MUNICH, Germany – July 31, 2002 – ASYNTIS GmbH, a supplier of plasma etch equipment for semiconductor manufacturing, today announced that it has raised € 2 million in its first round of financing with Earlybird. Dr. Hendrik Brandis, Partner at Earlybird, joined the Board of Directors.
Dr. Berthold Kegel, CEO and co-founder of ASYNTIS GmbH, emphasized the importance of receiving venture funding under the current market conditions “We are very happy to gain Earlybird as a hands-on investor with a large industry network. First priorities of the financing will be the completion of our product portfolio and the penetration of the target markets for our proven technology. The Earlybird investment will help us achieve a leadership position in plasma processing for the fast growing Thin Wafer market, one of the emerging growth drivers for the semiconductor industry.”
Roland Busch, Director Sales and founder of ASYNTIS GmbH, is convinced that the new product line SILICON STAR 8 will quickly gain market share in this fast growing market “Compared to existing technologies, our innovative dry etch process allows for significant improvements in production yields, while at the same time reducing the total cost of ownership. The ASYNTIS process permits an easy integration of our equipment into existing production lines”.
Dr. Hendrik Brandis, Partner at Earlybird, is convinced of the strengths of ASYNTIS. “Increasing device integration and continuing miniaturization has put strong pressure on the backend of the semiconductor processes. Improvements in packaging, like stacking of dies or wafer scale packaging will be among the major drivers for future growth in the semiconductor industry. With its breakthrough features, ASYNTIS’ process technology is becoming a key enabler for industry-scale production of emerging chip architectures such as stacked dies. On top of that, the founding team has decades of experience in the areas of product development, manufacturing and international sales as well as a wealth of excellent long-term relationships in the semiconductor marketplace”.

About ASYNTIS GmbH:
ASYNTIS, based in Putzbrunn-Solalinden, Germany with sales partners in South East Asia, is a supplier of leading-edge process technologies for semiconductor manufacturing.
ASYNTIS was founded in 2001. The company’s innovative solutions combine latest plasma etch technologies with outstanding process competence. The first product, a fully automated stress relief system, allows for dramatic yield improvements e.g. in the production of thin chips, while at the same time keeping investments into process equipment and disposal techniques at a minimum. The company’s turn-key equipment is marketed to the semiconductor backend processing industry. Further targets are in solar cell and Microsystems production, and in the PCB industry.
For further information regarding ASYNTIS GmbH, please contact:

Dr. Berthold Kegel
Keferloher Str. 19a, 85640 Putzbrunn-Solalinden
Tel.: +49 (89) 189 445-0, Fax: +49 (89) 189 445-66
bert.kegel@asyntis.com
www.ASYNTIS.com ( at present under construction)

About Earlybird:
Earlybird is an international venture capital fund with approximately $300 million under management and an investment focus on information technology, software, communications and healthcare. With offices in Europe (Hamburg, Munich) and the US (Palo Alto), Earlybird is well positioned to take advantage of international opportunities and to assist its portfolio companies in gaining access to the international market place and financial resources. Earlybird's investment professionals have extensive finance and start-up operating experience, providing pro-active support to their portfolio companies. In addition, an experienced network of industry specialists serve on the Earlybird advisory board, assisting Earlybird and its portfolio companies by providing strategic advice and operational support. Additional information regarding Earlybird can be found at http://www.earlybird.com.

For further information regarding Earlybird, please contact:

Daniela von Wedel
Van-der-Smissen-Str. 3,
22767 Hamburg
Tel.: +49-40-4329 41-0
Fax: +49-40-4329 41-29
vonwedel@earlybird.com
www.earlybird.com


  www.asyntis.com