Fremont, CA, April 10, 2001 - Asyst Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq NM: ASYT), the world's largest semiconductor fab automation company, today announced it will feature several advanced 300mm products at the upcoming SEMICON Europa tradeshow, including the Plus™ Portal portfolio, the VersaPort™ 2200 and its line of 300mm front-opening unified pods (FOUPs).

Additionally, to further strengthen its European presence in light of the company's ten-fold growth in the region over the past two years, Asyst has named Greg Greskovich vice president of European customer operations and Thomas Brown finance manager for Europe-both newly created posts. These appointments signify Asyst's commitment to building the infrastructure necessary to support its European customer base.

Mihir Parikh, Asyst's chairman and chief executive officer, stated, "Europe has been, and will continue to be, a key market for Asyst. Our leading technology and customer responsiveness have allowed us to win a significant share of the European market for fab automation solutions. We are committed to making the strategic investments necessary to build even closer ties to our European customers. Greg and Thomas will be instrumental in continuing to drive strategic development programs and helping foster new and existing customer relationships."

Greskovich has served as vice president of sales for Asyst's Austin, Texas, division since joining the company in 1999 as part of the Progressive System Technologies (PST) acquisition. Previously, he spent six years with PST as vice president of sales and marketing. He holds an M.B.A. from Mercer University (Atlanta, Ga.) and a J.D. from the University of Miami in Florida. Brown has more than 14 years' experience in finance and accounting management. His most recent position prior to joining Asyst was as European accountant and company secretary for Tokyo Electron Ltd.'s (TEL) U.K. headquarters. Before that, he spent five years with Rolls-Royce PLC, the last four as finance manager for the company's international support services business. He holds a Bachelor of Science (with honours) degree in Management Sciences from the Victoria University of Manchester, England. Both Greskovich and Brown will report to Bob Kane, Asyst's president of European customer operations.

Key Asyst Products at SEMICON Europa

• Plus Portal - A complete, turnkey, front-end solution for semiconductor original equipment manufacturers' (OEMs') tools, the Asyst Plus Portal has become the industry's most widely used automated front-end solution for both 200mm and 300mm applications. The Plus Portal combines Asyst's patented automation, isolation and information technologies to enable seamless integration between OEMs' production tools and advanced fab automation systems.
• VersaPort 2200 - An essential component of Asyst's Plus Portal offering, the VersaPort load port tool is a modular, configurable input/output (I/O) interface that facilitates transfer of 200mm semiconductor wafers into and out of both older-technology open cassettes and Standard Mechanical InterFace (SMIF™) pods. With the new bolt-on manual open-cassette adapter (MOCA) option, which allows fabs to run open cassettes on new 200mm tools, the VersaPort 2200 truly becomes a bridge tool for technology transition from open cassettes to 200mm SMIF-Pods, as well as for future upgrades from 200mm to 300mm technology.
• 300mm FOUP - This 300mm version of Asyst's industry-leading SMIF-Pod offers compatibility with other Asyst 300mm product offerings, including the advanced SMART-Tag™ ST-8400 infrared tracking and identification system. Key enhancements include greater wafer-positioning accuracy to improve 300mm wafer handling; a drainable door to improve cleanability and drying times in advanced FOUP-cleaning systems; and full compatibility with Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) 300mm standards.

These and other advanced automation products will be on display in Asyst's booth #A2-522 at SEMICON Europa, New Munich Trade Fair Centre, Munich, Germany, April 24-26, 2001.

About Asyst
Asyst Technologies, Inc. is the leading provider of isolation and automation technologies that enable semiconductor makers to protect their valued assets throughout the manufacturing process while increasing manufacturing productivity. Through this "Value-Assured Fab" strategy, Asyst offers a broad range of 200mm and 300mm solutions that enable the safe transfer of wafers and information between the process equipment and the fab line throughout the IC fabrication process, preventing human, environmental, mechanical and chemical harm. Encompassing robotics, portals, wafer and reticle carriers, connectivity and interface products, and transport and loading products, Asyst's modular, interoperable solutions allow chipmakers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to select and employ the value-assured, hands-off manufacturing capabilities that best suit their needs.