EV Group Realizes Continued Growth for Fiscal 2008

EV Group (EVG), a leading supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, today announced that the company witnessed a more than 15-percent increase in overall revenue during fiscal 2008, ended September 30. EVG attributes this growth, in large part, to burgeoning demand in both the 3D interconnect/through-silicon via (TSV) and nanoimprint lithography (NIL) markets. Despite the current global economic slowdown, the company remains cautiously optimistic about its outlook for 2009 given the expected growth opportunities to ensue as these novel technologies gain market acceptance/penetration. According to EVG Founder and President Erich Thallner, EVG capitalizes on its technology and market leadership by continuously building upon its extensive experience in bringing new and innovative products to the market. "Our leading-edge solutions provide a true value add to our customers and are the cornerstone in strengthening our technology leadership position and market share. To this end, our strategy has always been to leverage our existing core capabilities and extend this knowledge and expertise into other synergistic markets that can truly benefit from us. This has allowed EVG to grow consistently over the years since our inception in 1980-ultimately enabling us to weather some of the effects associated with various cyclical industries like the semiconductor market, even at the most tumultuous of times, like we are seeing today." Thallner added, "Looking ahead, even though the macroeconomic environment is expected to be more challenging in 2009, specifically in market segments that are automotive and consumer-product driven, we expect that new technologies, such as backside illuminated image sensors or even higher functional density cell phones, will drive continued growth for EVG's 3D IC lithography and wafer bonding equipment, among others." As part of its quest to bring novel technologies to market, EVG will continue to invest in 3D/TSVs and NIL in order to help its customers overcome the yield and performance challenges as they scale down to 32- and 22-nm geometries. Citing its success to date with NIL, the company recently announced that it has shipped its 100th NIL system. The milestone shipment reinforces the company's leadership in the NIL market, of which EVG holds an approximate 30-percent market share with the most systems in the field. The company also credits increasing order wins among leading universities for advanced research and development activities as another key 2008 milestone. In its most recent win last month, EVG reported that three European universities-Southampton University, University of Ulster and Technische Universitat Braunschweig-had placed orders for multiple next-generation EVG systems for leading-edge MEMS research, totaling in excess of US$2.9 million. About EV Group EV Group (EVG) is a world leader in wafer-processing solutions for semiconductor, MEMS and nanotechnology applications. Through close collaboration with its global customers, the company implements its flexible manufacturing model to develop reliable, high-quality, low-cost-of-ownership systems that are easily integrated into customers' fab lines. Key products include wafer bonding, lithography/nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and metrology equipment, as well as photoresist coaters, cleaners and inspection systems. In addition to its dominant share of the market for wafer bonders, EVG holds a leading position in NIL and lithography for advanced packaging and MEMS. Along these lines, the company co-founded the EMC-3D consortium in 2006 to create and help drive implementation of a cost-effective through-silicon via (TSV) process for major ICs and MEMS/sensors. Other target semiconductor-related markets include silicon-on-insulator (SOI), compound semiconductor and silicon-based power-device solutions. Founded in 1980, EVG is headquartered in St. Florian, Austria, and operates via a global customer support network, with subsidiaries in Tempe, Ariz.; Albany, NY; Yokohama and Fukuoka, Japan; Seoul, Korea and Chung-Li, Taiwan. The company's unique Triple i-approach (invent - innovate - implement) is supported by a vertical integration, allowing EVG to respond quickly to new technology developments, apply the technology to manufacturing challenges and expedite device manufacturing in high volume. More information is available at http://www.EVGroup.com.