Fremont, CA, April 3, 2000 - Asyst Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq NM: ASYT) today unveiled the Axys™ 407, the latest addition to its family of Axys wafer transfer robots. Utilizing direct drive technology, the Axys 407 atmospheric robot achieves the versatility, repeatability and reliability needed to withstand the rigorous manufacturing demands of today's advanced semiconductor process tools.

"The move in semiconductor fabs toward greater automation and the rising complexity in manufacturing processes are placing increased pressure on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to improve the performance and productivity of their tools," stated Dennis Riccio, Asyst's senior vice president of global customer operations. "This, in turn, is driving the need for more reliable robots to move wafers into and out of process tools as they are being processed throughout the fab."

Many older generation robots incorporate belt-and-pulley drive components that can wear and slip, thereby failing to deliver the reliability required in today's manufacturing environment. Asyst's Axys 407 robot is directly driven by a sealed-for-life gear system, which eliminates maintenance downtime. In addition, the Axys 407 incorporates four major field-replacable sub-assemblies that reduce the total parts count by up to a factor of five over older robot designs. These features enable the Axys 407 to achieve a reliability of greater than 10 million mean cycles before failure (MCBF), thus delivering the reliability and precision needed to improve the performance of OEM tools both for existing and new applications.

Market research firm Dataquest estimates the market for robotics in semiconductor manufacturing at $500 million and expects this segment to grow more than 30 percent over the next two years. "The addition of the Axys 407 will enable Asyst to service a broad range of customer applications while offering a lower cost of ownership solution," added Riccio. "Asyst is offering the Axys 407 as a drop-in replacement for one of the industry's most commonly used, previous-generation wafer transfer robots. We believe that this is the first time that this type of offer has been made in the semiconductor equipment industry. In addition, we are working closely with our customers to ensure our Axys platform is fully integrated into their process tools to ensure a high level of performance."

The Axys 407 robot is sub-class 1 cleanroom compatible and is capable of moving either 200 mm or 300 mm wafers from any position in a wafer cassette or carrier into a process station or loadlock of any process tool. Its proprietary SmartCourse™ software allows the operator to specify complex robotic motions and enables it to move wafers from two 300 mm front opening unified pods (FOUPs) without the use of an expensive horizontal linear track. The Axys 407 also serves as a critical component of Asyst's PLUS™ Portal, the industry's first turnkey, tool-automation solution that enables seamless integration between OEM production tools and advanced fab automation systems.

Axys 407 robots are currently being shipped and tested at major semiconductor equipment OEM sites. Production deliveries are scheduled to begin in April 2000.

Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this press release are forward-looking. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. These factors include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, semiconductor industry cycles, risks associated with the acceptance of new products and product capabilities and other factors more fully detailed in the Company's recent S-3 Registration Statement.

About Asyst:

Asyst Technologies, Inc. is the leading provider of SMIF-based minienvironment and manufacturing automation systems that enable semiconductor manufacturers to protect customers' valued assets throughout the manufacturing process while increasing manufacturing productivity. Asyst offers a broad range of 200 mm and 300 mm products that enable the Company to provide semiconductor manufacturers and OEMs automated manufacturing solutions for the transfer of wafers and information between the process equipment and the fab line.