December 12, 2001 — FREMONT, CA — Asyst Technologies, Inc., a provider of comprehensive solutions for semiconductor fab and equipment automation, has received orders totaling more than $3 million for its Reticle Management System (RMS) from DuPont Photomasks, Etec Systems, Toshiba Machine and two other North American chipmakers.

These customers represent three target sectors: mask-making, semiconductor capital equipment and semiconductor manufacturing. The company already has shipped several units and expects to ship to all five customers during the fourth calendar quarter of 2001.

This is the company’s first entry into the market for photolithography management, currently estimated at $20 million and growing at 20 percent annually. Asyst’s RMS protects and manages reticles – essentially the pattern or template used to define circuits in the semiconductor manufacturing process – from damage and contamination. A typical 0.13-micron reticle can cost up to $25,000 and companies often need to manage hundreds or even thousands of reticles.

“These top-tier companies clearly recognize the importance of protecting their assets and optimizing the return on their substantial investments in reticles,” said Steve Schwartz, Asyst’s executive vice president, product groups and operations. “Asyst is the pioneer of technology to protect silicon wafers during semiconductor manufacturing, and this reticle management system is a logical next step in our strategy to bring advanced technology and Asyst know-how to key markets throughout the semiconductor manufacturing industry.”

Asyst RMS components include Standard Mechanical Interface (SMIF) minienvironments and SMIF-Indexers, as well as SMART-Tag and AdvanTag auto-ID tracking systems.