ASM Sues D&G Glassblowing for Patent and Trademark Infringement


BILTHOVEN, The Netherlands, Feb. 5, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- ASM International N.V. (Nasdaq:ASMI) (AEX:ASM) announced today that its subsidiary, ASM America, Inc., has filed a lawsuit against D&G Glassblowing in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. The suit charges that D&G Glassblowing is unlawfully making, using, selling and offering to sell ASM's patented quartz components, including quartz process chambers and chamber components. Additionally, the suit charges D&G with the infringement of ASM's registered trademark. ASM asks the court to order D&G to stop this unlawful activity and to pay money damages to ASM.

Specifically, ASM charges that D&G is selling replacement quartz components for ASM's chemical vapor deposition (CVD) tools, including its Epsilon(tm) series of single wafer epitaxial tools. ASM has numerous patents directed to its process chamber technology.

Dr. Armand P. Ferro, ASM Epitaxial Business Unit Manager, stated: "A CVD reactor is a sophisticated, highly exacting apparatus requiring years of development and demanding very precise manufacturing and operating parameters, including component tolerance control and extreme cleanliness. Failure to meet these demanding requirements can result in contamination, gas leaks or even an explosion, resulting in the loss of very expensive semiconductor wafers for our customers. One of the critical areas of concern is the consumable quartz components requiring periodic replacement. ASM has established a qualified supplier program for companies interested in providing such quartz components to ASM's customers. To be approved as a qualified supplier, ASM investigates and monitors the supplier's products, operations and methods to satisfy ASM that the demanding requirements are met before certifying to our customers that such products are qualified for use in ASM reactors. Unfortunately, D&G and other unauthorized parties continue to market patented quartz components that do not meet our demanding requirements."

ASM is a world-class supplier of single-wafer epitaxial tools and related semiconductor process equipment. ASM has been building and selling epitaxial reactors since 1987 and its Epsilon reactors are used in mass production by all major semiconductor device manufacturers and wafer suppliers worldwide.

ASM International is headquartered in Bilthoven, the Netherlands. ASM International's subsidiaries design, develop, manufacture and market equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International and its subsidiaries provide production solutions for the wafer-processing, assembly and packaging segments through their facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's common shares trade on Nasdaq National Market under the symbol "ASMI" and on the AEX Stock Exchange under the symbol "ASM". More information on ASM can be found on its Website at http://www.asm.com.

Safe Harbor Statement under the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements regarding orders, earnings development and the effects of research and new products on ASM's future, and other matters discussed in this statement, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to economic conditions in the semiconductor industry, currency fluctuations, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, risk factors related to litigation and other risks indicated in filings from time to time with the SEC and Stock Exchange Authorities.



            

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