Asyst Has Five Orders for Reticle Management System

FREMONT, Calif., Dec. 14 -- Asyst Technologies Inc. announced it has received orders totaling more than $3 million for its Reticle Management System (RMS) from DuPont Photomasks, Etec Systems, Toshiba Machine and two leading North American chipmakers, representing mask-making, semiconductor capital equipment and semiconductor manufacturing target sectors. The company already has shipped several units and expects to ship to all five customers during the fourth calendar quarter of 2001.

This is Asyst's first entry into the market for photolithography management. It said it collaborated closely with its Japanese distributor, Kobelco Research Institute, in securing Toshiba Machine's order.

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.