CHELMSFORD, Mass., Oct. 8, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Brooks Automation, Inc. (Nasdaq:BRKS) announced today that its industry-leading products and solutions are being featured at SEMICON Europa booth #524 Hall A in the New Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre from October 9 - 11, 2007. Included among the innovative products on display during SEMICON Europa:
Jet(tm) Atmospheric Transport Platform
The Jet Atmospheric Transport Platform is an all new, highly configurable, equipment front end module (EFEM) designed for advanced semiconductor processing. Jet utilizes new, modular building blocks to optimize all phases of an OEM tool lifecycle. Building blocks such as the Jet Engine(r) atmospheric transfer system enable the industry's best Crate-to-Operate(tm) in less than one hour. The Razor(tm) atmospheric transfer robot family, with its patented motion control algorithms, direct drive technology and proprietary passive contact end effector technology enable the safest, fastest, and most reliable wafer transfer in the industry. Vision(tm) load port modules deliver high FOUP interoperability coupled with the shortest operational cycle times. All of this is possible because of the powerful, easy to use Fusion(tm) control system.
Marathon(tm) 2C Vacuum Transfer Platform
The Marathon 2C(tm) Vacuum Transport Platform provides the high performance, ultra-cleanliness, and proven reliability demanded by today's advanced semiconductor manufacturers. Based on Brooks' 10M+ MCBF MagnaTran(tm) robots, Marathon 2C maximizes uptime by reducing the need for periodic refurbishments and maintenance. Advanced features, such as automatic wafer re-centering and integrated system-wide interlocks, ensure maximum wafer safety. Modular, high-throughput load locks deliver ultra-low particle count performance for higher yield and enhanced productivity. In addition, Marathon 2's series of compact chambers -- based on the revolutionary MagnaTran Radius(tm) over/under SCARA robot -- offers the smallest footprint and highest throughput available in the industry today.
MagnaTran(r) 8 Radius
The MagnaTran(r) 8 Radius robot extends the benefits of MagnaTran 7(r) field-proven, direct drive technology to a tri-axial drive. In addition, the MagnaTran 8 Family leverages proven SCARA arm technology to provide 4 second fast swaps within a small containment diameter. Both the tri-axial drive and the dual SCARA arm have been designed to accommodate heavier payloads up to 3 Kg.
Brooks RFID Trolley "Where2go"
The RFID Trolley completes the comprehensive product line of Brooks ID Stations with a mobile WLAN solution specifically designed for transportation of carriers within a fab. Two shelf bottoms include kinematic coupling pins sized for 300mm FOUPs / FOSBYs and 200mm boxes. Data readings are sent to the host system through a WLAN interface with the host system outputting information regarding the wafer lot ID or the next processing tool. Information is displayed on an integrated trolley screen.
Brooks Automation CTI-Cryogenics(r) Re-Defines the Standard for PVDHigh Vacuum Pumping with the Release of the On-Board(r) IS XP System
Brooks' CTI-Cryogenics(r) On-Board IS(r) 8F XP cryopump has been optimized for next generation PVD processes and offers over 40% improvement of mixed gas capacity. By providing such a large improvement in capacity, PVD processes may be optimized for new technology nodes without impacting tool availability due to increased regeneration cycles. On-Board IS XP has been tested to be process transparent and is 100% compatible with the existing industry standard On-Board IS 8F PVD solution. On-Board IS 8F XP is available for new equipment immediately and is field up-gradable for the existing installed base of over 3000 On-Board IS 8F PVD pumps. On-Board IS(r) 8F XP includes all the proven benefits of the On-Board(r) IS platform. On-Board(r) IS high pressure operation and innovative compressor design delivers 20% less run time power consumption than other systems. On-Board IS intelligent helium management distributes cooling power to each pump when needed, enabling stable vacuum performance over several years of running high heat load processes. On-Board IS intelligent helium management has enabled customers to run six (6) cryopumps on one compressor for several years in a high volume production environment without sacrificing vacuum performance.
Brooks Automation Granville-Phillips(r) Releases Optimized Micro-Ion(r) Vacuum Measurement Solution for Implant Applications
Granville-Phillips(r) announced today the release of a Micro-Ion Implant Gauge that is optimized for Implant source and beam-line applications, and offers a 300% or more increase in gauge lifetime. Granville-Phillips worked closely with a major Implant equipment supplier to increase source-region gauge life, beamline response time and cleanliness, and address other Implant equipment process challenges to improve system performance and gauge cost-of- ownership. The Micro-Ion Implant Gauge includes Implant specific gauge baffling solutions, optimized gauge control electronics and improved thermal management that dramatically improves gauge-life performance and measurement accuracy. Major End-Users are currently evaluating the Micro-Ion Implant Gauge performance in a retrofit application and realizing greater than 300% improvement in gauge lifetime.
Brooks Automation Polycold(r) Systems Announces the Availability of the Polycold(r) PGCL for Wafer and Chamber Cooling
Brooks' Polycold(r) PGCL has been tested and qualified on a PVD process for Copper/Tantalum barrier-seed deposition. By providing a lower chuck temperature (as low as -70 deg.C), higher process thermal loads can be managed while maintaining the wafer at the required temperature. This enables better film uniformity, higher process yields and wafer throughput. The closed loop gas chiller provides cooling of wafers and chucks using an inert gas coolant. It also eliminates problems associated with liquid chillers such as leaks into the chamber that lead to significant system down time, cost of replacement fluid, safety concerns, and process contamination. By recycling the chilled inert gas coolant, PGCL also reduces the system's Total Cost of Ownership when compared to the operating cost of an open loop gas chiller by eliminating the cost of continuous high-purity gas supply.
Global Customer Support - "Committed to Our Customers' Success"
Brooks has continued to improve its customer support capabilities. From GUTS(r) (Guaranteed Up-Time Support) -- our around the clock, around the globe support commitment -- to the continued improvement of international repair capabilities, Brooks Global Customer Support (GCS) is working hard to show commitment to our customers' success. Brooks' Fixed Price Repair program has helped customers save up to eight weeks in cycle time for robot repair. TrueBlue(r) Service Agreements give customers leverage to Brooks' global infrastructure and systems knowledge which provide more options to reducing unscheduled downtime. This year GCS is featuring an interactive upgrades station focused on a variety of upgrades designed to improve overall system performance. Each process in wafer fabrication has unique operational challenges, and GCS's portfolio of process specific upgrades can help optimize productivity and lower Cost of Ownership. GCS is also featuring a new GOLDLink(r) station with a demonstration of the GOLDLink customer website. GOLDLink is a predictive e-diagnostics tool; a virtual presence in the fab monitoring the health of the cryopump systems 24 hours a day to ensure unscheduled downtime is minimized.
About Brooks Automation, Inc.
Brooks is a leading worldwide provider of automation solutions and integrated subsystems to the global semiconductor and related industries. The company's advanced offerings in hardware and services can help customers improve manufacturing efficiencies, accelerate time-to-market and reduce cost of ownership. Brooks' products and global services are used in virtually every semiconductor fab in the world as well as in a number of diverse industries outside of semiconductor manufacturing. For more information see www.brooks.com or email co.csr@brooks.com
"Safe Harbor Statement" under Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Some statements in this release are forward-looking statements made under Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees but involve risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that could cause Brooks' financial and business results to differ materially from our expectations. They are based on the facts known to management at the time they are made. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding our bookings, revenues, and profit and loss expectations, expected restructuring charges and other charges, our future business strategy and market opportunities, level of capital expenditures and bookings expectations in the semiconductor and discrete manufacturing industries, demand for our new and existing products, purchasing and manufacturing trends among semiconductor manufacturing OEMs, the benefits of the acquisitions of Synetics and Helix, our strategy of sourcing from low cost regions, and the outlook of the semiconductor industry. Factors that could cause results to differ from our expectations include the following: our dependence on the cyclical semiconductor industry; the possibility of downturns in market demand for electronics; our possible inability to meet increased demand for our products due to difficulties in obtaining components and materials from our suppliers in required quantities and of required quality; a decision by semiconductor manufacturing OEMs not to outsource increasing amounts of their manufacturing operations; our ability to continue to effectively implement our flexible manufacturing model and our supply chain consolidation; the highly competitive nature and rapid technological change that characterizes the industries in which we compete; decisions by customers to accelerate delivery under or to cancel or defer orders that previously had been accepted; decisions by customers to reject the products we ship to them; the possibility that we may not be able to fulfill customer orders within a period of time acceptable to them; the fact that design-in wins do not necessarily translate to significant revenue; the timing and effectiveness of restructuring, cost-cutting, low cost sourcing and expense control measures; intense price competition; disputes concerning intellectual property; our ability to successfully integrate Synetics' and Helix's operations and employees; the risk that the cost savings and any other synergies from the Synetics and Helix acquisitions may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the risk that possible disruption from the Synetics and Helix acquisitions will make it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers and employees; continuing uncertainties in global political and economic conditions, especially arising out of conflict in the Middle East; the potential for the incurrence of material expense and the diversion of management's attention from other business concerns created by pending investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice; and other factors and other risks that we have described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Brooks' Annual Report on Forms 10-K and 10-K/A, current reports on Form 8-K and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. As a result we can provide no assurance that our future results will not be materially different from those projected. Brooks expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Brooks undertakes no obligation to update the information contained in this press release.