FREMONT, Calif., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Credence Systems
Corporation (Nasdaq: CMOS), a leading provider of solutions from
design-to-production test for the worldwide semiconductor industry, today
announced plans to showcase its innovative test solutions at SEMICON/Taiwan
2003. Credence will exhibit at the show with its long-time distributor,
Spirox, in Booth #132. SEMICON/Taiwan will take place from September 15-17,
2003, at the Taipei World Trade Center in Taipei, Taiwan.
Taiwan's semiconductor industry experienced a twelve percent
year-over-year growth in the first half of 2003, with production value
expected to reach $23.3 billion by the end of the year, according to the
Industrial Technology Information Services (ITIS), a unit of Taiwan's Ministry
of Economic Affairs. This strong growth has been driven by increased demand
for personal computers, displays, flash cards, digital cameras, digital TVs
and 802.11 wireless local area networking (WLAN) applications. However,
declining average selling prices (ASPs) and increased time-to-market pressures
are driving the need for solutions to lower test costs by increasing
throughput and reducing device test times.
To address these challenges, Credence offers manufacturers a unique
design-to-test portfolio to speed integrated circuit (IC) designs from concept
to production. At SEMICON/Taiwan, Credence will demonstrate the following test
solutions that address the strict cost-of-test and time-to-volume requirements
facing its Taiwan customers:
-- Octet(TM): By delivering throughput advantages of over thirty percent
compared to competitive systems, Octet is ideal for testing advanced
system-on-chip (SoC) devices in high-volume production. With patented
technologies such as per-pin embedded temperature stabilization(TM),
the system meets the demanding test requirements of high performance
devices, while providing a sustainable cost advantage over more
expensive SoC systems. Octet's compatibility with Credence's
Quartet(TM) makes the system ideal for Taiwan's foundries and test
subcontractors.
-- ASL 3000RF(TM): The ASL 3000RF is the most cost-effective wireless
test system with the performance capabilities for higher bandwidths and
communications standards such as 802.11 WLAN, code division multiple
access (CDMA) and global system for mobile communication (GSM). The
system features the industry's most advanced RF instrumentation,
including Credence's patented modulated vector network analysis
(MVNA(TM)) technology, dramatically reducing test times and overall
test costs for emerging wireless chipsets.
-- Verity(TM): The industry's first turnkey design debug and verification
solution, Verity combines leading-edge photon emission detection and
engineering test capabilities to quickly and accurately troubleshoot
complex IC design problems. Engineered to speed fault isolation and
characterization and prevent costly design re-spins, Verity reduces
risks in the setup of physical design verification and failure analysis
capabilities.
-- Personal Kalos 2(TM) (PK2): With the innovative Tester-on-a-Chip(TM)
(ToC) architecture and effective data rates up to 400 MHz, the PK2
addresses the significant test challenges of high density and high
speed flash devices. The PK2 is the first engineering test system
specifically designed for advanced flash memory devices and achieves
industry-leading performance within the smallest footprint of any
nonvolatile memory (NVM) test system available today.
About Credence
Credence Systems Corporation is changing the future of semiconductor
production by integrating test solutions throughout the design, validation and
production processes. A leader in the manufacture of automatic test equipment
(ATE) for the global semiconductor industry, Credence offers a wide range of
systems for the test of analog, digital, non-volatile memory, mixed-signal,
SoC, and wireless semiconductor devices typical in today's automobile,
portable computing, consumer and communications products. Credence and its
subsidiaries also provide test program development and debug software,
engineering validation test solutions, and advanced photon probing technology
that enable faster time-to-market with lower total cost-of-test.
Headquartered in Fremont, California, the Company is an ISO 9001 certified
manufacturer and maintains advanced production and design facilities in
Hillsboro, Oregon. More information is available at http://www.credence.com .
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains statements that are forward-looking, including
statements regarding the Company's commitment to lowering costs to match
business levels, the Company being poised to address any upturn, reducing
costs while continuing to deliver leading designs, expected reductions in
research and development levels, revenue expectations, expectations regarding
gross margins, bookings expectations and expected earnings per share. These
statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause
the Company's actual results in future periods to be materially different from
the future performance suggested in this release. Such factors include, but
are not limited to, cyclicality and downturns in the semiconductor industry,
which the Company is experiencing, rapid technological change in the ATE
market, the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquisitions, economic
and political instability in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions,
fluctuation in customer demand, timing and volume of orders and shipments,
competition and pricing pressures, reliability and quality issues, the
Company's ability to complete the development and commercialization of its new
products, product mix, overhead absorption, continued dependence on "turns"
orders to achieve revenue objectives, the timing of new technology, product
introductions, intellectual property issues, the risk of early obsolescence,
the Company's ability to control and reduce expenses (including the ability to
identify and successfully institute additional cost-saving measures). Further,
the Company operates in an industry sector where securities values are highly
volatile and may be influenced by economic and other factors beyond the
Company's control. Reference is made to the discussion of risk factors
detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including its reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q. Any projections in this release
are based on limited information currently available to the Company, which is
subject to change. Although any such projections and the factors influencing
them will likely change, the Company will not necessarily update the
information, since the Company is only to provide guidance at certain points
during the year. Actual events or results could differ materially and no
reader of this release should assume later in the quarter that the information
provided today is still valid. Such information speaks only as of the date of
this release.
NOTE: Credence is a registered trademark, and Credence Systems, ASL
3000RF, embedded temperature stabilization, modulated vector network analysis,
Octet, Personal Kalos, Quartet, Tester-on-a-Chip, and Verity are trademarks,
of Credence Systems Corporation. Other trademarks that may be mentioned in
this release are the intellectual property of their respective owners.
Company Contact: Agency Contact:
Judy Dale Patricia MacLeod
Sr. Director, Marketing Sr. Account Executive, Public
Communications Relations
Credence Systems Corporation e21 Corp
510-492-3118 510.226.6780 ext. 205
or 510-623-2524 fax or 510.226.9902 fax
E-mail: judy_dale@credence.com E-mail: patricia_macleod@e21corp.com
SOURCE Credence Systems Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.credence.com
CONTACT:
Judy Dale, Sr. Director, Marketing
Communications of Credence Systems Corporation, +1-510-492-3118,
or fax, +1-510-623-2524, or judy_dale@credence.com; or Patricia
MacLeod, Sr. Account Executive, Public Relations of e21 Corp,
+1-510-226-6780, ext. 205, or fax, +1-510-226-9902, or
patricia_macleod@e21corp.com, for Credence Systems Corporation
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