All-surface Explorer™ now available with top, edge and backside inspection
SEOUL, KOREA (January 29, 2008) -- Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: RTEC), a worldwide leader in process characterization solutions for the semiconductor manufacturing industry, today announced the availability of the AXi 940 macro defect inspection module. The new AXi 940 module will perform wafer frontside inspection as part of the all-surface Explorer™ Inspection Cluster -- a multi-surface inspection system designed to deliver fast, accurate and reliable macro inspection at a low cost-of-ownership. The new module is featured at this week's semiconductor manufacturing industry trade show, SEMICON® Korea, in Seoul.
The AXi 940 is the culmination of over three years of software development and incorporates the technological advantages of both the AXi and Waferview® product lines. This convergence of technology has resulted in industry-leading macro resolution paired with a completely redesigned software interface focused on reducing cost of ownership through improved productivity and reliability, as well as reduced dependence on human operators.
"Delivering this latest technology to the market has been a high priority for our engineering team this past year," said Nathan Little, executive vice president and general manager of the Inspection Business Unit. "Commercial activity is in fast-forward, with the first Explorer Inspection Cluster featuring an AXi 940 module at our beta customer, and a second unit is scheduled to ship in April. These initial systems are targeted primarily for high-volume production applications in advanced lithography and CMP processes."
The AXi 940's intelligent software significantly reduces the amount of time required for recipe creation by automating many of the tasks and decisions that normally are done by the tool operator. In addition, the all-surface Explorer Inspection Cluster gives users the ability to take the AXi 940 module offline for recipe creation while keeping all other modules in the cluster in production. Previously, if one module had to be worked on, the entire tool would have to be taken off-line.
SEMICON® is a registered trademark of Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International.
Rudolph Technologies is a worldwide leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of high-performance process control metrology, defect inspection and data analysis systems used by semiconductor device manufacturers. Rudolph provides a full-fab solution through its families of proprietary products that provide critical yield-enhancing information, enabling microelectronic device manufacturers to drive down costs and time to market. The company has enhanced the competitiveness of its products in the marketplace by anticipating and addressing many emerging trends driving the semiconductor industry's growth. Rudolph's strategy for continued technological and market leadership includes aggressive research and development of complementary metrology and inspection solutions. Headquartered in Flanders, New Jersey, Rudolph supports its customers with a worldwide sales and service organization. Additional information can be found on the company's web site at www.rudolphtech.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act"). In some cases, you can identify those so-called "forward-looking statements" by words such as "may," "will," "would," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "feels," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," or "continue," or the negative of those words and other comparable words. Rudolph wishes to take advantage of the "safe harbor" provided for by the Act and cautions that actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of various factors, including risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Rudolph's control. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, the impact of the slowdown in the overall economy, the uncertainty of the current global political environment, the potential for terrorist attacks, the potential for business disruptions due to infectious diseases, changes in customer demands for our existing and new products, the timing, cancellation or delay of customer orders and shipments, the timing of revenue recognition of shipments, new product offerings from our competitors, changes in or an inability to execute Rudolph's business strategy, unanticipated manufacturing or supply problems and changes in tax rules. Rudolph cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. The matters discussed in this press release also involve risks and uncertainties as summarized in Rudolph's Form 10-K report for the year ended December 31, 2006 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which are available at http://www.sec.gov, the SEC's website, and at http://www.rudolphtech.com, the Rudolph website. While these factors may be updated from time to time through the filing of reports and registration statements with the SEC, Rudolph does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.
For more information, please contact:
Investors:
Steven R. Roth
973.448.4302
steven.roth@rudolphtech.com
Trade Press:
Virginia Becker
952.259.1647
virginia.becker@rudolphtech.com