June 3, 2002 – Dublin, Ohio, and Beverly, MA – Ashland Specialty Chemical Co., a division of Ashland Inc., has formed a one-year alliance between its Electronic Chemicals Division (ECD) Fab Services business and Axcelis Technologies Inc. to provide cleaning and rebuilding services using Axcelis-authorized parts for subassemblies and internal components of ion implantation systems used in chip manufacturing.

Ashland is a supplier of ultrapure chemicals, photoresist strippers, on-site chemical management and parts cleaning services to the worldwide microelectronics industry, and Axcelis is a provider of semiconductor technology solutions and next-generation tool sets for chip manufacturing.

Rob Mionis, Axcelis Exec. Senior VP and GM of global operations and service solutions, commented, “Outsourcing cleaning activities presents an opportunity for the semiconductor manufacturer to lower their reconditioning costs. Having Ashland-certified technicians perform the sub system re-build ensures that the system will perform within specifications. This translates into less downtime at lower costs for the semiconductor manufacturer.”

The service alliance of Ashland and Axcelis will assure fabs of continued reliable performance from Axcelis ion implantation systems, thereby maximizing tool productivity and uptime in the critical environment of semiconductor manufacturing.

Ashland’s Fab Services unit in its Electronic Chemicals Division offers 24/7 servicing for semiconductor tool components with the logistics, resources and long-term commitment to the industry to accommodate customer-specific requirements. Fab Services offers expertise and comprehensive capabilities to handle the cleaning and rebuilding of components involved in the implant, diffusion, etch, photolithography, and thin film areas of semiconductor manufacturing.