Kulicke & Soffa Announces Orders for 580 Wire Bonders from SPIL

September 14, 2005 (PRLEAP.COM) Technology News
K&S provides the majority of SPIL’s wire bonder capacity and the Company now expects to receive additional Maxum Ultra orders to meet SPIL’s ongoing production demand. The orders for 580 wire bonders include: 160 Maxµm Plus machines in the final weeks of the quarter ended June 30, 2005; current quarter-to-date orders for 113 Maxµm Plus machines; and 307 of the newest Maxµm Ultra machines to meet the challenges of increased package functionality and small footprint devices being driven by low-cost, personal computers. Delivery dates are currently being scheduled.

Patrick Lin, Director of SPIL Operation Supporting Division, comments, “We are experiencing significant demand for complex IC packages for the second half of calendar 2005 that is exceeding our current wire bonder capacity. We have now completed the engineering evaluation of our first Maxµm Ultra machine, which has proven to be very successful, and a key step in our extensive qualification process of the most difficult multi-tier and stacked die packages that require precision looping, bond force control and high accuracy. This quarter will be the transition period from the Maxµm Plus to the Maxµm Ultra for SPIL.”

“K&S remains the technology and productivity leader with the Maxµ m Ultra as it offers leading-edge capability in all the most difficult, advanced packages,” explains Christian Rheault, vice president of K&S Ball Bonder Business Unit. “The Maxum Ultra’s performance has proven to provide over a 10% higher throughput in production environments than its predecessor in addition to superior process capabilities for all types of devices, especially those using 90 nanometer technology.”





About Kulicke & Soffa

Kulicke & Soffa (Nasdaq: KLIC) is the world's leading supplier of semiconductor wire bonding assembly equipment. K&S is the only major supplier to the semiconductor assembly industry that provides customers with semiconductor wire bonding equipment along with the complementing packaging materials and test interconnect products that actually contact the surface of the customer’s semiconductor devices. The ability to control all of these assembly related products is unique to Kulicke & Soffa, and allows us to develop system solutions to the new technology challenges inherent in assembling and packaging next-generation semiconductor devices Test interconnect products include a variety of wafer probe cards, ATE interface assemblies, and ATE boards for wafer testing, as well as test sockets for all types of packaged semiconductor devices. Kulicke & Soffa's web site address is http://www.kns.com.

About SPIL

Siliconware Precision Industries Ltd. ("SPIL")(Nasdaq: SPIL, TAIEX: 2325) is a leading provider of comprehensive semiconductor assembly and test services. SPIL is dedicated to meeting all of its customers' integrated circuit packaging and testing requirements, with turnkey solutions that range from design consultations, modeling and simulations, wafer bumping, wafer probe and sort, package assembly, final test, burn-in, to drop ship. Products include advanced leadframe and substrate packages, which are widely used in personal computers, communications, Internet appliances, cellular phones, digital cameras, cable modems, personal digital assistants and LCD monitors. SPIL supplies services and support to fabless design houses, integrated device manufacturers and wafer foundries globally. For further information, visit SPIL's web site at www.spil.com.tw.