have yet to achieve the same level of quality or yield as they did with 200mm wafers.

"That's why the development of new sensor technologies is so important, and why integrating sensor data is critical," Scoville said. "We have to make advances at both the tool level and the factory level to achieve the promise of 300mm."

Schneider Electric has pioneered a number of new sensor technologies during the past few years, including in-situ particle monitoring, end point detection and plasma and RF arc detection, providing a wealth of new data manufacturers can use to gauge tool health and improve process quality. The agreement with Brooks will provide new ways for this information to be collected and used for comprehensive data analysis to improve tool performance and manufacturing productivity.

"There is strong synergy between the two companies," said Tom Insprucker, director of Schneider Electric's Industrial Applications division. "We have very similar customer bases and our products complement each other. This gives us an excellent opportunity to jointly work in the marketplace to solve these critical efficiency issues."

For more information about APC solutions from Schneider Electric's Microelectronics Engineering Services team, call 1-888-SQUARED or visit www.SquareD.com/micro.

Brooks Automation, Inc. (Nasdaq: BRKS) provides semiconductor and related businesses with complete automation solutions that integrate software, hardware and services as well as best-in-class components to help optimize the flow of materials and data throughout a manufacturing facility. As the semiconductor industry's largest supplier of automation solutions, the company brings extensive experience in innovative tool and fab automation along with an established global infrastructure. The top 20 semiconductor companies are all customers of Brooks Automation, as are nine out of the top 10 semiconductor capital equipment suppliers. With headquarters in Chelmsford, Mass., the company is ISO 9001 certified and has direct operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Singapore and Malaysia. Visit Brooks Automation at www.brooks.com.

Headquartered in Palatine, Ill., the North American Operating Division of Schneider Electric had sales of $2.7 billion in 2002. The North American Operating Division is one of three geographic divisions of Schneider Electric, headquartered in Paris, France, and markets the Square D, Telemecanique and Merlin Gerin brand products to customers in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the United States, Schneider Electric is best known by its flagship Square D brand, with Telemecanique becoming increasingly known in the industrial control and automation markets and supported by many Square D distributors. For 100 years, Square D has been a market-leading brand of electrical distribution and industrial control products, systems and services. Schneider Electric is a global electrical industry leader with 2002 sales of approximately $9.5 billion. Visit Schneider Electric at www.SquareD.com, www.schneider-electric.com, www.schneiderautomation.com or www.transparentfactory.com.