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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
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FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): June 3, 1997
AG ASSOCIATES, INC.
(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN CHARTER)
California 0-25862 94-2776181
(STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION (COMMISSION (IRS EMPLOYER
OF INCORPORATION) FILE NUMBER) IDENTIFICATION NO.)
4425 Fortran Drive, San Jose, California 95134-2300
(ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES) (ZIP CODE)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (408) 935-2000
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ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS.
On June 3, 1997, the registrant issued a press release announcing
that Applied Materials, Inc. has made patent infringement allegations
against the Registrant and another leading supplier of rapid thermal
processing systems. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99
hereto and incorporated herein by reference.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
AG ASSOCIATES, INC.
Date: June 3, 1997 By: /s/ Arnon Gat
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Arnon Gat
Chief Executive Officer
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EXHIBIT INDEX
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EXHIBIT NO. Description
<S> <C>
99 Press Release dated June 3, 1997.
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EXHIBIT 99
CONTACT:
Arnon Gat Marie Labrie
Chairman and CEO Account Executive
AG Associates, Inc. MCA, Inc.
Phone: 408/935-2001 Phone: 415/968-8900
Fax: 408/935-2732 Fax: 415/968-8990
AG ASSOCIATES RESPONDS TO APPLIED MATERIALS'
PATENT INFRINGEMENT CLAIMS AGAINST RTP COMPETITORS
AG ASSOCIATES BELIEVES ALLEGATIONS UNWARRANTED
SAN JOSE, Calif., June 3, 1997 -- AG Associates (Nasdaq:AGAI), the pioneer and a
leading supplier of rapid thermal processing (RTP) systems for the global
semiconductor industry, announced today that Applied Materials Inc. (Santa
Clara, Calif.) has informed AG Associates that Applied Materials believes the
company and another significant RTP supplier are infringing on two of Applied
Materials' RTP-related patents. While Applied Materials has filed a complaint,
it has not served the company with the complaint. Applied Materials and AG
Associates have scheduled a meeting to discuss the allegations.
Dr. Arnon Gat, chief executive officer and chairman of AG Associates, stated,
"The Company does not believe Applied Materials' allegations have any merit. We
have scheduled a meeting with Applied Materials to discuss the issue and present
evidence to substantiate our position. If Applied Materials elects to pursue
litigation, however, we are prepared to defend our position." Dr. Gat added that
AG Associates has retained Morgan Chu of Irell & Manella LLP (Los Angeles,
Calif.) as special counsel for this matter.
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AG ASSOCIATES BELIEVES APPLIED'S ALLEGATIONS UNWARRANTED
Applied Materials' complaint, which was filed in U.S. district court
(San Jose), names AST Elektronik as well as AG Associates. Applied Materials
alleges that both companies infringe on Applied Materials' Patent No.
4,544,418, titled Process for High Temperature Surface Reactions in
Semiconductor Materials and Patent No. 5,155,336, titled Rapid Thermal Heating
Apparatus and Methods. Dr. Gat explained that the first patent covers select
uses of RTP processes as they relate to oxidation and epitaxy, while the second
patent pertains to the specific design of a heater head. "Having reviewed these
patents, the relevant prior art and our RTP systems' proprietary design
features, we believe Applied Materials' concerns are unwarranted," concluded
Dr. Gat.
The Company's views expressed in this news release are forward-looking
statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause
the actual results to differ materially from those statements, including the
possibility that a judge or jury could disagree with the Company's assessment of
the infringement claims and underlying validity of the patents, the potential
for discovery of additional facts adverse to the Company's position, and other
risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports. The Company
assumes no obligation to update the information in this release.
AG ASSOCIATES is the pioneer and a leading supplier of rapid thermal processing
equipment to the worldwide semiconductor industry. Founded in 1981, AG
Associates is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and maintains customer service
and support centers in the United States, Europe and the Far East to support its
global customer base. The company's common stock trades on the Nasdaq Stock
Market under the symbol AGAI.
