Amtech Systems Inc. is Approved for Trading on the Nasdaq National Market

    TEMPE, Ariz.--April 18, 2001--Amtech Systems Inc. Wednesday announced that yesterday it received approval from The Nasdaq Stock Market to list its shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share ("common stock") on The Nasdaq National Market.
    The company's common stock will begin trading on The Nasdaq National Market today, Wednesday, April 18, 2001, at the opening of the market. The symbol for the company's common stock will continue to be ASYS.
    Robert Hass, vice president, finance, said, "By moving our listing to The Nasdaq National Market, the company believes that its common stock will receive more attention from both institutional investors and analysts.
    "This listing may also improve the liquidity for the common stock, because investors will be able to purchase it in on margin, allowing an investor to acquire more shares for a given amount of cash."
    J.S. Whang, the company's president and chief executive officer, stated, "Being accepted for listing on The Nasdaq National Market represents a new milestone for Amtech Systems Inc., providing evidence that the company meets the more restrictive criteria of this higher profile stock market.
    "Trading on that market also puts us in good company, with such entities as Intel, Applied Materials and Novellus. This should add to the higher visibility the company has gained as a result of its impressive growth and the success of its strategy to penetrate new markets."
    Amtech Systems Inc. manufactures and sells capital equipment, including silicon wafer handling automation, semiconductor processing equipment and related consumables used in fabricating semiconductor devices.
    Semiconductors, or semiconductor chips, are part of the circuitry, or electronic components, of many products including computers, telecommunications devices, automotive products, consumer goods and industrial automation and control systems.

    The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain information included in this press release (as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by Amtech Systems Inc.) contains statements that are forward-looking.
    Such forward-looking information involves a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed or anticipated by management.
    Potential risks and uncertainties include, among other factors, industry specific and general business conditions, competitive market conditions, success of Amtech's growth and sales strategies, the possibility of customer changes in delivery schedules, cancellation of orders, potential delays in product shipments, delays in obtaining inventory parts from suppliers, failure to satisfy customer acceptance requirements and the effects of adopting Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 101, "Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements," which was issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission.