FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FIRST ANNUAL HDI EXPO® DRAWS STRONG NUMBERS OF ATTENDEES AND EXHIBITORS

The first annual HDI Expo®, held September 14 - 16, 1998, in Tempe, Arizona drew over 800 registered attendees and 40 exhibitors. Over 200 conference attendees gathered at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel to take part in over 30 technical sessions addressing issues related to high-density interconnect test, assembly and packaging, an increasingly critical segment of the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Simultaneously, an exhibits hall featuring over 40 industry vendors allowed conference and exhibition attendees a chance to view the latest industry technologies.

"The number of attendees and exhibitors at HDI Expo® attests to the information needs of this segment of the semiconductor packaging and manufacturing industry," said Shelly Nielsen, Show Manager. "We are dedicated to continued service of this industry niche."

"This was the best show I've ever attended in terms of both the quantity and quality of people interested in what I was promoting." said Charles Wade, Vice President, Marketing, of Nextek.

The technical content of the conference included keynote addresses from Dr. Bill Siu of Intel and Harry Hollack of Flip Chip Technologies. Dr. Siu's keynote address, "The Challenges of HDI," described how Intel is managing its inevitable move to challenging higher-density integrated circuits with even higher pin counts. Mr. Hollack's remarks on "Flip Chip versus Chip Scale Packaging Technologies for HDI" added several additional insights on pragmatic ways to cope with more I/Os and tighter pitches and ways to capitalize on the opportunities that HDI presents. Together, they provided perspectives for a fast-paced, emerging high-density interconnect marketplace where the rules keep changing as innovations push beyond the norm. Other conference sessions covered topics including HDI Assembly of BGAs and CSPs by Tom Chung of Motorola, HDI Design by Mike Fitts of The Solutions Fitts, and Selecting HDI Design Rules and Structures by Happy Holden of Techlead.

HDI Conference and Expo was launched in January, 1998 by Miller Freeman, Inc., in coordination with the introduction of HDI magazine, a monthly publication serving the test, assembly, and packaging segment of the semiconductor and related PWB industries.

"The synergy between the magazine and the expo, and the overall success of the event is a testament to the teamwork within our division. The combined skills of the magazine and show staff is the reason this project was successful," said Ron Daniels, Conference Director and Publisher of HDI magazine.

Based on the success of the inaugural event, Miller Freeman plans to hold the second annual HDI Expo®, August 22 - 24 in Mesa, Arizona. The new location will allow for more exhibitor space as well as an expanded conference program.

HDI Expo® is sponsored by Miller Freeman, Inc. and its magazines: HDI: The Magazine of High Density Interconnect®, Circuits Assembly, PC Fab and Printed Circuit Design. Miller Freeman, the world's largest producer of conferences and trade exhibitions, also produces the Printed Circuit Board Design conferences held annually in the Silicon Valley, the greater Boston area and Europe. For further updates and information on the HDI Expo® visit the HDI Expo® web site at: http://www.hdicon.com.