BILTHOVEN, The Netherlands, Dec. 5, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- ASM International N.V. (Nasdaq:ASMI) (Euronext Stock Exchange in Amsterdam:ASM) today announced that, for the second year in a row, Semiconductor International has awarded two of ASM's products the prestigious Editors' Choice Best Product Award.
Semiconductor International selected ASM's Advance(r) 400 Series Vertical Furnaces because this family of products has demonstrated exceptional performance in semiconductor manufacturing and the AB339 Eagle thermosonic gold wire ball bonder because of its technology and productivity enhancements.
The Editors' Choice Best Product award is presented annually by Semiconductor International magazine to recognize companies that exhibit semiconductor manufacturing excellence. The magazine announced twenty winning companies whose products are truly making a difference in semiconductor manufacturing.
"It is an honor to be recognized by an industry leading publication such as Semiconductor International," said Albert Hasper, ASM's global product manager for vertical furnaces. "ASM is particularly proud to receive this award because our customers nominated the Advance 400 Series, which indicates that they are convinced we are really making a difference in semiconductor manufacturing."
"We are pleased to have been distinguished twice in recent years, by Semiconductor International and our customers, for our gold wire bonder family," commented Patrick Lam, ASM Pacific Technology's managing director. "The AB339 Eagle, which supersedes the earlier award-winning AB339 model, is demonstrating its global leadership in fine pad pitch capability for assembly of semiconductor devices."
"The Editors' Choice Best Products program differs from other awards in that the products considered for the award are nominated by actual customers and not by the manufacturers or distributors. We receive input from multiple users for each product to verify that each has successfully shown superior performance in semiconductor manufacturing," noted Semiconductor International Editor-in-Chief, Peter Singer.
ASM has manufactured and sold furnaces for oxidation, diffusion and Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD) processes since 1964. The furnaces of the Advance 400 Series, the A400(TM) and A412(TM), are the only vertical furnaces to have a configuration using dual reactors and dual boats. This configuration not only guarantees uninterrupted processing and optimum throughput, but also provides the economic benefits of shared resources within a minimized footprint. The latest addition to the series, the A412 vertical furnace, has been selected for more than half of the 300mm fabs operating today.
Introduced in 2000, the ASM Eagle wire bonder with its proven 35 micron ultra fine bond pad pitch bonding capability delivers the highest throughput per square foot and is faster than its nearest competitor by some 15-20% in outputs. The Eagle is also IDEALine ready; the ASM IDEALine links from Die Attach to the test and finish and helps to cut cycle time in semiconductor assembly from days to hours.
Semiconductor International is published by Cahners Business Information and is a part of Reed Elsevier's global array of technical publications. It is the leading technical publication reaching and covering the global semiconductor industry. SI boasts the industry's most experienced full-time technical editorial team, and has the largest circulation to semiconductor manufacturers of any industry publication. Additional information about SI and its many products and activities are available at www.semiconductor.net.
About ASM
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. ASM International's common stock shares trade on Nasdaq (symbol ASMI) and the Euronext Stock Exchange in Amsterdam (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASM's Web site at http://www.asm.com
ASM Pacific Technology, Ltd., headquartered in Hong Kong, with operations in Shenzhen, China, Singapore and Malaysia, is a dominant global supplier of a full line of assembly and packaging equipment for the semiconductor industry. With its strong financial strength and R&D resources, ASM PT offers its customers total solution in process innovation, package development and factory automation. ASM PT is 55% owned by ASM International N.V. ASM Pacific Technology, Ltd. trades on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the symbol: 0522
Safe Harbor Statement under the US 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.
ASM and Advance 400 Series are registered trademarks, and A400 and A412 are trademarks of ASM International.