AMTECH SYSTEMS, INC. REPORTS ITS 2005 FIRST QUARTER RESULTS

Tempe, AZ - February 16, 2005 - AMTECH SYSTEMS, INC. (NASDAQ: ASYS), a global supplier of production and automation systems and related supplies for the semiconductor, silicon wafer, solar cell and microelectromechanical system (MEMS) industries, reported results yesterday for its first quarter ended December 31, 2004.

Revenues for the first quarter of fiscal year 2005 totaled $7.2 million, an increase of 85% from $3.9 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2004 and a 47% increase from the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2004. Revenues from Bruce Technologies, Inc., the business acquired by Amtech Systems, Inc. during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2004, contributed $1.7 million of revenues during the first quarter of fiscal year 2005; an increase of $0.6 million compared to revenues from that business during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2004. All existing operations of Amtech Systems, Inc. contributed to the year-over-year increase in the company's revenues.

Net income for the first quarter of fiscal year 2005 was $68,000 or $0.02 per diluted share, compared to net income of $2,000, or breakeven in terms of earnings per diluted share, for the first quarter of fiscal year 2004. Gross margin as a percent of revenues was 31% and 30% for the first quarters of fiscal years 2005 and 2004, respectively. Increased Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) expenses partially offset the increased gross margin resulting in the net income of one percent of revenues. Approximately $175,000 of the SG&A expenses in the first quarter of fiscal year 2005 related to activities that are not expected to recur.

As of December 31, 2004, Amtech Systems' order backlog had increased 16% to $8.5 million, from $7.3 million at September 30, 2004. Backlog includes customer orders that are expected to ship within the next 12 months and revenue deferred pursuant to the company's revenue recognition policies. Our backlog at any specific point in time is not necessarily indicative of actual revenues or earnings for any succeeding period due to possible customer changes in delivery schedules or cancellation of orders, and because backlog does not provide any assurance of a profit from those orders.


Mr. J.S. Whang, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are pleased by the improvement in our revenues during the first quarter of fiscal year 2005. Revenue increases were realized across the board in each business unit. Also encouraging are the 17% increase in new orders from the previous quarter, and the 16% increase in our backlog as of December 31, 2004 from the September 30, 2004 backlog."

Amtech Systems, Inc. manufactures capital equipment and related consumables used in the manufacture of various thin-wafer materials, primarily silicon wafers for the semiconductor industry, and certain thermal processes and related automation used in fabricating semiconductor devices, MEMS and solar cells.

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. All statements other than statements of historical fact are hereby identified as ?forward-looking statements,? as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. 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 and failure to satisfy customer acceptance requirements. 

This earnings release should be read in conjunction with the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2004.