San Jose, California–Oct. 27, 2000–Novellus Systems, Inc., a leader in thin film deposition technology for the semiconductor industry, is acquiring Gasonics International Corp., a supplier of dry resist removal and surface preparation equipment for semiconductor manufacturers, through acquisition of all outstanding shares of Gasonics in a stock- for-stock merger transaction valued at approximately $347 million.

The acquisition will provide Novellus with a leading position in the emerging market for surface preparation equipment, the company reports, a critical enabling technology as the industry evolves toward copper dual damascene manufacturing processes and increasingly smaller devices.