SAN FRANCISCO, July 16, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- From SEMICON West 2009, ATMI, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATMI) announced that Semiconductor International magazine selected ATMI's SDS(r) and AutoClean(r) System solutions as Editors' Choice Best Products for 2009. Winners were disclosed Wednesday morning at an awards breakfast held at the Westin San Francisco Hotel. ATMI, known for innovations in efficiency and safety for semiconductor and life science manufacturing, is the only company to receive two honors this year.
The SDS System is an innovative and patented cylinder technology that provides the safest known method for transport, storage, and use of highly toxic dopant gases. The AutoClean System is an in-situ ion implanter cleaning technology which provides a simpler, safer, and greener method of improving tool efficiency while minimizing the hazardous risks of removing deposited toxic materials.
"The Editors' Choice Best Products awards program acknowledges products, materials, and services that are proven in the manufacturing environment," said Laura Peters, Editor-in-Chief of Semiconductor International (SI). In the evaluation process, SI's editors consider the products based on feedback from actual customers in the field, and only the most highly recommended ones are honored each year.
In accepting the awards for ATMI, Richard Fricke, Senior Director of Implant Technologies, noted his company is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its SDS technology this year. "Those of you in the industry at the time will recall that SDS represented a major breakthrough in safety when it was introduced in 1994. We've continuously improved the technology so it remains a must-have in our customers' fabs," said Fricke. "We're thrilled by this award, not only because it recognizes ATMI's lasting contributions to the industry, but also because it's based on customer feedback."
"We have a saying within ATMI -- 'innovation is no accident,'" added Fricke. "I'd like to recognize ATMI's extremely dedicated employees for their hard work in bringing both the SDS and AutoClean solutions to market and ensuring continuous innovation for impact and safety."
About SDS
SDS is a patented cylinder technology for safe transport, storage, and use of highly toxic dopant gases. Many of the gases used during semiconductor manufacturing are volatile and highly corrosive and can be deadly to humans who are exposed to them. ATMI's SDS cylinders employ a novel nano-porous adsorbent material to contain hazardous gases at sub-atmospheric pressures, virtually eliminating catastrophic releases. Since the pressure outside the cylinder is greater than pressure inside (sub-atmospheric), the gases can only be removed from the cylinder using a special vacuum pump that is incorporated into the ion implanters at the point of use. In tests where the valve has been opened on an SDS cylinder, virtually no gases have escaped. SDS cylinders, distributed by ATMI's commercial partner Matheson Tri-Gas, bring major safety improvements to manufacturing facilities using dopant gases and are in use at virtually every fab in the world. For more on SDS, visit http://www.atmi.com/semiconductor/ solution_sds.htm.
About AutoClean
ATMI's AutoClean System is an in-situ ion implanter cleaning technology that provides a simple, safer, and greener method of improving tool efficiency while minimizing the hazards involved with removing deposits of toxic materials. The system has been proven to increase the life of consumable implanter parts by up to 100% and cut the need for periodic tool maintenance in half. Implanter maintenance is not only dangerous, but also time consuming, and generally leads to significant tool downtime and lost productivity. Additionally, the automated in-situ cleaning method minimizes exposure of personnel to hazardous materials by drastically reducing or eliminating manual cleaning.
For more on the AutoClean System, visit http://www.atmi.com/semiconductor/solution_autoclean.htm.
About Semiconductor International
Semiconductor International serves the needs of both semiconductor engineers and industry suppliers through a wide range of products and services, including magazines, webcasts, podcasts, directories, trade show guides, e-newsletters, specialized supplements, original research, industry seminars, industry awards, and the leading industry website, www.semiconductor.net. Semiconductor International is part of Reed Elsevier, the world's largest provider of business-to-business information, and home of the world's most extensive collection of specialized electronic industry publications.
About ATMI
ATMI, Inc. provides specialty semiconductor materials, and high-purity materials handling and delivery solutions designed to increase process efficiencies for the worldwide semiconductor, flat panel, and life sciences industries. For more information, please visit http://www.atmi.com.
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Statements contained herein that relate to ATMI's future performance, including, without limitation, statements with respect to ATMI's anticipated results of operations or level of business for 2009 or any other future period, are forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on current expectations only and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including, but not limited to, changes in semiconductor industry growth (including, without limitation, wafer starts) or ATMI's markets; competition, problems, or delays developing, commercializing and delivering new products; problems or delays in integrating acquired operations and businesses; uncertainty in the credit and financial markets; and other factors described in ATMI's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, and other subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. ATMI undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
ATMI, the ATMI logo and AutoClean are trademarks or registered trademarks of Advanced Technology Materials, Inc. in the U.S., other countries or both. SDS is a trademark or registered trademark of Advanced Technology Materials, Inc. and Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc. in the U.S., other countries or both.