July 15, 2005 - SEMI has appointed Ed Segal, senior advisor to Metron Technology, as chairman of the industry association's International Board of Directors. The association's membership also elected Michael Splinter, president and CEO of Applied Materials, to the board of directors.

Segal succeeds Tetsuro (Terry) Higashi, chairman and CEO of Tokyo Electron Ltd., who served as chairman for the past year. The results of the association's annual elections were announced at the annual SEMI membership meeting, held during the SEMICON West 2005 exposition in San Francisco. Archie Hwang, chairman and CEO of Hermes Epitek, succeeds Segal as vice chairman of the board.

"SEMI is pleased to welcome Ed Segal as chairman and Mike Splinter as a new board member," said Stanley Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. "Their industry experience and counsel will be of great value to SEMI as the organization move forward during a time of great change in the industry."

Segal served as CEO of Metron from July 1995 until Applied Materials acquired it in December 2004. Prior to joining Metron, he served as president and CEO of Transpacific Technology Corporation, a company he founded in 1982, which later merged with Metron.

"SEMI is a unique global trade organization. In a period when the needs of members are shifting, I am pleased to have the opportunity to serve as chairman of the organization," said Segal.

In accordance with the association's by-laws, the following board members were re-elected: Higashi; Hwang; Doug Neugold, president and CEO of ATMI; Mary Puma, chairman and CEO of Axcelis Technologies; Stephen Schwartz, chairman, president, and CEO of Asyst Technologies; and Akira Yamamura, president of Ferrotec.

Brad Mattson, chairman of Tegal; Ed Segal, senior advisor of Metron Technology; and Duane Wadsworth, director of Micro-Mechanics, were elected as second-term ex-officio directors. Michael Parodi, president of Isel Robotek USA, and Arthur Zafiropoulo, chairman, CEO and president of Ultratech, were re-elected as ex-officio directors for a third term.