Spin-Processing Selected as Industry Mainstream for 300 mm Chip Making

The international SEZ Group has received multiple orders for its 300 mm Spin-Processors from a number of major chipmakers in Asia, Europe and the USA with a volume of more than CHF 9 million. Delivery and installation of all systems is expected by the end of the year. The Spin-Processors will be used for surface preparation of 300 mm wafers, primarily to perform pre-lithography wafer backside cleaning, especially copper decontamination, and to recycle monitoring wafers (wafer reclaim).

The new Spin-Processor model for 300 mm applications, the 304, was launched at SEMICON Europa in Munich at the beginning of April. Within just a few weeks SEZ received confirmed orders for 300 mm Spin-Processors worth more than CHF 9 million. With these new orders, SEZ is now represented in the vast majority of all current 300 mm pilot line projects worldwide.

With the new orders the SEZ Group also confirms the expectations of becoming an initial equipment supplier for 300 mm wafer fabs. These orders demonstrate that SEZ is being established as one of the leading equipment suppliers worldwide for state-of-the-art processing of 300 mm wafers.

The unrivalled Spin-Process-Technology (a wet-process for wafer surface treatment in microchip production) developed by SEZ has established the Group as the world leader in this technology. You will find further information on the Group's home page at www.sez.com.

Villach/Zurich, May 11, 2000