RVSI Receives Orders for Three WS-2000 Bumped Wafer Inspection Systems

CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS - October 9, 2000 - Robotic Vision Systems, Inc. (RVSI) (NASDAQ: ROBV) today reported the sales of three of its new, second-generation WS-2000 bumped wafer inspection systems. RVSI's WS-2000 is the only system on the market that provides complete semiconductor wafer surface defect detection, bump defect and dimensional inspection in one machine at high-speed production rates.  The systems are to be shipped before December 31, 2000 and have a value substantially in excess of $1 million.

One system was purchased by Flip Chip Technology, Inc. (FCT) of Phoenix, Arizona, a leader in wafer bumping and wafer-level packaging.  The second system was ordered by one of Korea's largest contract semiconductor assembly houses, the third by a major Taiwan contract assembler.

"While each of these sales are to customers that have the potential to place multiple WS-2000 orders over the next twelve months, Flip Chip Technology is generally regarded as having the leading technology for wafer bumping and wafer-level chip-scale packaging, which makes their choice of the WS-2000 especially noteworthy," said Michael Gray, Vice President - Sales and Marketing for RVSI Electronics.  "As flip chip assembly grows from its present two percent of all semiconductor manufacturing to what some industry sources believe may be more than half of the market, flip chip process tools will be of paramount importance to semiconductor test, assembly, and packaging organizations."  

Mr. Gray said that increasing flip chip bump density played a role in several of the decisions to purchase RVSI's system.  "This is still a new product category and purchasers must evaluate competing claims," he said.  "Our ability to adapt to a new process generation in manufacturing proved to be of critical importance. There is a new flip chip process that will populate wafers with greater than 5,000 bumps per die. We believe we have the only tool that can handle this intense level of data.

"Ultimately, flip-chip inspection requires solid two-dimensional (2-D) defect detection, solid three-dimensional (3-D) metrology, and readiness for production environment," Mr. Gray said.  "A production bump facility has to have all three components to have a useful tool.  Users can't reliably bump wafers without 2-D defect studies of contaminants and wafer damage; they cannot reliably bump wafers without the tight feedback on height and consistency across the surface that comes only from a true 3-D measuring technology; and they cannot do any of this if it requires an entire room full of systems to keep up with a wafer fabrication facility running at 60 wafers per hour.  We believe these are the criteria on which customer decisions are being made."

By providing both 2-D and 3-D inspection capabilities on the same system, the WS-2000 performs each type of critical inspection using the best and most appropriate method, eliminating the compromises in speed and accuracy found in conventional systems.

RVSI's patented 3-D laser technology provides highly accurate measurement of variables such as bump height and coplanarity, as well as many others. Such variables can contribute to connection failures but cannot be measured by 2-D technology, making 3-D measurement vital to achieving maximum yield and throughput. The WS-2000's 3-D inspection module gathers thousands of 3-D data points in a fraction of a second to provide complete coverage of the bump and wafer surface for true 3-D measurements. RVSI's unique 3-D laser system design enables the machine to inspect even the most reflective bumps and wafers.

RVSI's advanced 2-D vision technology utilizes a high-speed, high-resolution TDI camera to perform full surface defect, bump defect, and bump dimensional inspection.  Combining this with powerful inspection algorithms allows the WS-2000 to accurately identify defects such as missing bumps, bridging, incorrect bump size and shape, nodules, foreign material, scratch, etc. at high throughput, while also inspecting bump features including diameter and true position. The combination of a low-angle ring light plus coaxial lighting supports the 2-D vision system with optimal illumination of inspected surfaces.

The WS-2000 outputs a wide range of useful data for process analysis, including per-bump data, wafer data, lot summaries and a graphic wafer map that allows easy viewing of trends across the wafer. The system includes full SPC capabilities, making the WS-2000 a powerful tool for controlling the bumping process.

A sophisticated, graphically-oriented user interface and field-tested software minimize setup and programming time for new wafers. The WS-2000's fully automated robot handling system provides accurate, repeatable transfer of wafers from 4 in. (100 mm) to 8 in. (200 mm) in size.  The system offers an economical footprint of 1.9 m2.

About RVSI

Robotic Vision Systems, Inc. (RVSI) has the most comprehensive line of machine vision systems available today. Headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, with offices worldwide, RVSI is the world leader in vision-based semiconductor inspection and media transfer equipment. Using leading-edge technology, RVSI joins vision-enabled process equipment, high-performance optics, lighting, and advanced hardware and software to assure product quality, identify and track parts, control manufacturing processes, and ultimately enhance profits for companies worldwide. Currently serving the semiconductor, electronics, automotive, pharmaceutical and packaging industries, RVSI holds approximately 100 patents in a broad range of technologies.

Additional information for shareholders

Except for the historical information herein, certain matters discussed in this release include forward-looking statements that may involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary significantly based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to: the historical cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry, risks in products and technology development, market acceptance of new products and continuing product demand, the impact of competitive products and pricing, changing economic conditions, both here and abroad, timely development and release of new products and strategic suppliers and customers, the effect of the company's accounting policies and other risk factors detailed in the Company's most recent registration statement, annual report on Form 10-K and 10K/A, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For further information contact:
Neal H. Sanders (781) 302-2439