Fremont, CA, October 3, 2001 - Asyst Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq NM: ASYT), the leading provider of Standard Mechanical Interface (SMIF)-based manufacturing automation systems, today announced it has shipped more than 4,000 of its SMART-Traveler System (STS) auto-ID readers for 300mm load ports to 300mm fabs and semiconductor equipment manufacturers. As a result, Asyst believes it now holds more than 65 percent of the 300mm auto-ID and connectivity solutions market. To further extend its leadership in this area, Asyst has introduced Link Manager™, its next-generation connectivity product aimed at simplifying integration of key 300mm front-end components.

A 300mm version of Asyst's SMART-Comm™ connectivity product, Link Manager is a compact, cost-effective multiplexer that connects key front-end components. Used by semiconductor equipment manufacturers and fabs to integrate SMIF I/Os, SECS devices, and auto-ID technologies (such as Asyst's SMART-Tag™), Link Manager simplifies integration for the tool controller by converting protocols and concentrating different types of connected devices into a single message set that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can easily integrate into their tools.

The complexities associated with 300mm manufacturing will require chipmakers to more widely adopt automation technologies aimed at intra-fab communication, tracking and connectivity. Asyst's connectivity products both facilitate fab automation and are easily integrated by tool OEMs, capabilities that will become essential in the 300mm era. Products include SMART-Tag, GwconX300™ SEMI Standard connectivity software, SECSIM Pro™, AdvanTag™ and Link Manager.

According to Asyst Senior Vice President, Product Groups Steve Schwartz, "We are proud of our track record in providing comprehensive 300mm automation solutions. We've demonstrated consistent leadership and a progressive approach to market requirements in the area of fab communication and connectivity, and we look forward, with this latest addition to our STS family, to even greater success in working with our customers to address their pressing 300mm automation challenges."

Link Manager Pricing and Availability
Asyst's new Link Manager connectivity product is fully compliant with all communication protocols set forth and administered by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), and is available now as part of the company's SMART-Traveler System (STS).

About Asyst
Asyst Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of integrated automation systems for the semiconductor manufacturing industry, which enable semiconductor manufacturers to increase their manufacturing productivity and protect their investment in silicon wafers during the manufacture of integrated circuits, or ICs. Through its "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, while reducing IC damage caused by human, environmental, mechanical and chemical factors. Encompassing isolation systems, work-in-process materials management, substrate-handling robotics, automated transport and loading systems, and connectivity automation software, Asyst's modular, interoperable solutions allow chipmakers and original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, to select and employ the value-assured, hands-off manufacturing capabilities that best suit their needs.

SMIF, SMART-Tag, SMART-Comm and Link Manager are trademarks of Asyst Technologies, Inc. All others are the property of their respective owners.