Tru-Si Technologies Secures Order for European Installation From Leading Semiconductor Manufacturer

Business Wire, July 5, 2000

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SEMICON West

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 5, 2000

New Damage-free Handling Technology Critical

for Customer's Ultra-thin Etching Requirements

Tru-Si Technologies, Inc. (Tru-Si), a leading provider of atmospheric downstream plasma (ADP) processing equipment to the semiconductor industry, today announced that it has secured an order for its dry-etch technology from a prominent semiconductor manufacturer. The sale was captured on the strength of the system's newly enhanced damage-free handling features that allow for the production of ultra-thin wafers. Slated for installation at the customer's European facility in late 2000, the system will be used to manufacture chips for the advanced packaging requirements of smart cards.

The explosion of smart card production, especially in Europe, is driving the demand for a new etch technology that can provide both damage-free thinning and damage-free handling of less than 200-micron ultra-thin wafers. There are inherent difficulties in trying to reach ultra-thin dimensions with older wet etch approaches. Tru-Si's environmentally friendly ADP gas-etch is the least expensive and most reproducible etch for the thinning of wafers for advanced semiconductor packaging applications.

By extending its proprietary No-Touch(TM) technology to include ultra-thin handling, Tru-Si has extended the limits of wafer thinning in a high-volume production environment. The new damage-free handling technology is the result of ongoing collaboration with multiple customers that are planning to thin wafers to as low as 50 microns (approximately 2 mils).

Tru-Si Technologies, with its proprietary atmospheric downstream plasma (ADP) gas-etch system, is the leading supplier of the world's most efficient, damage-free materials removal solution to the semiconductor industry. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, the company's ADP dry isotropic etching technology enables semiconductor manufacturers to meet increasing wireless, portable, networking and Internet market demands for smaller, thinner, cheaper and more integrated electronic devices. For more information on Tru-Si, visit the company online at http://www.trusi.com.

Visit Tru-Si's San Francisco (No. 3106) or San Jose booth (No. 12220) at SEMICON West to hear more about the company's leading-edge ADP gas-etch systems and new ultra-thin wafer-handling solutions.