Tegal Sells 900 Series Etch System to Taiwan-Based MEMS Maker.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers PETALUMA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 4, 2002 Tegal Corporation (Nasdaq:TGAL TGAL Think Globally, Act Locally Tgal Thousand gallons ) today announced that it has sold a 903e plasma etch system to a Taiwan-based customer employing MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) Tiny mechanical devices that are built onto semiconductor chips and are measured in micrometers. In the research labs since the 1980s, MEMS devices began to materialize as commercial products in the mid-1990s. technology for creating next-generation consumer devices, including communications tools, monitors and optronics. Tegal expects to install the etch system, which was selected based on its superior process results and its versatile process flexibility, in July of this year. "We have established a strong base in the MEMS market, with plasma etch tools installed at leading MEMS device makers worldwide. This success is translating to additional system orders in the emerging Taiwan MEMS fabrication fabrication (fab´rikā´sh  n),n the construction or making of a restoration. market," said Jim McKibben, VP Worldwide Sales and Marketing at Tegal. "The potential for growth in the MEMS market is substantial, and we look forward to supplying more MEMS makers with world-class etching solutions from here." Tegal 900 Series and Tegal 6500 Series tools are already used throughout the world in commercial MEMS fabrication lines, and Tegal continues to work with new and existing MEMS customers to develop etch processes for the ever-expanding collection of innovative MEMS applications being reported today. Typical roles for Tegal's etching systems used in MEMS fabrication include producing structures in silicon, silicon nitride (Si3N4) A silicon compound capable of holding a static electric charge and used as a gate element on some MOS transistors. , and silicon dioxide silicon dioxide: see silica. (SiO2) A hard, glassy mineral found in such materials as rock, quartz, sand and opal. In MOS chip fabrication, it is used to create the insulation layer between the metal gates of the top layer and the silicon elements below. , in organic materials like BCB BCB Banco Central do Brasil (Brazil's central bank) BCB Borland C++ Builder BCB Bangladesh Cricket Board BCB Benzocyclobutene (low loss dielectric substrate) BCB Bumiputra-Commerce Bank BCB Broadcast Band and polyimide Pronounced "poly-ih-mid." A type of plastic (a synthetic polymeric resin) originally developed by DuPont that is very durable, easy to machine and can handle very high temperatures. Polyimide is also highly insulative and does not contaminate its surroundings (does not outgas). , and in noble metals, like platinum and gold. The 903e purchased by the Taiwan-based MEMS maker marks the first time the companies have worked together. Tegal's 900 Series systems are widely recognized for their low cost of ownership and high throughput. More than 1,300 of the 900 Series systems have been installed worldwide and are supported by Tegal's extensive worldwide field process and service organization. 900 Series systems deliver highly reliable, repeatable results in etching a variety of films used to manufacture MEMS, silicon ICs, telecommunications and optoelectronics devices, flat panel displays, and thin film magnetic heads. About Tegal Corporation Tegal Corporation, headquartered in Petaluma, Calif., is a leading designer and manufacturer of plasma etch systems used in the production of opto-telecom devices, integrated circuits (ICs) and other related microelectronics devices. Etching is a key process and must be repeated multiple times in the production of these devices. Tegal markets and services its systems in all major IC-producing regions of the world. Tegal was recently granted its fifth VLSI VLSI: see integrated circuit. (1) (Very Large Scale Integration) Between 100,000 and one million transistors on a chip. See SSI, MSI, LSI and ULSI. (2) (VLSI Technology, Inc., Tempe, AZ, www.semiconductors. Research, Inc Ten BEST award in recognition of its superior customer support and service. More information is available on the Internet at www.tegal.com. Safe Harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. Statement Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, including those relating to the successful installation of the 903e plasma etch system, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to industry conditions, economic conditions, acceptance of new technologies, the growth of the wireless market, as well as other risks set forth in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
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