3M AND RODEL ANNOUNCE ALLIANCE TO MARKET AND DEVELOP POLISHING SYSTEMSFOR SEMICONDUCTOR AND MEMORY DISK PRODUCTS ALLIANCE WILL LEAD TO RAPIDCOMMERCIALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT BASED ON RODEL'S MARKET LEADERSHIP AND3M'S ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES ST. PAUL, Minn., and PHOENIX, Ariz., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/-- A newalliance, announced today between 3M (NYSE: MMM) and Rodel, Inc., will lead torapid commercialization and development of 3M's advanced technologies forslurry-free Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) polishing ofsemiconductors and precision polishing of memory disk products. Under the agreement, Rodel, the market leader in polishing systems forsemiconductor and memory disk finishing, will become the exclusive worldwidemarketing channel and applications support network for 3M's unique integratedplanarization system. "This agreement fits well with 3M's growth strategy in the electronicsmarket," said Mike Denoma, Vice President, 3M Abrasive Systems Division."Rodel has the strong market position we need to reach the leading companiesin this market. Their market presence and understanding will enable us tomeet current and next-generation needs in semiconductor fabrication." Tony Khouri, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rodel added, "Thisalliance reinforces Rodel's commitment to bring the best processing solutionto our customers. Slurry-free technology will solve many of the industry'sproblems with conventional systems. Our market and intellectual propertyleadership, coupled with 3M's brand strength, technology platforms and historyof innovation will insure that we stay at the forefront." 3M's structured abrasive, precision polishing technology, results fromintegration of several of the company's core strengths including abrasives,microreplication, coating, chemicals, films and adhesives. 3M's products forCMP polishing can be used for both metal and dielectric planarizationprocesses, while its products for memory disk finishing can be used for bothdimensioning and final polishing. Their potential advantages includeperformance, cost and environmental improvements. The initial focus of thealliance will be on applications for a variety of polishing equipment. 3M is a diversified manufacturing company with 1998 sales of $15 billion.It has operations in more than 60 countries and employs more than 70,000people worldwide. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., 3M makes a wide varietyof products serving customers in dozens of markets from Industrial andElectronic, to Automotive, Telecommunications, Commercial, Health Care,Transportation Safety, Office and Consumer. Rodel, which recently relocated its global headquarters to Phoenix, Ariz.,has been a key supplier to the semiconductor industry throughout its 30-yearhistory. As a result of the polishing expertise initially developed by Rodelfor silicon wafers and rigid disks, the company became an early leader inchemical mechanical planarization (CMP) technology used to make multi-layeredsemiconductor chips. Today, CMP represents about half of the company'sbusiness, with silicon and disk consumables making up most of the difference.Rodel has global operations to support the customer base for these products.The company is a privately held concern with a 48% stake owned by Rohm andHaas, whose total electronics materials business just surpassed the onebillion dollar mark. The 3M web site address is http://www.3M.com The Rodel web site address is http://www.rodel.comSOURCE 3MCONTACT: Mari Frederickson of 3M Microfinishing Systems, 651-737-1786, [email protected], or Joan Koppenbrink, Vice President, Corporate Marketing of Rodel, 602-431-0500, [email protected] site: http://www.rodel.comWeb site: http://www.3M.com