Therma-Wave, Inc. Ships First Copper, Thin Metal Film Thickness Measurement System.

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 12, 2000

Therma-Wave, Inc., (NASDAQ:TWAV) a leading supplier of semiconductor metrology equipment, today announced that it has shipped the first Meta-Probe X Metal Film Measurement System to a customer in North America. The patented Meta-Probe X system employs a novel application of simple and reliable X-ray reflectometry (XRR) technology to independently measure thickness, density, and roughness of up to six (6) layers in production film stacks.

"As Copper metallization and new ultra-thin metal film stacks become commonplace in the semiconductor manufacturing world, the XRR technology employed in the Meta-Probe X is the preferred metrology technique for making critical process control measurements in the fab, thereby enhancing yield," said Dr. Lee Smith, Vice President of Marketing for Therma-Wave. "The fact that XRR is long-known to provide independent thickness and density information from nearly all material combinations provides customers with confidence that the Meta-Probe X will be able to unambiguously measure complicated film stacks."

"Therma-Wave aims to become a leading supplier of metrology tools for thin metal films, just as we have for years been a leading supplier of metrology for transparent and semi-transparent films that are used to make IC chips", added Martin Schwartz, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We believe the X-ray technology of the Meta-Probe X provides the long term metrology solution that the IC industry is looking for."

Using advanced proprietary technologies, Therma-Wave, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets non-destructive metrology systems for film-thickness, density, and roughness measurements, and ion-implant monitoring of advanced semiconductor devices. Therma-Wave's World Wide Web address is www.thermawave.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995 which are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements relating to our orders and order trend performance are based on current expectations. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and changes in condition and other risks some of which are detailed in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including specifically Exhibit 99.1 to the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2000 and the subsequent Form 10-Q. The Company undertakes no obligation to update the information in this press release.