Memsstar Ltd. and Plasma-Therm LLC, providers of semiconductor processing equipment for specialty markets, have entered into a North American distribution agreement. The agreement gives St. Petersburg, Fl.-based Plasma-Therm the exclusive rights to distribute all release and self-assembled monolayer products from Memsstar, adding to its deep silicon etch and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition portfolio. “The agreement with Plasma-Therm is a critical component to our North American expansion strategy,” said Tony McKie, CEO of Memsstar. “By combining forces with Plasma-Therm, we are able to better serve U.S. MEMS manufacturers with solutions that span the etch and deposition process steps. We are eager to get started serving our customers with the competitive advantages that our combined technologies can offer.’’ The two companies can now deliver complete microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication solutions to customers in North America based on a combined product portfolio of VERSALINE, Apex, ORBISTM, XERICTM and AURIXTM systems. “Our ability to offer combined DSE and HF vapor technology solutions to MEMS manufacturers is a key milestone,” said Yannick Pilloux, business development manager at Plasma-Therm. “Offering multiple products with a greater knowledge of process integration issues will ultimately strengthen our relationships with customers.” Plasma-Therm is a manufacturer of leading plasma etch, deposition and advanced packaging equipment for specialty semiconductor and nanotechnology markets. Memsstar is a provider of deposition and etch equipment and technology products and services to manufacturers of semiconductors and MEMS systems.