THE BEST 2012 Suppliers

Santa Clara, CA – May 23, 2012: THE BEST rankings identify the highest-rated suppliers of Wafer Processing, Test, and Assembly Equipment . Chip makers appl auded their suppliers with increased ratings this year according to a survey by VLSI research :

THE BEST SUPPLIERS OF 2012

LARGE SUPPLIERS OF SMALL SUPPLIERS OF WAFER PROCESSING EQUIPMENT Rating WAFER PROCESSING EQUIPMENT Rating 1 Novellus 8.95 1 Oerlikon 8.19 2 ASML 8.07 2 Plasma-Therm 8.18 3 Applied Materials 8.02 3 EV Group 8.14 4 Tokyo Electron 7.74 4 Nanometrics 8.10 5 Hitachi Kokusai Electric 7.58 5 Agilent Technologies 7.60 6 Nikon Corporation 7.48 6 SUSS MicroTec 7.35 7 Hitachi High-Technologies 7.27 7 Canon 7.12 8 Lam Research 7.16 8 Mattson Technology 7.05 9 Axcelis 7.00 Source: VLSIresearch Source: VLSIresearch

SUPPLIERS OF SUPPLIERS OF TEST EQUIPMENT Rating ASSEMBLY EQUIPMENT Rating 1 Advantest 8.37 1 Hitachi High-Technologies 9.05 2 Teradyne 8.35 2 F&K Delvotec 8.51 3 LTX - Credence 8.14 3 Kulicke & Soffa 7.70 4 Tokyo Electron 8.07 4 ASM International 7.61 5 ACCRETECH - Tokyo Seimitsu 7.63 Source: VLSIresearch 6 Delta Design 7.62 7 Seiko Epson 7.56 8 Multitest 7.12 Source: VLSIresearch

These charts, graphs, and text are approved for public release by certified media and must be accompanied by a statement clearly identifying the VLSIresearch 2012 Customer Satisfaction Survey as the source. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or VLSIresearch’s 2012 Customer Satisfaction Survey. Copyright © 2012 VLSI Research Inc. All rights reserved.

THE BEST Large Suppliers of Wafer Processing: Novellus ranked highest With a 9% increase and an outstanding average rating of 8.95, customers honored Novellus with first place for the second year in a row. This is Novellus’ fourth appearance in first place. This supplier of deposition equipment excelled in all rating categories and earned the highest ratings among all Large Suppliers of Wafer Processing Equipment in 14 of 15 categories. With ratings in nine categories at 9.0 or above, Novellus’ highest rating was in trust in supplier at 9.2. The companies rating Novellus represented 56% of the chip market.

ASML, the premier lithography supplier, jumped from 4th place to 2nd with an average rating of 8.07. Not surprisingly, ASML earned its highest rating, as well as the highest rating among all large wafer processing suppliers in technical leadership at 9.3. ASML’s ratings were earned with responses from 54% of the chip market.

Applied Materials, the worldwide chip equipment leader, shot up six positions to 3rd place this year. A 17% increase boosted its rating to 8.02. Applied Materials’ highest ratings were in

technical leadership and quality of results, both at 8.4. This supplier was reported on by 72% of the chip market.

THE BEST Small Suppliers of Wafer Processing: Oerlikon ranked highest Oerlikon, a supplier of PVD equipment, earned the number one spot for the third consecutive year as its rating rose to 8.19 this year. The company received its highest ratings in five categories, two of which were the highest among all Small Suppliers of Wafer Processing Equipment: product performance and usable performance at 8.4. Oerlikon was represented by 35% of the chip market.

Plasma-Therm bounced into 2nd place, slightly behind Oerlikon, with a rating of 8.18. A supplier of etch and clean equipment, Plasma-Therm received its highest ratings, as well as the highest ratings among all small wafer processing suppliers in commitment and field engineering support, both at 8.7.

EV Group increased its rating 13% to an 8.14 and jumped 3 slots to 3rd place. The company earned its highest rating, as well as that of all small wafer processing suppliers, in trust in supplier.

THE BEST Suppliers of Test Equipment: Advantest took the lead Advantest and Teradyne competed strongly for the #1 slot with Advantest just edging out Teradyne in a photo finish. Advantest increased its rating 14% to 8.37 as Teradyne jumped 19% to 8.35. Each supplier earned its highest rating, as well as the highest rating among all Test Suppliers, in one category: Advantest in trust in supplier and Teradyne in would recommend supplier. High ratings in these two categories are an advantage as these attributes help drive market share growth. Supplier trust drives growth from its current customers; customer recommendation drives growth by developing new customers. More than 90% of the chip market reported on both suppliers.

LTX-Credence increased its rating by an outstanding 25% to 8.14. Represented by 57% of chip suppliers, its highest rating was earned in uptime at 8.5.

THE BEST Assembly Equipment Suppliers: Hitachi High-Technologies ranked highest Hitachi High-Technologies, a leading die bonder supplier, retained its #1 position for the second year in a row with an excellent rating of 9.05. This rating also earned Hitachi High-Tech the highest rating among all THE BEST Suppliers of 2012. The company topped all categories, earning its highest ratings among all assembly equipment suppliers in 14 of 15 categories. The company’s highest rating of 9.4 was achieved in trust in supplier and partnering.

F&K Delvotec increased its rating 7% this year to 8.51. Customers rated F&K Delvotec best in field engineering support and support after sales, both at 9.0. These ratings reflect F&K’s efforts to better support customers locally by providing an engineering group in Singapore dedicated to customizing the automation systems on bonders to specific requirements.

Kulicke & Soffa shot up from 9th to 3rd position this year with an 8% rating increase to 7.7. Product performance was the company’s best attribute, with a rating of 8.1.

About the 2012 Customer Satisfaction Survey VLSIresearch received feedback from more than 99% of the chip market for this year’s survey. The survey spans two and half months and covers five languages. Worldwide participants were asked to rate equipment suppliers among fifteen categories based on three key factors: supplier

performance, customer service, and product performance. 2,102 surveys were returned, resulting in 49,480 total responses.

The VLSIresearch annual Customer Satisfaction Survey on Chip Making Equipment is the only publicly available opportunity for chip manufacturers to provide feedback on their suppliers since 1988. The 10 BEST, THE BEST, and RANKED 1st awards provide special recognition to the suppliers that are rated highest by their customers. For more details on the survey, click here.

About VLSIresearch VLSIresearch is the leading provider of market research and economic analysis on the technical, business, and economic aspects within nanotechnology and related industries. The company is known for its unparalleled accuracy, innovation in market research, and its sharply focused insight into the rapidly changing landscape of the industries covered. Its databases on manufacturing are used throughout the industry, and by government. VLSIresearch’s primary databases and reports cover the semiconductor, flat panel display, PV cell and module manufacturing industries, and the market for critical subsystems and components within these and associated high technology industries. VLSIresearch was founded in 1976.

Website: https://www.vlsiresearch.com Products: Chip Market Research Services, Semiconductor Analytics, Customer Satisfaction Survey, Industry Pulse Pro®, PV-Solar, Critical Subsystems

Contact: Risto Puhakka, President e-mail: [email protected] phone: 408-453-8844

VLSIresearch | Ph: 408.453.8844 | Fax: 408.437.0608 | 2880 Lakeside Drive, Suite 350, Santa Clara, CA 95054

With just a click, you can open new windows to the world: VLSIresearch.com ChipHistory.org weSRCH.com

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The 2012 10 BEST Suppliers of Chip Making Equipment

Novellus takes the #1 rank in Large Suppliers for the second year in a row and F&K Delvotec takes the top spot for the first time in Focused Suppliers.

Santa Clara, CA – May 22, 2012: This year’s customer satisfaction survey was very competitive. During the survey, it was like watching a high-speed car race, with suppliers dodging around for each place. It wasn’t until they crossed the finish line that the ranking positions were final. Here are the companies that worked hard this year to keep their customers satisfied:

10 BEST SUPPLIERS OF 2012

LARGE SUPPLIERS OF FOCUSED SUPPLIERS OF CHIP MAKING EQUIPMENT Rating CHIP MAKING EQUIPMENT Rating 1 Novellus 8.95 1 F&K Delvotec 8.51 2 Advantest 8.37 2 Oerlikon 8.19 3 Teradyne 8.35 3 Plasma-Therm 8.18 4 Hitachi High-Technologies 8.09 4 EV Group 8.14† 5 ASML 8.07 5 LTX - Credence 8.14† 6 Applied Materials 8.02 6 Nanometrics 8.10 7 Tokyo Electron 7.84 7 Delta Design 7.62 8 Kulicke & Soffa 7.70 8 Agilent Technologies 7.60 9 Hitachi Kokusai Electric 7.58 9 Seiko Epson 7.56 10 Nikon 7.48 10 ACCRETECH - Tokyo Seimitsu 7.45 Source: VLSIresearch Source: VLSIresearch † Rankings for the #4 and 5 positions were determined on ratings carried out to three decimal places. These charts, graphs, and text are approved for public release by certified media and must be accompanied by a statement clearly identifying the VLSIresearch 2012 Customer Satisfaction Survey as the source. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or VLSIresearch’s 2012 Customer Satisfaction Survey. Copyright © 2012 VLSI Research Inc. All rights reserved.

For the first time in the history of the survey more than half of the suppliers in each category had greater than an 8.0 average rating, compared to two suppliers last year. As a result the average rating for these 10 BEST suppliers was 8.0, an increase of 0.35 points over last year. “This year’s ratings reflect new supplier initiatives to focus on their customers’ satisfaction, with better service and products,” commented G. Dan Hutcheson, Chairman and CEO of VLSIresearch. He continued, “I salute the employees of this year’s winners for all the grinding work it took to achieve such stellar improvements. Winning is not just about a product. It’s about being in the trenches with the customer and satisfying their needs on a day-by-day basis over the entire year. Congratulations to the 2012 10 BEST winners!”

Large Suppliers of Chip Making Equipment Novellus retained its #1 spot this year with an increase of 0.77 points to 8.95. The company’s dedication to customer satisfaction paid off this year by earning the highest ratings among all Large Suppliers in 14 of the 15 rating categories. Advantest and Teradyne improved ranking positions substantially this year while competing for the 2nd and 3rd positions, with Advantest slightly exceeding Teradyne by a mere 0.02 points. Teradyne leaped from the 9th spot and Advantest from 7th, with point increases of 1.35 and 1.01 respectively. Advantest achieved its highest rating in trust in supplier at 8.7; Teradyne in would recommend supplier, also at 8.7.

Although both Hitachi High-Technologies and ASML achieved increased ratings this year, they dropped a slot to 4th and 5th positions as a result of Advantest and Teradyne’s jumps. ASML, well-

known for its highly-productive lithography tools earned the highest rating of all Large Suppliers in technical leadership. Hitachi High-Technologies’ highest attribute was in quality of results.

Focused Suppliers of Chip Making Equipment F&K Delvotec, a supplier of wire bonders, rose to the top spot for the first time this year with a rating of 8.51. The company garnered the highest rating of all Focused Suppliers in nine categories, with its highest rating of 9.0 earned in both field engineering support and support after sales.

Oerlikon retained its #2 rank with a rating of 8.19. This PVD supplier achieved its highest rating of 8.4 in five categories: would recommend supplier, trust in supplier, product performance, usable performance, and uptime.

Plasma-Therm moved up five slots to the 3rd position with a rating of 8.18. Customers applauded this etch & clean supplier as the highest in commitment of all Focused Suppliers as well as a tying for spares support with F&K Delvotec.

Most Improved Suppliers In Large Suppliers, Teradyne showed the most improvement with its movement up from 9th to 3rd position and a 19% surge in its rating. Teradyne is followed by Applied Materials with a 17% jump in its rating. Nikon closed out this race with an increased rating of 16%.

Nanometrics deserves particular notice in Focused Suppliers with a remarkable 47% climb in its ratings, leaping from the 36th to the 6th slot. LTX-Credence’s significant increase of 33% moved it up from the 31st to the 5th slot. EV Group also showed a notable improvement with a 16% rise from the 15th to the 4th spot.

Website: https://www.vlsiresearch.com Products: Chip Market Research Services, Semiconductor Analytics, Customer Satisfaction Survey, Industry Pulse Pro® , PV-Solar, Critical Subsystems

Contact: Risto Puhakka, President e-mail: [email protected] phone: 408-453-8844

VLSIresearch | Ph: 408.453.8844 | Fax: 408.437.0608 | 2880 Lakeside Drive, Suite 350, Santa Clara, CA 95054

With just a click, you can open new windows to the world: VLSIresearch.com ChipHistory.org weSRCH.com

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