MKS Instruments Acquires Electrostatic Charge Monitoring Technology


WILMINGTON, Mass., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI), a leading worldwide provider of monitoring and control technologies for improving productivity in semiconductor and other advanced manufacturing processes, announced today that it has acquired privately held Novx Corporation, a provider of electrostatic charge monitoring technology for semiconductor, data storage, telecommunication, medical device and other markets. Terms of the transaction were not announced.

Leo Berlinghieri, MKS' Chief Executive Officer and President, said, "MKS is focused on improving process performance and productivity in semiconductor and other technology-driven markets. Novx's technology expands our capability to monitor, detect and control electrostatic charge in advanced process environments, such as semiconductor and hard disk drive manufacturing. Particle contamination from electrostatic charge attraction can cause damage in wafer manufacturing and other advanced processes. There is a need for continuous real-time electrostatic charge monitoring to increase manufacturing yields. To solve this problem, we plan to optimize closed-loop ionization control by integrating Novx's sensor technology and data acquisition software with Ion Systems' ionization technology for managing electrostatic attraction and discharge."

Novx, based in San Jose, California with 14 employees, will be integrated into MKS' Ion Systems product group, based in Alameda, California, which was acquired in January 2006.

MKS Instruments, Inc. is a leading worldwide provider of process control solutions for improving productivity in advanced manufacturing processes such as semiconductor device manufacturing; thin-film manufacturing for flat panel displays, data storage media, architectural glass and electro-optical products; and technology for medical imaging equipment and other markets. Our instruments, components and subsystems incorporate sophisticated technologies to power, measure, control, and monitor increasingly complex gas related semiconductor manufacturing processes, thereby enhancing our customers' uptime, yield and throughput, and return on invested capital.

Source: MKS Instruments, Inc.

CONTACT: Ronald Weigner, Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of MKS Instruments, +1-978-284-4446

Web site: http://www.mksinst.com/

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