March 15, 2005 – Hynix Semiconductor, a Korean DRAM producer, has awarded contracts to Keithley Instruments Inc. for a multiple-system order for its S680 DC/RF parametric test systems and to Asyst Technologies Inc. for its Spartan integrated sorter.

Keithley Instruments Inc.‘s contract includes testers for production process control of 300mm wafers being produced in Hynix’s M3A fabrication facility, located in Icheon, Korea. It also includes testers for production process control of 200mm wafers being produced in Hynix’s M8/9 facility. The systems will monitor the production of Hynix’s flash memory, DRAM, SRAM (Synchronous Random Access Memory), and system IC devices.

Asyst Technologies Inc.‘s multimillion dollar contract was for the Spartan Sorter, which will be placed in for Hynix’s new 300mm fab in Ichon, South Korea. The Spartan Sorter was designed from the outset as a unified wafer management solution, embodying the minimum scale and complexity necessary to accomplish its core job of moving wafers as cleanly and as quickly as possible. leading cleanliness with the lowest particle levels.