Amtech Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: ASYS), a global supplier of production and automation systems and related supplies for the semiconductor and solar cell industries, has announced a new order totaling approximately $2 million for thermal processing and automation systems from the solar cell industry.
The order is a follow-on order from an Asian-based customer who is a leading supplier of solar wafers to the industry as well as a manufacturer of photovoltaic cells, modules and application systems. The order is expected to ship in the fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2007. Amtech has received approximately $9 million of solar orders, including this most recent order, during the last 12 months, a 500% increase over the preceding 12 month period.
J.S. Whang, the company’s president and CEO, stated, “I am pleased with the company’s continued growth during fiscal 2006, which has been fueled, in part, by an increase in orders from the growing solar cell industry. We continue to aggressively pursue the solar/photovoltaic industry and the expanding Asian market. We believe that this order from the solar cell industry demonstrates the continued success of our growth strategy and sales and marketing activities.”
Amtech Systems Inc. manufactures capital equipment, including silicon wafer handling automation, thermal semiconductor processing equipment and related consumables used in fabricating semiconductor devices. Semiconductors, or semiconductor chips, are fabricated on silicon wafer substrates, sliced from ingots, and are part of the circuitry, or electronic components, of many products including computers, telecommunications devices, automotive products, consumer goods, and industrial automation and control systems. The Company’s semiconductor handling, thermal processing and consumable products currently address the polishing of newly sliced silicon wafers and reclaimed test wafers and the oxidation and deposition steps used in the fabrication of semiconductors, MEMS and solar cells.