YieldUP International Announces Patent On Contamination-Free Cleaning and Drying Technology For Use In Semiconductor Manufacturing.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--September 9, 1997--

Patent issued on filtering systems and chemical injection techniques used in the Company's cleaning and drying technology

YieldUP International Corporation (NASDAQ: YILD, YILDZ) today announced that the U.S. Patent Office has issued Patent No. 5,651,379 for the filtering systems and chemical injection techniques used in the Company's cleaning and drying technology. The patent strengthens YieldUP's previously patented Surface Tension GradientTM (STG) technology and CleanPointTM technology in the areas of chemical cleaning and point-of-use delivery of ultra-pure DI water and gases in YieldUP's Omega series systems for cleaning, rinsing and drying wafers and other substrates.

The U.S. Patent Office has allowed two additional patents related to the Company's rinsing and drying technology. YieldUP, to date, has been issued four patents and has been allowed two additional ones, bringing the total number to six.

With this additional patent, YieldUP consolidates its position as the supplier of choice for motionless cleaning, rinsing and drying systems," said Raj Mohindra, President and Chief Executive Officer of YieldUP. YieldUP's unique and proprietary technology has delivered superior cleaning, rinsing and drying results for our growing list of customers in the U.S., Japan and Europe and the protection provided by the patents further strengthens our competitive position," Mr. Mohindra concluded.

YieldUP's technology is used to clean and dry silicon wafers at various points in the manufacture of integrated circuits, as well as to clean and dry substrates in other defect sensitive industries such as magnetic disks, flat panel displays and photomasks. The process provides significant improvements over conventional Spin Rinse Dryers (SRDs) and IsoPropyl Alcohol (IPA) dryers.

The YieldUP STG cleaning technique utilizes minute (PPM) amounts of isopropyl alcohol in a nitrogen carrier gas that is introduced to wafers submerged in a deionized (DI) water bath. A subsequent drying sequence is completed utilizing heated nitrogen gas. The technique is based on the principle of surface tension differential named after the Italian scientist Marangoni, an early researcher in the field of fluid dynamics.

With the YieldUP system, cleaning and drying is carried out in a single tank with no mechanical motion, virtually eliminating the risk of wafer breakage and greatly increasing equipment reliability and operating life when compared to the traditional SRD technology. In addition, the YieldUP process achieves significant reductions in the use of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) when compared to standard IPA dryers. Excessive emissions of IPA are a major environmental concern for semiconductor manufacturers. -0- YieldUP International Corporation, founded in 1993, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative cleaning, rinsing, and drying equipment designed to enable new processes and to improve manufacturing yields of semiconductor and other defect sensitive industries such as flat panel displays and magnetic disks. Visit our website at http://www.yieldup.com for more detailed information on the Company's patents and the Company's breakthrough products.

CONTACT: YieldUP International Corporation

Abhay Bhushan

Chief Financial Officer

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Web contact: http//www.yieldup.com

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Wolfe Axelrod Associates

Mona J. Walsh

Stephen D. Axelrod, CFA 

Susan T. Bolen (Media)

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