Ad-hoc | 23 July 2002 08:45

Süss Micro Tec AG english

SUSS MicroTec achieves milestone in chip packaging with partners Ad-hoc-announcement transmitted by DGAP. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. ——————————————————————————– SUSS MicroTec achieves milestone in chip packaging with partners · SECAP consortium plans pioneering project in the 300 mm field · Process developer and service provider Unitive Inc. (USA) is the strategic partner . Significant strategic milestone for the breakthrough of Advanced Packaging technology Munich / San Francisco, July 23, 2002 – Together with the international consortium SECAP (Semiconductor Equipment Consortium for Advanced Packaging), SUSS MicroTec is making decisive progress in the introduction of wafer level packaging in the area of 300 mm technology in the chip industry. In a Joint Venture with one of the leading developers and service providers of wafer level packaging solutions, Unitive Inc. (USA), the SECAP consortium is setting up a 300 mm production line for Advanced Packaging applications. In accordance with SECAP’s statutes, however, Unitive will not become a member of SECAP. The line which is being installed at Unitive’s subsidiary, UST in Hsinchu, Taiwan, will be used for mass production by UST. It will also be available to other (potential) SECAP customers for study and evaluation purposes as part of a time sharing model. “This ambitious SECAP project will once again send a signal to the whole industry. The setting up of SECAP in 2000 itself represented an important step in supporting our customers in the introduction of this new technology. Now the entire industry is once again benefiting from this “open” production line”, says Dr. Franz Richter, CEO of SUSS MicroTec. According to Richter, “the process supported by Unitive is currently the process most in demand with the major chip manufacturers (IDMs) and foundries. This is why it is important for us that Unitive has again opted for SECAP equipment for the conversion of this process to 300 mm technology.” So far the industry only produces a low percentage of its output using Advanced Packaging technology, and these are mainly highly complex chips. According to forecasts, more and more manufacturers of simpler memory chips will start to use the new technology with the result that up to 15 percent of all chips will probably be made using the Advanced Packaging method. 300 mm technology makes chip production yet more efficient, significantly so in fact, and therefore more cost-effective by changing from the 200 mm wafer (silicon disk) to the 300 mm wafer. end of ad-hoc-announcement (c)DGAP 23.07.2002 Issuer’s information/explanatory remarks concerning this ad-hoc-announcement: With its 300 mm production line, the SECAP consortium is able to find the perfect match of products for the growth market of Advanced Packaging, thereby demonstrating its high efficiency and the opportunities it offers for considerably higher production capacity. The production line for the pilot project is to be set up in the 4th quarter of 2002 and to start production in the 1st quarter of 2003. The participants in the Joint Venture have agreed to keep its exact conditions confidential. About SECAP: Established in July 2000, “SECAP” (Semiconductor Equipment Consortium for Advanced Packaging) is a consortium of leading equipment suppliers to the advanced packaging industry. Members of SECAP are Semitool, Suss MicroTec, Image Technology, Matrix Integrated Systems, NEXX Systems, Electroglas and the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM) in Berlin. SECAP addresses challenges in semiconductor packaging, such as the development and validation of process equipment for the industry’s conversion to wafer level packaging and 300mm wafer technology. Within the consortium, the Fraunhofer Institute (IZM) in Berlin acts as a consultant and technical link between the equipment suppliers to identify specific equipment requirements. In addition, the Fraunhofer Institute is the application center for process sequence integration between the different partners’ equipment and operates the SECAP process line. The SECAP consortium does not intend to develop and market packaging technologies, since its purpose is not to create a competitive situation with the customers of the equipment companies involved. SECAP aims at supporting the development and successful adaptation of advanced packaging technologies in the semiconductor industry. For more information, see http://www.secap.org. About Unitive, Inc.: Unitive is one of the leading provider of wafer-level packaging solutions that make semiconductors smaller, faster and lighter. The manufacturing factories are located in N.C., USA and its affiliated company UST, located in Taiwan. The company partners with its customers to meet their product and global manufacturing needs through innovative deployment of its technologies, resulting in quicker time-to-market and lower costs. Unitive’s services include multi- level passivation and thin film wiring, solder bumping, and chip scale packaging. The company’s strategic investors include leading financial and industry pioneers such as Onex, Celestica, Flextronics, Fairchild Semiconductor, and Conexant Systems. For more information, please visit http://www.unitive.com. About SÜSS MicroTec: SÜSS MicroTec is a leading supplier of production and process technology for the semi-conductor industry. SÜSS MicroTec primarily services niche markets, which are currently converting to the new technologies to ensure their continued ability to compete. With over 7,000 systems installed, Suss products include coating and developing systems, proximity lithography systems, substrate bonders, device bonders and probe systems. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, Suss has approximately 1,000 employees worldwide and provides support from sales and service centres in North America, Europe, Asia and Japan. More information about SUSS MicroTec and its products is available from its web site at http://www.suss.com or http://www.suss.de. ——————————————————————————– WKN: 722670; ISIN: DE0007226706; Index: NEMAX 50 Listed: Neuer Markt in Frankfurt; Freiverkehr in Berlin, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, München und Stuttgart 230845 Jul 02