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SEZ Gains Momentum in Asia-Pacific as Industry-Leading Chipmakers Place Multiple-System Orders for Da Vinci Tools
Da Vinci Platform Penetrates World-Leading Foundries, Serves as Catalyst for Further Shift to Single-Wafer Wet Processing in Memory Sector
VILLACH, Austria—June 26, 2006—The SEZ Group (SWX: SEZN), the market leader and premier innovator in single-wafer wet processing solutions for the semiconductor industry, today announced it has received multiple-system orders for more than a dozen Da Vinci tools from industry-leading chipmakers based in Taiwan and Singapore during the last couple of weeks. Placed by top foundries—both new and existing customers—the orders extend SEZ's growing momentum in Asia Pacific, following other recent purchases from customers in China and Korea.
Moreover, as several of these customers are focused on memory-device manufacturing, the orders underscore that the Da Vinci platform is serving as a catalyst for the escalating shift to single-wafer wet processing within the memory sector. While logic chip manufacturers have led this transition, memory makers and foundries are increasingly seeking the cost and performance advantages of single-wafer applications for their advanced manufacturing operations. SEZ foresaw this trend several years ago when it moved to focus on its core competency in single-wafer technology, and has expanded its portfolio accordingly. Most recently, the company introduced the DV-38DS, a double-side process module for the Da Vinci platform. Developed in collaboration with a leading memory provider, the DV-38DS replaces the eight standard chambers in a DV-38 tool with eight double-side process modules, enabling simultaneous, high-throughput removal of wafer front-side polymers and backside organics/particles.
Since the first Da Vinci tool was shipped in November 2003, it has quickly gained acceptance throughout the industry, with the 100th system expected to ship during this quarter. "The combination of Asia and our Da Vinci line is a powerful one," noted Kurt Lackenbucher, SEZ executive vice president and chief operating officer. "The Da Vinci platform currently represents more than 60 percent of SEZ's total revenues, while over half of our total installed base is in Japan and Asia Pacific. Clearly, these dual trends are fueling the rapid adoption of our single-wafer technology. We look forward to continued success in all our served regions as we move closer to launching a new platform that we anticipate will deliver the same degree of value for front-end-of-line processing as the Da Vinci has for the back end of the fab line."
The Da Vinci platform was specifically developed to address chipmakers' cost-of-ownership and time-to-market challenges in the ultra-deep-submicron era. It combines a flexible, multi-chamber architecture with a very small footprint to deliver high throughput and accuracy, while maintaining optimal system uptime. In addition to the DV-38DS, the Da Vinci family includes the eight-chamber DV-38F/28F tools and the four-chamber DV-34BF/24BF systems.
About SEZ Group
The SEZ Group is the leading provider of single-wafer, wet-processing solutions for the global semiconductor industry, with an installed base of over 1,000 tools. The company maintains operations in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Japan, and North America. SEZ Holding AG is traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange under the symbol SEZN. Additional information about the company is available on the Internet at www.sez.com.
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