Brooks Automation, Inc. Receives Additional Patent on Its Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) Opener Technology Which is Widely Used in 300mm Automation
CHELMSFORD, Mass.—June 15, 2000—Brooks Automation, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRKS), a leader in semiconductor tool and factory automation solutions for the global semiconductor industry, today announced that it has received a second U.S. Patent, U.S. Patent 6,071,059 for its 300mm FOUP Opener Technology. The new patent relates specifically to the opening mechanism and automation associated with opening, closing and accessing substrates from front opening substrate carriers. This patent, related to U.S. Patent 5,772,386, issued from a previously pending application obtained by Brooks Automation from the Jenoptik Group – see Brooks News Release dated October 27, 1999.
Since its introduction, front opening substrate carrier technology has been widely accepted for 300mm semiconductor factory architectures. The introduction of this technology and its acceptance by the industry from the early stages of 300mm factory and tool designs enables a more efficient, integrated implementation unlike adapted solutions to existing 200mm open cassette tool designs.
"Front opening substrate carrier technology has now been designed into essentially all 300mm tools and for the first time, all OEMs are capable of delivering to semiconductor manufacturers a complete, factory-ready tool set capable of isolated wafer carrier access without the need for factory retrofit," said Robert J. Therrien, President and Chief Executive Officer of Brooks Automation, Inc.
Brooks Automation, Inc.
Brooks Automation, Inc. owns more than 50 patents and has more than 50 patents pending. Brooks is a leading supplier of integrated automation solutions for the global semiconductor, data storage and flat panel display manufacturing industries. As an established market leader in hardware and software automation, Brooks continues to pioneer best-in-class technologies that outperform their competitors—from vacuum and atmospheric robots, cluster tool platforms and modules, ultra clean mini-environments for isolating processing equipment and wafers—to factory and tool automation software and integration services. Both OEMs and fabs leverage Brooks Automation's products and services to optimize total fab performance in dynamic manufacturing environments. The Company has ISO 9001 certification, is headquartered in Chelmsford, Mass., and has direct operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. The Brooks web site is www.brooks.com.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The foregoing discussion contains forward-looking statements relating to the expected benefits of the Company's Direct Drive technology. These statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, risks relating to the Company's dependence on the cyclical semiconductor industry, the Company's dependence on relatively few customers for a significant portion of its revenues, the Company's reliance on sales to OEM customers and the lengthy sales cycles of those customers, the ability of the Company to continue to successfully develop and market new products and product enhancements on a timely basis, the highly competitive nature and rapid technological change that characterize the industries in which the Company competes, and other risks and uncertainties described in the Company's reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Company's future results will not be materially different than those projected. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only of the Company's expectations as of the date of this press release. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
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