Ultratech, Inc., a leading supplier of lithography and laser-processing systems used to manufacture semiconductor devices, today announced it has received an order from the largest foundry in the world for its AP300 advanced-packaging lithography system. This AP300 lithography system order represents the initial step in the foundry customer's volume expansion plans for 300mm wafer-level packaging (WLP: 53.69, +1.25, +2.38%) and solder bump applications.

According to Jan Vardaman, president and founder of TechSearch International, Inc., the wafer-level packaging market is positioned for strong unit growth over the next several years, with an expected compound annual growth rate of approximately 25 percent. This growth is mainly driven by devices found in mobile phones, along with strong expected demand for analog and power management devices.

"This order exemplifies how Ultratech delivers technology leadership and high economic value to the foundry market. While contact and proximity aligners introduce yield defects and have high variable manufacturing costs, the use of our stepper technology provides outstanding cost-of-ownership advantages for high-volume manufacturing applications," said Manish Ranjan, director, product marketing for advanced packaging technology at Ultratech. "To accommodate the stringent economic and technology requirements for this market segment, our customer conducted an extensive equipment evaluation and selected the Unity AP300 equipment. We greatly value our relationship with this customer and are committed to supporting its high-volume production requirements for wafer-level packaging and solder bump applications. "

Built on Ultratech's customizable Unity Platform(TM:100.19, -3.02, -2.92%), the AP300 system is designed to provide customers with significant cost of ownership (CoO), operational flexibility, and leading technology advantages that have earned the system industry-standard ranking for thick-resist exposure applications.

About Ultratech: Ultratech, Inc. Founded in 1979, Ultratech is a leader in both of its major technology markets-advanced packaging and laser processing. The company's advanced packaging lithography systems are designed to deliver compelling yield gains and superior packaging performance at the industry's lowest overall cost of ownership. Equally impressive is Ultratech's laser processing technology which is designed to increase chip performance while reducing energy consumption. Ultratech believes its state-of-the-art technologies enable future device generations by providing highly reliable, cost-effective technology solutions that enable today's and tomorrow's sophisticated devices.