Fremont, CA, December 19, 1996 - Asyst Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASYT), the leading supplier of SMIF-based technology and automation systems to the worldwide semiconductor industry, today announced National Semiconductor, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) has placed a multimillion-dollar follow-on order for Asyst's SMIF-based solutions, which will be used at National's new fab in Portland, Maine--the company's first production eight-inch wafer facility. The order follows on the heels of a large order placed by National in December 1995 for its Arlington, Texas facility. Together, the two orders from National exceed $5 million.

Asyst was chosen again based on its comprehensive and integrated product offerings, as well as its ability to ramp-up quickly to meet National's advanced manufacturing requirements for its new facility. Asyst's minienvironments, material control and wafer management systems will provide National with a better-than-Class 1 manufacturing environment to produce 0.25µm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Installation of the systems will begin first-quarter calendar 1997.

Kim Wisneski, National Semiconductor's fab operations manager, explained National's selection process for a SMIF-provider for its new Portland facility. "SMIF has become an integral part of our manufacturing methodology," stated Wisneski. "The use of the SMIF/minienvironment concept was determined to be the most cost-effective solution based on the benchmarking we did."

Terry Moshier, Asyst's executive vice president and chief operating officer, observed that this order demonstrates National's confidence in Asyst's technology. "National's repeat order is evidence that our integrated SMIF solutions are helping customers achieve their goals of increasing throughput, reducing cycle times and optimizing yields," said Moshier. "We are extremely pleased to help National bring their first production eight-inch facility on-line."

Asyst reports that, with this order, it now has SMIF systems totaling over $60 million installed in East Coast semiconductor facilities. Additionally, the company reports that Asyst SMIF solutions are now installed in 42 fabs worldwide and it has partnered with over 90 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

About Asyst
Asyst Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of material control and automation systems that help semiconductor manufacturers improve their integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing productivity. The company's Asyst-SMIFTM System combines state-of-the-art minienvironments with advanced robotics to create ultraclean processing environments that are both comprehensive and flexible. The SMART-TravelerTM System (STS) works in tandem with SMIF to eliminate misprocessing. Both Asyst-SMIF and its companion STS products are integral to seamless factory automation. Asyst's subsidiary, Asyst Automation, Inc., focuses on material handling control software and inter-bay/intra-bay automation systems. The company's newest subsidiary, Asyst Software, Inc., is dedicated to the development of software products for equipment communications and automated material handling, identification and tracking. Founded in 1984, Asyst Technologies, Inc. is headquartered in Fremont, CA, with facilities in Europe and the Far East. Asyst Automation, Inc. is located outside Boston, Mass., with Asyst Software located in San Jose, CA The company's common stock trades on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol ASYT.

About SMIF
SMIF stands for Standard Mechanical InterFace, the material handling approach that enables wafer transfer to and from sealed SMIF environments without exposure to cleanroom ambient conditions. SEMI standards exist for 150- and 200mm wafer sizes and are now being defined for 300mm.