Rudolph JetStep Lithography System Gains Traction for Advanced Packaging Applications

Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: RTEC) announced today that a major outsourced assembly and test (OSAT) manufacturer has selected the JetStep® Advanced Packaging Lithography System for evaluation. The tool, which ships this week, will be used to develop copper (Cu) pillar bumping and through silicon via (TSV) processes used in the development of next-generation flip chip technology.

“Copper pillar bumping and TSV have emerged as leading interconnect technologies for advanced packaging, and Rudolph is committed to partnering with customers to develop these next-generation processes. The JetStep system has demonstrated excellent performance on copper pillar and TSV applications in our applications lab, and we look forward to replicating this performance using production wafers at the customer site,” states Rich Rogoff, vice president and general manager of Rudolph’s Lithography Systems Group. “We expect to see significant productivity and process improvement over this customer’s existing lithography systems.”

“We are pleased to ship the JetStep system to a third customer,” adds Mike Plisinski, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “This agreement demonstrates not only an increasing emphasis in the back-end on productivity and cost-of-ownership, but also the growing adoption of the JetStep system for advanced packaging lithography.”

The JetStep Advanced Packaging Lithography Systems have been specifically designed to meet the challenges of newly-developed processes now emerging in back-end manufacturing. The JetStep W Series is intended for use with wafers or other round substrates. The JetStep S Series is for square or rectangular substrates. Both systems feature a 2X reduction stepper with a large field of view (52mm x 66mm) to improve exposure efficiency and throughput. The JetStep system is unique in its ability to handle a wide range of substrates, including glass interposers, square or rectangular substrates up to 720mm by 600mm, and standard or reconstituted wafers from 300mm to next-generation 450mm diameters; and to accommodate the warped substrates that frequently occur in these processes. An onboard, automated reticle library, holding up to 30 reticles, and adjustable field apertures combine to increase throughput and flexibility. These and other purpose-designed features, such as the large automatic magnification compensation range, provide significant benefits in advanced package applications that are unavailable from legacy lithography tools initially designed for front-end, wafer-based processes.

For more information about Rudolph’s JetStep systems, please visit www.rudolphtech.com.

About Rudolph Technologies
Rudolph Technologies, Inc. is a leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of defect inspection, advanced packaging lithography, process control metrology, and data analysis systems and software used by semiconductor device manufacturers worldwide. Rudolph provides a full-fab solution through its families of proprietary products that provide critical yield-enhancing information, enabling microelectronic device manufacturers to drive down the costs and time to market of their products. The Company’s expanding portfolio of equipment and software solutions is used in both the wafer processing and final manufacturing of ICs, and in adjacent markets such as FPD, LED and Solar. Headquartered in Flanders, New Jersey, Rudolph supports its customers with a worldwide sales and service organization. Additional information can be found on the Company’s website at www.rudolphtech.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”) which include the benefits to customers of Rudolph’s products, Rudolph’s business momentum and future growth, Rudolph’s existing market position and its ability to maintain and advance such position relative to its competitors and Rudolph’s ability to meet the expectations and needs of our customers as well as other matters that are not purely historical data. Rudolph wishes to take advantage of the “safe harbor” provided for by the Act and cautions that actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of various factors, including risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Rudolph’s control. Such factors include, but are not limited to, delays in shipping products for technical performance, component supply or other reasons, the company’s ability to leverage its resources to improve its positions in its core markets and fluctuations in customer capital spending. Additional information and considerations regarding the risks faced by Rudolph are available in Rudolph’s Form 10-K report for the year ended December 31, 2014 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As the forward-looking statements are based on Rudolph’s current expectations, the company cannot guarantee any related future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Rudolph does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.