News

12 April 2010

 

SPTS announces shipments of $40m in first-quarter 2010

SPP Process Technology Systems Ltd (SPTS) of Newport, Wales UK, the plasma etch & deposition equipment subsidiary of Sumitomo Precision Products Co Ltd (SPP), has announced shipments of $40m in first-quarter 2010.

SPTS was formed by SPP last October to merge predecessor firm Surface Technology Systems plc (STS) together with assets acquired from Aviza Technology Inc, including Newport-based single-wafer process equipment subsidiary Aviza Technology Ltd (ATL) and Aviza’s Scotts Valley-based Thermal Products business (which provides spare parts, upgrades, and new or remanufactured systems to existing customers of Watkins Johnson, SVG, and Aviza furnaces and APCVD systems).

Q1 shipments included a broad range of etch, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD) single-wafer tools, as well as new and refurbished furnaces and thermal product upgrades. In addition to strength in their traditional MEMS (micro-elecro-mechanical system) and image sensor markets, the TSV (through-silicon via) and compound semiconductor markets exhibited rapid growth, particularly in light-emitting diode (LED) applications. Of particular note was a resurgence of activity in STS brand products, accounting for a significant portion of Q1 shipments.

“We see continuing strong customer interest in all product lines, with our system book-to-bill ratio in excess of 1.3:1 during the first quarter,” notes president & CEO William Johnson. 

“In addition, as we complete the integration of our UK Division and relocate the Thermal Products Division to a new facility in San Jose during the second quarter, we expect to see significant improvement in gross margin and operating expense efficiency as we enter the second half of the year,” he adds.

See related items:

SPTS’ Q4/2009 orders up nearly 150% quarter-on-quarter

Sumitomo Precision Products completes acquisition of Aviza

Search: Surface Technology Systems Aviza PVD ALD Etch

Visit: www.spp-pts.com