ClassOne Equipment (which supplies refurbished wafer fabrication equipment) says that, in response to increased market demand, it has made significant investments in the growth and expansion of its Wet Processing Division.
A Design and Development Center has been opened in Kalispell, Montana, staffed with several industry veterans (representing over 200 years of cumulative industry experience), who will focus on new product design and development. Corporate and refurbishment activities will remain at ClassOne's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
"We have expanded the division to enhance our sales and support of legacy Semitool equipment worldwide as well as to design and manufacture new state-of-the-art upgrades and platforms that address emerging markets such as MEMS, nanotech, LED and RF power devices," says ClassOne's president Byron Exarcos. "Semitool's acquisition [by Applied Materials, in December 2009] left a void in the market for mature fabs and emerging technologies that use 75-200mm substrates," he adds. "ClassOne is meeting the growing demand for cost-effective, reliable and long-term support for popular tools such as the Spray Solvent, Spray Acid and Equinox tools. The wide-spread adoption of our lift-and-rotate and robot refurbishment programs gives testimony to that fact."
The new facility in Kalispell will be operated under the name of ClassOne Technology as a subsidiary of ClassOne Equipment. The executive team includes: Win Carpenter (a 33-year veteran in the semiconductor industry), VP Wet Process Division; Tim McGlenn (with 26 years experience, including leading the software and electronics development of Semitool's 101, 102, 202, 302, 402 and 502 controllers), VP of Operations; and Kevin Witt (25 years focused on the development and commercialization of new wet chemical processing platforms), VP Technology — all of whom previously held leadership positions at Semitool. ClassOne says that their appointments strengthen the division, positioning it for enhanced growth.
ClassOne Technology's first product, the Polaris controller, is a PLC-based, field-retrofittable control system that replaces the aging 302 control system used in many Semitool legacy tools.
