SAN FRANCISCO, July 18, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- ATMI, Inc. is teaming with Kinik Company Ltd., a leader in wafer reclamation technology, to provide wafer reclaim services for a major Taiwanese semiconductor foundry using ATMI's unique RegenSi(tm) silicon process technology.
A leader in semiconductor materials, ATMI developed its RegenSi technology to uniquely enable the all-wet stripping of most dielectric and metal films from test wafers without damaging or roughening the underlying silicon wafer surface. This dramatically increases the return wafer yields, in addition to increasing the number of times customers can use each wafer.
"ATMI's unique RegenSi process technology complements the excellent wafer reclaim capabilities Kinik already has. It brings great value and benefits to customers, and improves our internal process efficiency by reducing the required wafer removal amount and extending the wafer lifetime. Additionally, the collaboration enables us to ensure we are meeting the next generation wafer reclaim needs of the premier customers in the global semiconductor industry," stated Thomas Hsieh, General Manager of Kinik's Semiconductor Materials business unit.
ATMI will use Kinik to process the customer's carbon-based low-k film wafers using RegenSi technology. Some customers using RegenSi technology have indicated greater than a four-fold improvement in return wafer yields, and greater than a 75% reduction in process time for various film types. One particular customer has reported a reduction in their test wafer spending by more than $3 million per year by using RegenSi technology.
"As more and more customers recognize the value that RegenSi technology provides in lowering test wafer costs, we believe they will outsource more of their reclaim wafer requirements to ATMI, working in conjunction with one of our RegenSi reclaim providers, such as Kinik," said John Bubel, Director of ATMI's Surface Preparation Technologies business. "Customers need to devote valuable fab space to expand production capacity instead of recycling test wafers. By bringing together the RegenSi technology with the reclaim wafer processing technology of our strategic partners, ATMI is delivering new levels of process efficiency to our customers in silicon test wafer usage."
About Kinik Company Ltd.
Kinik Company Ltd. is a leading edge company with over 50 years of experience in specialized grinding wheel manufacturing. With a wide variety of grinding wheels and cutting tools, across low and high-end applications, Kinik continues to focus on increasing value for its customer base and extending its business into both the diamond-related and reclaimed wafer industries. In addition to improving the durability and processing accuracy, Kinik's leading artificial diamond technology dramatically decreases the waste of global resources.
About ATMI, Inc.
ATMI (Nasdaq:ATMI) provides specialty materials and high-purity materials handling and delivery solutions to the worldwide semiconductor industry. For more information, please visit www.atmi.com.
ATMI and RegenSi are trademarks or registered trademarks of Advanced Technology Materials Inc. in the United States, other countries are both.
Statements contained herein that relate to ATMI's future performance, including, without limitation, statements with respect to ATMI's anticipated results of operations or level of business for 2007 or any other future period, are forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on current expectations only and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including, but not limited to, changes in semiconductor industry growth (including, without limitation, wafer starts) or ATMI's markets; competition, problems, or delays developing and commercializing new products; problems or delays in integrating acquired operations and businesses; and other factors described in ATMI's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. ATMI undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.