BILTHOVEN, Netherlands, July 12, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- ASM International N.V. (NASDAQ:ASMI) (Euronext Amsterdam:ASM) ("ASM") and IMEC announce that they have agreed to enter into a three year strategic partnership in the area of Back-end-of-Line (BEOL) Interconnect Technology, commencing in 2006. In this strategic partnership, IMEC and ASM will develop novel copper/low-k technologies for use in interconnect on chips in the nanotechnology era, having features sized 45 nm or less and on 300mm wafers. Earlier, ASM and IMEC announced a strategic partnership inFront-end-of-Line (FEOL) Transistor Technology (October 11, 2004).
To help facilitate the technology development, ASM will deliver its most advanced 300mm Back-end-of-Line semiconductor wafer processing equipment and services to IMEC, including Eagle(R) systems for low-k insulator deposition, and an electro-chemical mechanical deposition and polishing (ECMD and ECMP) LuminaCu(TM) system for planar copper plating. The equipment is expected to be delivered in 4th quarter 2005 and 1st quarter 2006. The strategic partnership agreement includes ASM's participation for three years in IMEC's sub-45 nm copper/low-k development programs. Increasingly the calculation speed and the dynamic power consumption of computer chips is determined by the resistance of the nanometer sized copper wires, and the quality of the insulator in which these wires are embedded. The strategic partnership aims to investigate solutions that can further decrease the power consumption, and increase the calculation speed of computer chips.
"We extend our successful FEOL strategic partnership with ASM with this equally important partnership in BEOL," says Luc Van den hove, Vice President Silicon Process and Device Technology. "This partnership will expand our world-class capabilities to implement state of the art low-k technology in our pilot line, and simultaneously research advanced ultra-low-k insulators and new plating technology with our core partners," he continued.
"IMEC has establishe itself as a leading research institute in the BEOL area," says Arthur del Prado President and CEO of ASM. "IMEC's capabilities to characterize our most advanced interconnect processes and materials will help us to stay ahead of customer demands," he added.
ASM has had a presence on the IMEC premises since 1994, when it moved its European demonstration and process research laboratories to Leuven. ASM Belgium was incorporated as a research center in 2000. ASM Belgium, IMEC researchers and IMEC's partner researchers will jointly realize the required processing capability for the sub-45 nm devices.
ASM's work with IMEC is part of IMEC's nanoelectronics research platform, which brings together leading chipmakers worldwide to tackle the challenges for the sub-45nm node.
About ASM International N.V.
ASM International N.V. is headquartered in Bilthoven, the Netherlands. ASM International is a global company, serving one of the most important and demanding industries in the world. The Company possesses a strong technological base, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, a competent and qualified workforce and a highly trained, strategically distributed support network. ASM International's subsidiaries design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International and its subsidiaries provide production solutions for wafer processing, assembly and packaging through their facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. For more information, visit ASM's Web site at http://www.asm.com
ASM, the ASM logo, Eagle are registered trademarks of ASM, and LuminaCu is a trademark of ASM.
Safe Harbor Statement under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements regarding orders, earnings development and the effects of research and new products on ASM's future, and other matters discussed in this statement, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to economic conditions in the semiconductor industry, currency fluctuations, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, risk factors related to litigation and other risks indicated in filings from time to time with the SEC and Stock Exchange Authorities.
About IMEC
IMEC is a world-leading independent research center in nanoelectronics and nanotechnology. Its research focuses on the next generations of chips and systems, and on the enabling technologies for ambient intelligence. IMEC's research bridges the gap between fundamental research at universities and technology development in industry. Its unique balance of processing and system know-how, intellectual property portfolio, state-of-the-art infrastructure and its strong network of companies, universities and research institutes worldwide, position IMEC as a key partner with which to develop and improve technologies for future systems. IMEC is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium and has representatives in the US, China and Japan. Its staff of more than 1300 people includes over 400 industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2004, its revenues were EUR 159 million. Further information on IMEC can be found at www.imec.be.