UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended: September 30, 2020

OR

For the transition period from                to               

Commission file number: 0-11412

AMTECH SYSTEMS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 480-967-5146

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Common Stock, $0.01 Par Value

(Title of Class)

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ☒ Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

As of March 31, 2020, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $50,061,718, based upon the closing sales price reported by the NASDAQ Global Market on that date.

As of November 13, 2020, the registrant had outstanding 14,063,172 shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

AMTECH SYSTEMS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Table of Contents

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DEFINITIONS

Acronyms and defined terms used in the text include the following:

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Cautionary Statement about Forward-Looking Statements

Unless otherwise indicated, the terms “Amtech,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Amtech Systems, Inc. together with its subsidiaries.

Our discussion and analysis in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our 2020 Annual Report to Shareholders, our other reports that we file with the SEC, our press releases and in public statements of our officers and corporate spokespersons contain “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, Section 21E of the Exchange Act, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements give our or our officers’ current expectations or forecasts of future events. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current events. We have tried, wherever possible, to identify such statements by using words such as “may,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “predict,” “potential,” “project,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “likely,” “future,” “target,” “forecast,” “goal,” “observe,” and “strategy” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology relating to uncertainty of future events or outcomes. Any expectations based on these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and other important factors, including those discussed in the section entitled “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”  Some factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated include, among others, future economic conditions, including changes in the markets in which we operate; changes in demand for our services and products; our revenue and operating performance; difficulties in successfully executing our growth initiatives; difficulties in executing on our strategic efforts with respect to our silicon carbide/polishing business segment; the effects of competition in the markets in which we operate, including the adverse impact of competitive product announcements or new entrants into our markets and transfers of resources by competitors into our markets; the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry; pricing and gross profit pressures; control of costs and expenses; risks associated with new technologies and the impact on our business; legislative, regulatory, and competitive developments in markets in which we operate; possible future claims, litigation or enforcement actions and the results of any such claim, litigation proceeding, or enforcement action; risks associated with our dispositions, including our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of our dispositions; the risk of unexpected costs, charges or expenses resulting from any dispositions; business interruptions, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic; the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business operations, financial results and financial position; the severity, magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, including impacts of the pandemic and of businesses’ and governments’ responses to the pandemic on our operations and personnel; and other circumstances and risks identified in this Annual Report on Form 10-K or referenced from time to time in our filings with the SEC. The occurrence of the events described, and the achievement of expected results, depend on many events, some or all of which are not predictable or within our control. These and many other factors could affect Amtech’s future operating results and financial condition and could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations based on forward-looking statements made in this document or elsewhere by Amtech or on its behalf.

Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance.  Instead, they are based on our or our officers’ current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to certain risks and uncertainties.  In light of these risks and uncertainties, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K will in fact transpire or prove to be accurate.  You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made.

The Company undertakes no obligation to update or publicly revise any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.  You are advised, however, to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our subsequently filed Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports and our other filings with the SEC.  Also note that we provide a cautionary discussion of risks, uncertainties and possibly inaccurate assumptions relevant to our business under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  We note these factors for investors as permitted by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  You should understand it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors.

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PART I

ITEM 1.  BUSINESS

OUR COMPANY

We are a leading, global manufacturer of capital equipment, including thermal processing and wafer polishing, and related consumables used in fabricating semiconductor devices, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon power devices, analog and discrete devices, electronic assemblies and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). We sell these products to semiconductor device and module manufacturers worldwide, particularly in Asia, North America and Europe.  Our strategic focus is on semiconductor growth opportunities in power electronics, sensors and analog devices leveraging our strength in our core competencies in thermal and substrate processing. We are a market leader in the high-end power chip market (SiC substrates, 300mm horizontal thermal reactor, and electronic assemblies used in power, RF, and other advanced applications), developing and supplying essential equipment and consumables used in the semiconductor industry.

We categorize each of our subsidiaries into one of two operating segments, based primarily on the industry they serve:

These operating segments are comprised of the following three wholly-owned subsidiaries:

Semiconductor:

SiC/LED:

Our strategic focus in the semiconductor industry is the development of equipment for thermal processing and deposition for semiconductor manufacturing, specifically focusing on substrate, fabrication, packaging and surface-mount technology (“SMT”). The markets we serve are experiencing technological advances and are, historically, cyclical.  Therefore, future profitability and growth depend on our ability to invest in, develop and/or acquire and market new technology products and on our ability to adapt to cyclical trends.

Integrated circuits, optoelectronic, sensor, and discrete (O-S-D) components, such as power chips, LEDs, and some MEMS, are semiconductor devices fabricated on silicon and compound semiconductor, such as silicon carbide, wafer substrates.  Semiconductor chips are part of the circuitry of many products including inverters, onboard charging, computers, telecommunications devices, automotive electronics and sensors, consumer electronics, and industrial automation and control systems. LEDs manufactured using our equipment are used in industrial, commercial and residential lighting.  Our thermal processing and consumable products currently address the diffusion and deposition steps used in the fabrication of semiconductors, LEDs, MEMS and the polishing of newly sliced silicon and compound semiconductor wafers, as well as the packaging and assembly of the electronic components and assemblies.  Our reflow ovens provide key thermal processing steps for both semiconductor packaging and electronics assembly. Key end-markets for these packages and assemblies include: communications, automotive electronics and sensors, computing and networking, and consumer and industrial electronics.

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Our SiC/LED segment provides solutions to the lapping and polishing marketplace for SiC power chip applications, LED, optics and photonics.  Lapping is the process of abrading components with a high degree of precision for flatness, parallelism and surface finish.   Common applications for this technology are silicon wafers for semiconductor products, compound substrates, like silicon carbide wafers, for LED and power device applications, sapphire substrates for LED lighting and mobile devices, various glass and silica components for 3D image transmission, quartz and ceramic components for telecommunications devices, medical device components and optical and photonics applications.

We believe our product portfolio, developed through a track record of technological innovation as well as the successful integration of key acquisitions, provides exceptional value to semiconductor manufacturing by increasing yields, efficiency and throughput. We have been providing manufacturing solutions to the semiconductor industry for over 30 years and have leveraged our semiconductor technology and industry presence to capitalize on growth opportunities. Our customers use our equipment to manufacture semiconductor chips, silicon and compound semiconductor wafers and MEMS, which are used in end markets such as telecommunications (5G), consumer and industrial electronics (IoT and embedded devices), computing (data centers), automotive electronics and sensors (xEV), and mobile devices (smart devices). To complement our research and development efforts, we also sell our equipment to, and coordinate certain development efforts with, research institutes, universities and customers.

The semiconductor industry is cyclical and historically has experienced significant fluctuations. Our revenue is impacted by these broad industry trends.

The COVID-19 world-wide pandemic and the domestic and international impact of policy decisions being made in major countries around the world has had, and is expected to continue to have, an impact on various aspects of our business. While we and many of our semiconductor customers continue to operate as essential businesses, in accordance with the government regulations in place at each of our facilities, we have taken various actions to augment our operating and human resource policies and procedures to guard against the potential health hazards of COVID-19. These augmented procedures can have a negative impact on our operational efficiencies. Given the uncertainty surrounding the continuation of economic slow-downs domestically and abroad, we cannot predict with any level of certainty at this time what the future impact of COVID-19 and resulting business and economic policies in the United States and abroad will be on our future financial operating results.

For information regarding net revenue, operating income and identifiable assets attributable to each of our two operating segments, see Note 18 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” and “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Annual Report.  For information on the products of each operating segment, see “Semiconductor Products” and “SiC/LED Products” within this “Item 1. Business” section.  For information regarding risks to our business, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

Our fiscal year is from October 1 to September 30. Unless otherwise stated, references to the years 2020, 2019 and 2018 relate to the fiscal years ended September 30, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

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GROWTH AND INVESTMENT STRATEGY

Historically, we have grown our business primarily through acquisitions, including the businesses that currently comprise our two operating segments in the Semiconductor and Sic/LED industries – Bruce Technologies, BTU and PR Hoffman, as well as the Solar businesses we divested of in 2019 and 2020.  The businesses we own today have provided substantial returns on our original investments. Our acquisition of BTU demonstrates our ability to unlock value in a company, to grow revenue and improve the performance of acquired assets. While we continue to believe this inorganic growth strategy is the backbone of who Amtech is as a company, we have also employed the complimentary strategy of pursuing organic growth, particularly during times when we lacked sufficient capital resources to pursue growth through acquisitions.  In 2017 and 2018, the divestiture of our interest in Kingstone Hong Kong and the completion of a secondary offering, respectively, provided us with the capital foundation to renew our acquisition efforts; however, these efforts were temporarily interrupted by our focus on divesting of our Solar business beginning in 2019 and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.  With these events behind us, we have a renewed objective to grow our revenue and expand our operations through strategic acquisitions, while at the same time pursuing organic growth. We intend to accomplish these parallel objectives through the pursuit of the following strategies:

Capitalize on Growth Opportunities in the Semiconductor Industry by Leveraging Our Thermal and Material Processing Expertise, Top-Tier Customer Relationships, Track Record of Technological Innovation and Exceptional Customer Service.  We believe that long-term growth in the semiconductor industry will be driven by emerging growth in new compound substrates, such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride, and the growing demand for 5G and mobility, consumer and industrial Internet-of-Things (IoT), increased adoption of sensors and electronics in the automotive industry, electric vehicles (EV) and charging infrastructure, and China’s investment in their domestic semiconductor production capacity.  As the semiconductor market continues to develop and evolve, advances in process technology will be vital to remaining competitive. We intend to continue leveraging our market position, relationships with leading global semiconductor customers and demonstrated track record of technical innovation and exceptional customer service to maximize sales of our current and next-generation technology solutions.

Develop Multi-Product Solutions to Expand Our Addressable Market. We are focused on acquiring, developing and licensing new products across our business in response to customer needs in the markets we serve. As we add to our product portfolio organically or through acquisitions, we plan to continue expanding our offerings within the semiconductor and silicon carbide production processes, thus capturing a greater percentage of capital spent on increasing semiconductor and silicon carbide production.  We have successfully developed products to expand our addressable market and continue to make evolutionary upgrades to our existing equipment and service offerings across our operating segments.  In addition to developing new products, we plan to invest in upgrades to our existing product offerings to stay competitive in the markets we serve.  As a result, we saw increased research and development expenses in 2020 and expect to continue to increase our capital expenditures and research and development expenses in fiscal 2021 and beyond for these evolutionary upgrades as well as for the development of specific new products.

Pursue Strategic Acquisitions That Complement Our Strong Platform. As discussed above, we have historically pursued an acquisition strategy consistent with our focus of maintaining market leadership and technology innovation that addresses the continued growth in the semiconductor industry. In conjunction with the divestiture of our solar business and the promotion of Michael Whang to Chief Executive Officer, our Executive Chairman’s focus has shifted to the pursuit of inorganic growth opportunities. As part of this strategy, we continually evaluate potential technology, product and business acquisitions or joint ventures that we believe will increase our existing market share in the semiconductor and SiC industries and expand our addressable market. In evaluating these opportunities, our objectives include enhancing our earnings and cash flows, adding complementary product offerings, expanding our geographic footprint, improving our production efficiency and expanding our customer base.  As a result, we continue to manage our balance sheet to maintain adequate liquidity in order to react quickly as these opportunities arise.

Invest in Our Infrastructure and Capacity. In the fourth quarter of 2020, we finished the move of our SiC/LED segment to a new location.  This new location allows us to sufficiently increase our manufacturing footprint and position our business to meet the expected longer-term increase in demand for our SiC, optics, and

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silicon substrate product solutions.  We are also assessing the manufacturing space used by our Semiconductor segment for capacity expansion, added efficiencies and cost savings.  This assessment could result in a future relocation of a manufacturing facility and/or investments in upgrades to existing facilities.  In addition, we are evaluating our management information systems and needs in order to allow for greater efficiencies and to ensure our infrastructure can support our future growth plans.  

SEMICONDUCTOR AND SiC/LED OPERATIONS

We provide diffusion and reflow equipment as well as wafer polishing equipment and related services to leading semiconductor manufacturers. Our products include horizontal diffusion furnaces used to produce semiconductors, such as analog, sensors, and discrete devices, and MEMS, as well as double-sided lapping and polishing equipment, double-sided lapping and polishing carriers, and single side polishing templates.

As demand for increasingly sophisticated electronic devices continues, new technologies such as electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, advanced power management, advances in consumer electronics, 5G communications, and IoT will help to drive future growth. Electronic equipment continues to become more complex, yet end users are still demanding smaller, lighter and less expensive devices. This, in turn, requires increased performance and reduced cost, size, weight and power requirements of electronic assemblies, printed circuit boards and semiconductors. In response to these developments, manufacturers are increasingly employing more sophisticated production and assembly techniques requiring more advanced manufacturing equipment, such as that supplied by our subsidiary, BTU.

Although the semiconductor market has experienced significant growth over the past fifteen years, it remains cyclical by nature. The market is characterized by short-term periods of under or over utilization of capacity for most semiconductors, including microprocessors, memory, power management chips and other logic devices.  When capacity utilization decreases due to the addition of excess capacity, semiconductor manufacturers typically slow their purchasing of capital equipment. Conversely, when capacity utilization increases, so does capital spending.

SEMICONDUCTOR PRODUCTS

Our furnace and automation equipment are manufactured in our facilities in Massachusetts and China. The following paragraphs describe the products that comprise our semiconductor business:

Horizontal Diffusion Furnaces. Through Bruce Technologies, we produce and sell 200mm and 300mm horizontal diffusion and deposition furnaces. Our horizontal furnaces currently address several steps in the semiconductor manufacturing process, including diffusion, LPCVD, high temperature oxidation (used in silicon and silicon carbide power chips), and annealing.

Our horizontal furnaces generally consist of three large modules: the load station, where the loading of the wafers occurs; the furnace section, which is comprised of one to four thermal reactor chambers; and the gas distribution cabinet, where the flow of gases into the reactor chambers is controlled, and is often customized to meet the requirements of our customers’ particular processes. The horizontal furnaces utilize a combination of existing industry and proprietary technologies and are sold primarily to semiconductor customers. Our products are capable of processing all currently existing wafer sizes.

Continuous Thermal Processing Systems. Through BTU, we produce and sell thermal processing systems used in the solder reflow and curing stages of printed circuit board assembly as well as systems for the thermal processes used in advanced semiconductor packaging. Our printed circuit board assembly products are used primarily in the advanced, high-density segments of the market that utilize surface mount technology.

Flip-chip reflow provides the physical and electronic bond of the semiconductor device to its package. Our range of convection reflow systems, utilizing patented closed loop convection technology, are rated at up to 400°C and operate in air or nitrogen atmospheres. These products utilize forced impingement convection technology to transfer heat to the substrate. Using thermal power arrays of up to five kilowatts, they can process substrates in dual lane, dual speed configurations, thereby enabling our customers to double production without increasing the

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machine’s footprint. These products are available in four models based on the heated lengths of thermal processing chambers. Heated length is based on the required production rate and loading requirements.

High-Temperature Belt Furnace.  We also produce and sell custom, high-temperature belt furnaces, which we have manufactured in Massachusetts for over six decades with ISO 9001:2015 quality certification safe-guarding that each unit is subject to exacting build and test criteria.

SiC/LED PRODUCTS

Our SiC/LED segment manufactures the products described below in Pennsylvania and sells them under our PR Hoffman brand name.

Substrate Carriers.  We manufacture carriers in a variety of sizes and materials.  Sizes range from 3 to 38 inches in diameter using a variety of special steels, laminates and extruded polymer raw materials.  Silicon wafers, compound semiconductor wafers, and large optics require special insert carriers.  These carriers combine the strength of hardened steel as the processing backbone with a softer plastic material in the work holes known as an insert.  Inserts are permanently molded into the work holes in a pressurized process.  These inserted work holes provide smoother processing, improved wafer total thickness variation (TTV) and improved wafer edge quality.  Insert carriers are available for all wafer sizes from 75mm to 450mm and can be made from hardened and tempered carbon steel or specialized stainless steel when metal contamination is a processing concern.  Insert carriers are widely accepted as the industry solution for both prime wafer and reclaim wafer manufacturers when dual sided lapping or polishing are utilized in their front-end wafer process.

Substrate Polishing Templates. Our polishing templates are used to securely hold silicon carbide, silicon, sapphire or other wafer materials in place during single-sided wax-free polishing processes. Polishing templates are customized for specific applications and are manufactured to extremely tight tolerances. We offer a variety of options to provide the best solution for each specific process. Polishing templates are manufactured for all brands of tools and virtually any wax-free customer process. Critical front-end wafer surface specifications are finalized during the polishing process.

Double-Sided Lapping and Polishing Machines. Double-sided lapping and polishing machines are designed to process materials such as silicon wafers, sapphire and other wafer-like materials, precision optics, computer disks, ceramic components, specialty metal products to exact tolerances of thickness, flatness, parallelism and surface finish. On average, we believe that we offer our surface processing systems with a lower cost of ownership than systems offered by our competitors.  We target the compound substrate, semiconductor, optical sapphire, glass, quartz, ceramics, medical, computer disk and metal working markets.

MANUFACTURING, RAW MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

Our semiconductor manufacturing activities consist primarily of engineering design to meet specific and evolving customer needs and procurement and assembly of various commercial and proprietary components into finished thermal processing systems and related automation in North Billerica, Massachusetts and Shanghai, China.

Our manufacturing activities in the polishing business include laser-cutting and other fabrication steps in producing lapping and polishing consumables, including carriers, templates, gears, wear items and spare parts in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, from raw materials manufactured to our specifications by our suppliers. These products are engineered and designed for specific applications and to meet the increasingly tight tolerances required by our customers.  Many items, such as proprietary components for our semiconductor equipment and lapping plates, are purchased from suppliers who manufacture these items to our specifications.

Final assembly and tests of our manufactured equipment and machines are performed within our manufacturing facilities. Quality control is maintained through inspection of incoming materials and components, in-process inspection during equipment assembly, testing of assemblies and final inspection and, when practical, operation of manufactured equipment prior to shipment.

Since much of our polishing supplies know-how relates to the manufacture of these products, our Carlisle facility is equipped to perform a significantly higher percentage of the fabrication steps required in the production of its products. However, injection molding for our insert carriers and the manufacture of raw cast iron plates are

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subcontracted out to various third parties. Our polishing supplies business relies on key suppliers for certain materials, including two steel mills in Germany and Japan, an injection molder, a single-sourced pad supplier from Japan and an adhesive manufacturer. To minimize the risk of production and service interruptions and/or shortages of key parts, we seek to maintain appropriate inventory levels of key raw materials and parts.

Beginning in 2019 and throughout 2020, we experienced increased lead times for various parts and services across both our operating segments.  As a result of the increases in lead-times for these parts, we have increased the amount of on-hand inventory related to long-lead time items. We have also increased on-hand inventory of certain parts as part of a strategy to mitigate supply chain risk, primarily at our operations in China, due to the trade and tariff environment between China and the United States.  Despite these strategic increases, there can be no assurance that we will have enough inventory on-hand at the time we receive orders and that we will not incur delays in production time.

CUSTOMERS AND SEASONALITY

Our customers are primarily manufacturers of semiconductor substrates and devices and electronic assemblies.  During 2020, 65% of our net revenue from continuing operations came from customers outside of North America. This group represented 59% of revenues in 2019.  In 2020, net revenue from continuing operations was distributed among customers in different geographic regions as follows: North/South America 35% (28% of which is in the United States), Asia 52% (including 25% in China, 15% in Taiwan and 5% in Malaysia) and 13% in Europe.  One Semiconductor customer accounted for 11% of our net revenues from our continuing operations in 2020.  In 2019, no individual customer accounted for 10% or more of our net revenues. In 2018, one Semiconductor customer accounted for 14% of our net revenues.  A turnkey customer accounted for 58% of our net revenues at our discontinued operations in 2018.

Our business is not seasonal in nature, but is cyclical based on the capital equipment investment patterns of semiconductor manufacturers. These expenditure patterns are based on many factors, including capacity utilization, anticipated demand, the development of new technologies and global and regional economic conditions.

SALES AND MARKETING

Due to the highly technical nature of our products, we market our products primarily by direct customer contact through our sales personnel and through a network of domestic and international independent sales representatives and distributors that specialize in semiconductor equipment and supplies. Our promotional activities include direct sales contacts, participation in trade shows, advertising in trade magazines and the distribution of product brochures.

We use a mix of representatives and distributors globally.  Manufacturer representatives provide sales coverage in specific geographic regions and are paid a commission when equipment is sold.  Sales to distributors are generally on terms comparable to sales to end-user customers, as our distributors generally quote their customers after first obtaining a quote from us and have an order from the end-user before placing an order with us. Our sales to distributors are not contingent on their future sales and do not include a general right of return. Historically, returns have been rare. Distributors of our semiconductor equipment do not stock a significant amount of our products, as the inventory they hold is generally limited to parts needed to provide timely repairs to customers.  Our manufacturer representatives and distributors are closely managed by our global sales team.

Historically, each of our segments have been responsible for their own sales and marketing activities, including managing sales personnel and representative and distributor relationships, however, as we continue to refocus our organization, we are developing opportunities for increased collaboration and teamwork across our divisions.  These cross-segment collaboration opportunities will continue to be a focus at all levels and departments of the organization, as we believe they can lead to greater efficiencies while reducing operating costs.  These efforts are further coordinated by our Vice President of Sales and Customer Service, who oversees all sales and marketing activities at each division.

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RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING

The markets we serve are characterized by rapidly-evolving industry standards and technological change. To compete effectively, we must continually maintain or exceed the pace of such change by improving our products and our process technologies and by developing new technologies and products that are competitive based on price and performance. To assure that these technologies and products address current and future customer requirements, we obtain as much customer cooperation and input as possible, thus increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of our research and development efforts. In addition, we look for strategic acquisitions, that will provide us with new technologies to compete effectively in the markets in which we operate.

From time to time we add functionality to our products or develop new products during engineering and manufacturing to fulfill specifications in a customer’s order, in which case the cost of development, along with other costs of the order, are charged to cost of sales. We periodically receive research grants for research and development of products, which are netted against our research, development and engineering costs.  In 2020, 2019 and 2018, we recorded RD&E expense of $3.3 million, $3.1 million and $2.9 million, respectively.  We plan to continue to develop new products and also to invest in upgrades to existing product offerings to stay competitive in the markets we serve.  As a result, we saw increased RD&E expenses in 2020 and expect to continue to increase our capital expenditures and RD&E expenses in fiscal 2021 and beyond for these upgrades as well as for the development of specific new products.

COMPETITION

We compete in several distinct equipment markets for semiconductor devices, semiconductor substrates, MEMS, semiconductor packaging, and electronics assembly, as well as the markets for supplies used in power semiconductor applications. Each of these markets is highly competitive. Our ability to compete depends on our ability to continually improve our products, processes and services, as well as our ability to develop new products that meet constantly evolving customer requirements. Significant competitive factors for succeeding in these markets include the product’s technical capability, productivity, cost-effectiveness, overall reliability, ease of use and maintenance, contamination and defect control and the level of technical service and support.

The Semiconductor and MEMS Markets. Equipment and automation produced by our Semiconductor operating segment primarily competes with those produced by other original equipment manufacturers, some of which are well-established firms that are much larger and have substantially greater financial and other resources than we have with which to pursue development, engineering, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of their products and may generally be better situated to withstand adverse economic or market conditions. Competitors of our horizontal diffusion furnaces include Centrotherm GmbH, Sandvik Thermal Process, Inc., a subsidiary of Sandvik AB, and CVD Equipment, Inc.

Our principal competitors for printed circuit board assembly equipment and advanced semiconductor packaging vary by product application. The principal competitors for solder reflow systems are ITW/EAE Vitronics-Soltec, Heller, Folungwin, ERSA, Shenzhen JT Automation Equipment Co., Ltd. and Rehm. The principal competitors for advanced semiconductor packaging are ITW/EAE Vitronics-Soltec and Heller. Our in-line, controlled atmosphere furnaces compete primarily against products offered by Centrotherm and SierraTherm/Schmid Thermal Systems. We also face competition from emerging low-cost Asian manufacturers and other established European manufacturers.

Although price is a factor in buying decisions, we believe that technological leadership, process capability, throughput, safer designs, uptime, mean time-to-repair, cost of ownership and after-sale support have become increasingly important factors to purchasers of our products. As such, we believe we compete primarily on the basis of these criteria, rather than on the basis of price alone.

General Industrial Lapping and Polishing Machines, Supplies and Semiconductor Substrate Markets. Our SiC/LED operating segment experiences price competition for wafer carriers from foreign manufacturers for which there is very little publicly available information. As a result, we are intensifying our efforts to reduce the cost of our carriers and will continue to compete with other manufacturers of carriers by continuing to update our product line to keep pace with the rapid changes in our customers’ requirements and by providing a high level of quality and customer service. We produce steel carriers, including insert carriers, on advanced laser-cutting tools, which reduces

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our costs and lead times and increases our control over quality.  Competitors of our lapping and polishing machines and supplies include Lapmaster Wolters, Speedfam Co. Ltd., Hamai Co., Ltd., Onse, Inc. and Eminess Technologies, Inc.  Our strategy to enhance our sales of wafer carriers and templates includes developing new applications in close collaboration with our customers, continuous improvement in our products and providing a high level of customer support and products that deliver greater value to our customers.

EMPLOYEES

As of September 30, 2020, we employed 296 people. Of these employees, 8 were based at our corporate offices in Tempe, Arizona, 43 at our manufacturing plant in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 96 at our manufacturing plant in N. Billerica, Massachusetts, 132 at our facilities in China, 10 at other Asia-Pacific offices and 7 at our office in the United Kingdom. Of the 43 people employed at our Carlisle, Pennsylvania facility, 18 were represented by the United Auto Workers Union - Local 1443. We have never experienced a work stoppage or strike, and other than employees at the Carlisle facility, no other employees are represented by a union. We consider our employee relations to be good.

PATENTS

The following table shows our material patents, the patents licensed by us, and the expiration date of each patent and license:

To our knowledge, there are currently no pending lawsuits against us regarding infringement of any existing patents or other intellectual property rights or any material unresolved claims made by third parties that allege we are infringing the intellectual property rights of such third parties.

DISCONTINUED SOLAR OPERATIONS AND PRODUCTS

Our previously reported, Solar segment included Tempress (a Texas Corporation based in the Netherlands), SoLayTec (a Netherlands Corporation), and R2D (a French Corporation).  Tempress was sold in 2020, SoLayTec was sold in 2019, and R2D was sold in 2020 (see Note 2).  Our discontinued operation results consist of Tempress and SoLayTec. R2D was also previously reported as the Automation segment prior to its disposal.  

On April 3, 2019, we announced that the Board determined that it was in the long-term best interest of the Company to exit the Solar business segment and to focus our strategic efforts on our semiconductor and silicon carbide/polishing business segments in order to more fully realize the opportunities we believe are presented in those markets. The divestiture included our Tempress and SoLayTec subsidiaries, which comprised substantially all of our Solar segment.  The portion of our Solar segment not included in discontinued operations was our Automation division, R2D, which historically sold automation products to both solar and semiconductor customers. R2D experienced a significant decline in sales of automation to other divisions in our Solar segment and was also negatively impacted by the slowdown in the broader semiconductor industry. We evaluated how and whether R2D could fit into our current semiconductor and silicon carbide/polishing strategy and determined that the disposition of R2D was in the best interests of our Company and our shareholders. See “Acquisitions and Dispositions” within this “Item 1. Business” section for information related to the disposal of our former Solar subsidiaries.

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Our Solar discontinued operations provided process equipment and related cell manufacturing equipment to many of the world’s leading solar cell manufacturers.  Our primary process equipment focus was our existing solar diffusion furnace and the development of next-generation diffusion furnaces, including our proprietary N-type systems and our PECVD systems.  Additionally, through SoLayTec, we produced, developed, delivered and serviced ultrafast ALD machines used in high efficiency solar cells.

ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS

In September 2015, we sold a portion of our equity interest in Kingstone Hong Kong to a China-based venture capital firm.  Kingstone Hong Kong is the parent company of Shanghai Kingstone, a Shanghai-based technology company specializing in ion implant solutions for the solar and semiconductor industries (in which we acquired a 55% ownership in February 2011). Proceeds from this sale were paid to Amtech and used to fund our core strategic initiatives. After giving effect to this sale transaction, we owned 15% of Kingstone Hong Kong, which in turn represented an 8% beneficial ownership interest in Shanghai Kingstone.  Effective June 29, 2018, we sold this remaining 15% ownership interest in Kingstone Hong Kong to the majority owner for approximately $5.7 million.

In December 2014, we expanded our presence in the solar market by acquiring a 51% controlling interest in SoLayTec, which provides ALD systems used in high efficiency solar cells.  In July 2017, we acquired the remaining 49% interest in SoLayTec.  On June 7, 2019, we completed the sale of SoLayTec to a third party located in the Netherlands.  Upon the sale, we recognized a gain of approximately $1.6 million, which we included in loss from discontinued operations reported in our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended September 30, 2019.

Effective January 22, 2020 (“Tempress Sale Date”), we completed the sale of Tempress for nominal consideration to a third party located in the Netherlands. We recorded a pre-tax loss on sale of approximately $10.9 million, of which approximately $7.2 million was the recognition of previously recorded accumulated foreign currency translation losses.  The loss was included in loss from discontinued operations reported in our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended September 30, 2020.  The total pre-tax loss does not have a material effect on our cash balances at our continuing operations.  Effective on the Tempress Sale Date, Tempress is no longer included in our consolidated financial statements.

On December 13, 2019 (“R2D Sale Date”), we finalized the sale of R2D to certain members of R2D’s management team.  Upon the sale, we recognized a loss of approximately $2.8 million, which we reported as loss on sale of subsidiary in our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended September 30, 2020.  Effective on the R2D Sale Date, R2D is no longer included in our consolidated financial statements.  R2D did not meet the discontinued operations or held-for-sale criteria.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

Our corporate website, www.amtechsystems.com, provides materials for investors and information about our products. Through our website, we make available, without charge, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed, or furnished to, the SEC.  The Company intends to disclose any amendment to its Code of Ethics on the above-referenced corporate website.  The information found on our website, or information that may be accessed through links on our website, are not part of this or any other report we file with, or furnish to, the SEC. In addition, our SEC filings are available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

ITEM 1A.  RISK FACTORS

Our business faces significant risks. Because of the following factors, as well as other variables affecting our operating results and financial condition, past performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods.  We operate in a continually changing business environment, and new risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time.  Management cannot predict such new risks and uncertainties, nor can it assess the extent to which any of the risk factors below or any such new risks and uncertainties, or any combination thereof, may impact our business.  The following risk factors should be read in conjunction with the other information and risks set forth herein.

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Risks Related to the Semiconductor Industry

There is ongoing volatility in the semiconductor equipment industry.

The semiconductor equipment industry is highly cyclical and volatile. As such, demand for, and the profitability of, our products can change significantly from period to period as a result of numerous factors, including the following:

For these and other reasons, our results of operations for past periods may not be indicative of future operating results.

The purchasing decisions of our customers are highly dependent on their capacity utilization, which changes when new facilities are put into production and with the level of demand for our products, as well as our customers’ capital expenditure budgets.  Purchasing decisions are also impacted by changes in the economies of the countries served by our customers, as well as the state of the worldwide industries in which we operate or expect to operate in the future. The timing, length and severity of the up-and-down cycles in the semiconductor equipment industry are difficult to predict. Additionally, we generally experience a one-to-two quarter lag between upturns/downturns experienced by larger equipment manufacturers.  The cyclical nature of the markets we serve affects our ability to accurately budget our expense levels, which are based in part on our projections of future revenue.

When cyclical fluctuations result in lower than expected revenue levels, our operating results are adversely affected.  Cost reduction measures may be necessary in order for us to remain competitive and financially sound. During a down cycle, our operating results may be adversely affected if we are unable to make timely adjustments to our cost and expense structure to correspond to the prevailing market conditions; effectively manage the supply chain; and motivate and retain key employees. In addition, during periods of rapid growth, our operating results may be adversely affected if we are unable to increase manufacturing capacity and personnel to meet customer demand, which may require additional liquidity. We can provide no assurance that we can timely and effectively respond to the industry cycles, and our failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The semiconductor equipment industry is highly competitive and, because we are relatively small in size and have fewer financial and other resources compared to our competitors, we may not be able to compete successfully with them.

Our industry includes large manufacturers with substantial resources to support customers worldwide. Our future performance depends, in part, upon our ability to continue to compete successfully in these markets. Some of our competitors are diversified companies with extensive financial resources and research, engineering, manufacturing, marketing and customer service and support capabilities that are greater than ours. We face competition from companies whose strategy is to provide a broad array of products, some of which compete with the products and services we offer. These competitors may bundle their products in a manner that discourages customers from purchasing our products. In addition, we face competition from emerging semiconductor equipment companies whose strategy is to provide a portion of the products and services that we offer often at a lower price than ours and use innovative technology to sell products into specialized markets. We also face competition from Chinese

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equipment manufacturers that may receive greater support than we do from Chinese customers and governmental agencies because they are locally based. In addition, our local Chinese competitors may offer lower prices and more liberal payment terms than ours.  Loss of our competitive position due to any of these factors could impair our prices, customer orders, revenue, gross margin and market share, any of which would negatively affect our business, financial position and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Business and Our Operations

Business interruptions, including those related to the novel strain of the coronavirus (COVID-19), have had and continue to have an adverse impact on our operations, including among others, our manufacturing and supply chain, sales and product development and could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations in future quarterly periods.

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a “pandemic,” or a worldwide spread of a new disease, on March 11, 2020. The outbreak has resulted in government authorities and businesses throughout the world implementing numerous measures intended to contain and limit the spread of COVID-19, including travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, “shelter-in-place” and lock-down orders, and business limitations and shutdowns. These measures have negatively impacted consumer and business spending generally and have significantly contributed to deteriorating macroeconomic conditions.  While governments around the world have taken steps to attempt to mitigate some of the more severe anticipated economic effects of COVID-19, there can be no assurance that such steps will be effective or achieve their desired results in a timely fashion.

While we continue to monitor and assess the impact on our business from the spread of COVID-19 and the ever evolving actions implemented by governments across the globe, our operations in China have returned to near-capacity and we continue to experience an adverse impact of COVID-19 on our operations in the United States. The degree to which the coronavirus impacts our future business and operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the duration, spread and severity of the outbreak, new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the coronavirus and the actions to contain the coronavirus or treat its impact, among others. In particular, the continued spread and/or resurgence of the coronavirus globally could result in a widespread health crisis and/or change in consumer behavior that could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets, resulting in an economic downturn, and could also adversely impact our operations, including, without limitation, our manufacturing and supply chain, sales and product development operations, particularly our prospective sales if the Semiconductor and SiC/LED business segments we seek to serve suffer long-term damage.  Such an economic downturn could have an adverse impact on the successful and timely implementation of our strategic growth plan and on our business, financial condition results of operations.

We are similarly unable to predict the extent to which the pandemic impacts our customers, suppliers and other partners and their financial conditions, but adverse effects on these parties could also adversely affect us.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows or obtain access to external financing necessary to fund existing operations and planned expansions.

Cash flows may be insufficient to provide adequate working capital in the future and we may require additional financing for further implementation of our growth plans. There is no assurance that any additional financing will be available if and when required, or, even if available, that it would not materially dilute the ownership percentage of our then existing shareholders, result in increased expenses or result in covenants or special rights that would restrict our operations.

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We may not be able to manage our business successfully through severe business cycles.

We may be unable to successfully expand or contract our business to meet fluctuating demands. Market fluctuations place significant strain on our management, personnel, systems and resources. To successfully manage our growth through such market fluctuations, we believe we must effectively:

We may encounter difficulties in effectively managing the budgeting, forecasting and other process control issues presented by rapidly changing business cycles. If we are unable to manage these cycles effectively, we may not be able to take advantage of market opportunities, develop new technologies and other products, satisfy customer requirements, execute our business plan or respond to competitive pressures.

Acquisitions can result in an increase in our operating costs, divert management’s attention away from other operational matters and expose us to other risks.

We continually evaluate potential acquisitions and consider acquisitions an important part of our future growth strategy, including, in particular, in connection with our new focus on our silicon carbide business segment. In the past, we have made acquisitions of, or significant investments in, other businesses with synergistic products, services and technologies and plan to continue to do so in the future. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including, but not limited to:

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No assurance can be given that we will be able to successfully complete future strategic acquisitions if we cannot reach agreement on acceptable terms or for other reasons.  We may have to incur debt, issue equity securities or a combination of the foregoing to pay for any future acquisitions, the issuance of which could involve the imposition of restrictive covenants or be dilutive to our existing shareholders.

Our reliance on sales to a few major customers, often on credit terms, places us at financial risk.

We currently sell to a relatively small number of customers and expect to do so for the foreseeable future.  Therefore, our operating results depend on the ability of these customers to sell products that require our equipment in their manufacture. Many of our customer relationships have developed over a short period of time and certain ones are in the early stages of development. The loss of sales to any of these customers would have a significant negative impact on our business. Additionally, our customers may cancel their agreements with us if we fail to meet certain product specifications, materially breach agreements or encounter insolvency or bankruptcy.  They also may seek to renegotiate the terms of current agreements or renewals. We cannot be certain our existing customers will generate significant revenue for us in the future or that these new customer relationships will continue to develop. If we are unable to expand our customer base, we may not be able to maintain or increase our revenue.  

In addition to having a relatively limited number of customers, we manufacture a limited number of products for each of our customers. If we lose any of our largest customers (as we have in the past from time to time), experience a significant reduction in sales to any such customers or no longer manufacture a particular product line for one of our largest customers, we would experience a significant reduction in our revenue.

As of September 30, 2020, two Semiconductor customers individually represented 11% and 10% of our accounts receivable.  As of September 30, 2019, one Semiconductor customer individually represented 15% of our accounts receivable. A concentration of our receivables from one or a small number of customers places us at risk. In such a scenario, a significant change in the liquidity or financial position of any of our customers that purchase large systems could have a material impact on the collectability of our accounts receivable and our future operating results. We attempt to manage this credit risk by requiring significant partial payments prior to shipment, where appropriate, and by actively monitoring collections. We also require letters of credit from certain customers depending on the size of the order, type of customer or its creditworthiness and its country of domicile. Our major

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customers may seek and, on occasion, may receive pricing, payment or other commercial terms that are less favorable to us than the current terms we customarily obtain.  If any one or more of our major customers were to seek to re-negotiate their agreements on more favorable terms, or not pay us or continue business with us, it could adversely affect our business, financial position and results of operations.

Our customers could cancel or fail to accept a large system order.

Our backlog includes orders for large systems, such as our diffusion furnaces, with system prices of up to and in excess of $1.0 million, depending on the system configuration, options and any special requirements of the customer.  Some orders include multiple systems.  Because our orders are typically subject to cancellation or delay by the customer, our backlog at any particular point in time is not necessarily representative of actual sales for succeeding periods, nor is backlog any assurance that we will realize revenue or profit from completing these orders. Our financial position and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected should any large systems order be canceled prior to shipment or not be accepted by the customer. Cancellations may result in inventory that we may not be able to sell or reuse if those products have been tailored for a specific customer’s requirements and cannot then be sold without significant incremental cost. We have experienced cancellations in the past. We cannot provide any assurance that we will realize revenue or profit from our backlog.

Manufacturing interruptions or delays could affect our ability to meet customer demand and lead to higher costs.

Our business depends on timely supply of equipment, services and related products that meet the rapidly changing technical and volume requirements of our customers. Some key parts to our products are subject to long lead times and/or are obtainable only from a single supplier or limited group of suppliers. Cyclical industry conditions and the volatility of demand for manufacturing equipment increase capital, technical, operational and other risks for us and for companies throughout our supply chain. Further, these conditions may cause some suppliers to scale back operations, exit businesses, merge with other companies, file for bankruptcy protection or possibly cease operations. We also may experience significant interruptions of our manufacturing operations, delays in our ability to deliver products or services, increased costs or customer order cancellations as a result of any of the following:

Because we depend on revenue from international customers, our business may be adversely affected by changes in the economies and policies of the countries or regions in which we do business.

In 2019, 59% of our net revenue came from customers outside of North America. In 2020, 65% of our net revenue came from customers outside of North America as follows:

Each geographic region in the markets in which we operate exhibits unique characteristics that can cause capital equipment investment patterns to vary significantly from period to period. Our business and results of operations could be negatively affected by periodic local or international economic downturns, trade balance issues

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and political, social and military instability in countries such as China, India, South Korea, Taiwan and possibly elsewhere.  In addition, we face competition from a number of suppliers based in Asia that have certain advantages over suppliers from outside of Asia.  These advantages include lower operating, shipping and regulatory costs, proximity to customers, favorable tariffs and other government policies that favor local suppliers.  Additionally, the marketing and sale of our products to international markets expose us to a number of risks, including the following:

Our business may be adversely affected by significant exchange rate fluctuations.

Though our business has not been materially affected in the past by currency fluctuations, there is a risk that it may be materially adversely affected in the future. Such risk includes possible losses due to currency exchange rate fluctuations, future prohibitions against repatriation of earnings, or proceeds from disposition of investments.

We are exposed to risks associated with an uncertain global economy.

Uncertain global economic conditions and slowing growth in China, Europe and the United States, along with difficulties in the financial markets, national debt concerns and government austerity measures in certain regions, pose challenges to the industries in which we operate. Related factors, including unemployment, inflation and fuel prices, exacerbate negative trends in business and consumer spending and may cause our customers to delay, cancel, or refrain from placing orders for equipment or services.  These actions may, in turn, reduce our net sales, reduce backlog, and negatively affect our ability to convert backlog to sales. Uncertain market conditions, difficulties in obtaining capital, or reduced profitability also may cause some customers to scale back operations, exit businesses, merge with other manufacturers, or file for bankruptcy protection and potentially cease operations, which can result in lower sales and/or additional inventory or bad debt expense for us. These conditions may similarly affect key suppliers, impairing their ability to deliver parts and potentially causing delays or added costs for delivery of our products. In addition, these conditions may lead to strategic alliances by, or consolidation of, other equipment manufacturers, which could adversely affect our ability to compete effectively. Uncertainty about future economic and industry conditions also makes it more challenging for us to forecast our operating results, make business decisions, and identify and prioritize the risks that may affect our businesses, sources and uses of cash, financial condition and results of operations. We may be required to implement additional cost reduction efforts, including

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restructuring activities, and/or modify our business model, which may adversely affect our ability to capitalize on opportunities in a market recovery. If we do not timely and appropriately adapt to changes resulting from these uncertain macroeconomic environment and industry conditions, or to difficulties in the financial markets, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Our inability to attract, train and retain effective employees and management could harm our business.

Our success depends upon the continued contributions of our executive officers and certain other employees, many of whom have many years of experience with us and would be extremely difficult to replace. We must also attract and retain experienced and highly skilled engineering, sales and marketing and managerial personnel. Competition for qualified personnel is intense in our industry, and we may not be successful in hiring and retaining these people. If we lost the services of our executive officers or our other highly qualified and experienced employees or cannot attract and retain other qualified personnel, our business could suffer through less effective management due to loss of accumulated knowledge of our business or through less successful products due to a reduced ability to design, manufacture and market our products.

If we fail to maintain optimal inventory levels, our inventory obsolescence costs could increase, our liquidity could be significantly reduced or our revenue could decrease.

While we must maintain sufficient inventory levels to operate our business successfully and meet our customers’ demands, accumulating excess inventory may have a significant unfavorable impact on our operating results and financial condition. Changing customer demands, supplier lead times and uncertainty surrounding new product launches expose us to risks associated with excess inventory or shortages. Our products are manufactured using a wide variety of purchased parts and raw materials and we must maintain sufficient inventory levels to meet the demand for the products we sell, which can change rapidly and unexpectedly. During peak years of our business, increases in demand for capital equipment result in longer lead times for many important system components. Future increases in demand could cause delays in meeting shipments to our customers. Because of the variability and uniqueness of customer orders, we try to avoid maintaining an extensive inventory of materials for manufacturing. However, long lead times for important system components during industry upturns sometimes require us to carry higher levels of inventory and make larger purchase commitments than we otherwise would make. We may be unable to sell sufficient quantities of products in the event that market demand changes, resulting in increased risk of excess inventory that could lead to obsolescence or reduced liquidity as we fulfill our purchase commitments. On the other hand, if we do not have a sufficient inventory of a product to fulfill customer orders, we may lose orders or customers, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot assure that we can accurately predict market demand and events to avoid inventory shortages or inventories and purchase commitments in excess of our current requirements.

Supplier capacity constraints, supplier production disruptions, supplier quality issues or price increases could increase our operating costs and adversely impact the competitive positions of our products.

We use numerous materials suppliers covering a wide range of materials and services in the production of our products including custom electronic and mechanical components.  Key vendors include suppliers of controllers, quartz and silicon carbide for our diffusion systems, two steel mills capable of producing the types of steel to the tolerances needed for our wafer carriers, an injection molder that molds plastic inserts into our steel carriers, an adhesive manufacturer that supplies the critical glue and a pad supplier that produces a unique material used in the manufacture of our polishing templates. We also rely on third parties for certain machined parts, steel frames and metal panels and other components used particularly in the assembly of our production equipment.  Although we strive to ensure that parts are available from multiple suppliers, we procure some key parts from a single supplier or a limited number of suppliers.  Thus, at times, certain parts may not be available in sufficient quantities, or on a timely and cost-efficient basis, to adequately meet our needs and the needs of our customers.

Further, because the selling price of some of our systems exceeds $1.0 million, the delay in the shipment of even a single system could cause significant variations in our quarterly revenue. In the event of supplier capacity constraints, production disruptions, or failure to meet our requirements concerning quality, cost or performance factors, we may transfer our business to alternative sourcing which could lead to further delays, additional costs or other difficulties. If, in the future, we do not receive, in a timely and cost-effective manner, a sufficient quantity and

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quality of parts to meet our production requirements, our financial position and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We might fail to develop adequate internal organizational structures, internal controls and risk monitoring and management systems for an organization of our scale.

Our business and operations have expanded rapidly through organic growth and acquisitions, as well as successfully managed frequent cyclical contractions. These periods of growth and contraction require the diversion of significant management resources to develop and implement adequate structures for internal organization and information flow, an effective internal control environment, risk monitoring and management systems in line with the scale of our organization, and the hiring and integration of qualified employees into our organization. In addition, disclosure and other ongoing obligations associated with being a public company further increase the challenges to our finance, legal and accounting teams. Furthermore, if we fail to continue to develop and implement appropriate structures for internal organization and information flow, an effective internal control environment and a risk monitoring and management system, we may not be able to identify unfavorable business trends, administrative oversights or other risks that could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Unsatisfactory performance of, or defects in, our products may cause us to incur additional warranty expenses, damage our reputation and cause our sales to decline.

As of September 30, 2020 and 2019, our accrued warranty costs at our continuing operations amounted to $0.4 million and $0.6 million, respectively. Our assumptions regarding the durability and reliability of our products may not be accurate, and because our products have relatively long warranty periods, we cannot assure you that the amount of accrued warranty by us for our products will be adequate in light of the actual performance of our products. If we experience a significant increase in warranty claims, we may incur significant repair and replacement costs associated with such claims. Furthermore, widespread product underperformances or failures will damage our reputation and customer relationships and may cause our sales to decline, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may incur impairment charges to goodwill or long-lived assets.

We have acquired, and may acquire in the future, goodwill and other long-lived intangible assets. Goodwill and purchased intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are not amortized, but are reviewed for impairment at least annually, typically during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year, and more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. The review compares the fair value for each of our reporting units to its associated carrying value, including goodwill. Factors that could lead to impairment of goodwill and intangible assets include adverse industry or economic trends, reduced estimates of future cash flows, declines in the market price of our common stock, changes in our strategies or product portfolio, and restructuring activities. Our valuation methodology for assessing impairment requires management to make judgments and assumptions based on historical experience and projections of future operating performance. As is the case with our impairment charge in fiscal 2018, we may again be required to record a charge to earnings during the period in which an impairment of goodwill or amortizable intangible assets is determined to exist, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

Our income taxes are subject to variables beyond our control.

Our net income and cash flow may be adversely affected by conditions affecting income taxes which are outside our control. Examples of the potential uncontrollable circumstances that could affect our tax rate are as follows:

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Our officers, directors and largest shareholders could choose to act in their best interests and not necessarily those of our other shareholders.

Our directors, executive officers and holders of five percent or more of our outstanding common stock and their affiliates represent a significant portion of our common stock held as of September 30, 2020, and, therefore, have significant influence over our management and corporate policies. These shareholders have significant influence over all matters submitted to our shareholders, including the election of our directors and approval of business combinations, and could potentially initiate or delay, deter or prevent a change of control. Circumstances may occur in which the interests of these shareholders may conflict with the interests of Amtech or those of our other shareholders, and these shareholders may cause us to take actions that align with their interests. Should conflicts of interest arise, we can provide no assurance that these shareholders would act in the best interests of our other shareholders or that any conflicts of interest would be resolved in a manner favorable to our other shareholders. In addition, involvement of certain activist shareholders may impact our ability to recruit and retain talent or otherwise distract management or make decisions that we believe are in the long-term interest of all shareholders.

Information security breaches or failures of our information technology systems may have a negative impact on our operations and our reputation.

We may be subject to information security breaches or failures of our information technology systems caused by advanced persistent threats, unauthorized access, sabotage, vandalism, terrorism or accident. Compromises and failure to our information technology networks and systems could result in unauthorized release of our confidential or proprietary information, or that of our customers and suppliers, as well as employee personal data. The costs to protect against or alleviate breaches and systems failures require significant human and financial capital expenditures, which in turn could potentially disrupt our continuing operations, increase our liability as a result of compromises to personally identifiable information, and may lead to a material and adverse effect on our financial reporting, reputation and business.

Natural disasters, outbreaks of infectious diseases, terrorist attacks, wars and threats of war may negatively impact our operations, revenue, costs and stock price.

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, severe weather conditions, outbreaks of infectious diseases in addition to COVID-19 or other catastrophic events may severely affect our operations or those of our suppliers and customers.  Such catastrophic events may have a material adverse effect on our business.

Acts of terrorism, as well as events occurring in response or connection to them, including potential future terrorist attacks, rumors or threats of war, actual military conflicts or trade disruptions impacting our domestic or foreign customers or suppliers, may negatively impact our operations by causing, among other things, delays or losses in the delivery of supplies or finished goods and decreased sales of our products. More generally, any of these events could cause consumer confidence and spending to decrease and/or result in increased volatility in the worldwide financial markets and economy. They also could result in economic recession either globally or in the markets in which we operate. Any of these occurrences could have a significant adverse impact on our business, financial position and results of operations.

Risks Related to Regulations and Litigation

Our business may be adversely affected by changes in or failure to comply with foreign and domestic laws.

The operations of our companies are subject to numerous foreign and domestic regulatory regimes, including taxation policies, governance and audit requirements, employment and labor laws, transportation regulations, import and export regulations and tariffs, possible foreign exchange restrictions and international monetary fluctuations.

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Our policies, procedures and internal controls are designed to help us comply with all applicable foreign and domestic laws, accounting and reporting requirements, regulations and tax requirements.  We could be subject to legal or regulatory action in the event of our failure to comply with any of the foregoing requirements, which could be expensive to defend and resolve and be disruptive to our business.  Any changes in regulations, the imposition of additional regulations or the enactment of any new legislation that affects us may increase the complexity of the legal and regulatory environment in which we operate and the related costs of compliance.

We are subject to U.S. and certain non-U.S. anti-corruption/anti-bribery, export and import controls, sanctions, embargoes, anti-money laundering, anti-terrorist financing, and other similar laws and regulations. Compliance with these legal standards could impair our ability to compete in domestic and international markets. We can face criminal liability and other serious consequences for violations of these laws and regulations which can harm our business.

We are a U.S.-based multinational company with extensive operations, including manufacturing joint ventures, in Asia and elsewhere. We operate in several high-risk jurisdictions, including, but not limited to China. Various U.S. and certain non-U.S. anti-corruption/anti-bribery and other international trade laws and regulations apply to our company entities and businesses. These laws and regulations may include, among others, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, the U.S. Travel Act, the U.S. Domestic Bribery Statute contained in 18 U.S.C. §201, the Money Laundering Control Act (1986), the USA PATRIOT Act, the United States Export Administration Act of 1979, the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (15 C.F.R. §§730 et seq.), U.S. sanctions contained in 31 C.F.R. Parts 500-599, the United States International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the United States Trading with the Enemy Act, the International Boycott Provisions of Section 999 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the UK Bribery Act 2010, the UK Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, and certain other anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-kickback, anti-fraud, anti-money laundering, anti-terrorist financing, anti-narcotics, anti-boycott, export control, sanctions, embargo, import control, customs, tax, insider trading, insurance, banking, false claims, anti-racketeering, and other laws, regulations, decrees, government or executive orders, or judicial or administrative decisions or determinations to the extent applicable.

The above-mentioned laws and regulations are interpreted very broadly and will impact and raise legal compliance risks for our business in the various jurisdictions where we operate. Violations of the above-mentioned laws and regulations may result in substantial civil and criminal fines and penalties, imprisonment, the loss of export or import privileges, debarment, tax reassessments, breach of contract and fraud litigation, reputational harm, and other consequences.

Anti-corruption/anti-bribery and the other laws and regulations mentioned above are actively enforced by U.S. and other governments agencies. Among various matters, anti-corruption/anti-bribery laws prohibit our companies, subsidiaries, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, vendors, and other business partners from authorizing, promising, offering, providing, soliciting, or accepting directly or indirectly, improper payments or anything else of value to or from recipients in the public or private sector. We may engage vendors and third-party business partners to sell our products or services and/or to obtain necessary permits, licenses, patent registrations, and other regulatory approvals.  We have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or government-affiliated organizations. These factors raise our anti-corruption/anti-bribery risk exposure. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of our employees, agents, contractors, vendors, and other business partners, even if we do not explicitly authorize or have actual knowledge of such activities.  The application of these laws to us also may place us at a competitive disadvantage to foreign companies that are not subject to similar regulations.

The United States could withdraw from or materially modify certain international trade agreements, or change tariff, trade, or tax provisions related to the global manufacturing and sales of our products in ways that we currently cannot predict.

A portion of our business activities are conducted in foreign countries, including China, Malaysia and Taiwan. Our business benefits from free trade agreements, and we also rely on various U.S. corporate tax provisions related to international commerce as we build, market and sell our products globally. The current U.S. presidential administration, with support of some members in Congress, has announced trade policy changes, including an intention to impose new tariffs on imported goods, which have created significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and other countries with respect to trade, treaties and tariffs. For example, on

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June 15, 2018, the Office of the USTR published a list of products covering 818 separate U.S. tariff lines valued at approximately $34 billion in 2018 trade values, imposing an additional duty of 25% on the listed product lines. The list generally focuses on products from industrial sectors that contribute to or benefit from the “Made in China 2025” industrial policy, which include industries such as aerospace, information and communications technology, robotics, industrial machinery, new materials, and automobiles. The USTR also announced a second set of 284 proposed tariff lines, which cover approximately $16 billion worth of imports from China, which will undergo further review in a public notice and comment process, including a public hearing. After completion of this process, USTR stated that it will issue a final determination on the products from this list that would be subject to the additional duties. We are continuing to evaluate the impact of the announced and other proposed tariffs on products that we import from China, and we may experience a material increase in the cost of our products, which may result in our products becoming less attractive relative to products offered by our competitors.

These developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, may have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets, and may significantly reduce global trade and, in particular, trade between the impacted nations and the United States. Any of these factors, or any changes to U.S. corporate tax policies related to international commerce, could depress economic activity and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to environmental regulations, and our inability or failure to comply with these regulations could result in significant costs or the suspension of our ability to operate portions of our business.

We are subject to environmental regulations in connection with our business operations, including regulations related to manufacturing and our customers’ use of our products. From time to time, we receive notices regarding these regulations. It is our policy to respond promptly to these notices and to take any necessary corrective action. Our failure or inability to comply with existing or future environmental regulations could result in significant remediation liabilities, the imposition of fines and/or the suspension or termination of development, manufacturing or use of certain of our products or facilities, each of which could damage our financial position and results of operations.

We face the risk of product liability claims or other litigation, which could be expensive and may divert management’s attention from running our business.

Amtech and our subsidiaries are defendants from time to time in actions for matters arising out of our business operations. The manufacture and sale of our products, which, in our customers’ operations, involve toxic materials and robotic machinery, involve the risk of product liability claims. In addition, a failure of one of our products at a customer site could interrupt the business operations of our customer. Our existing insurance coverage limits may not be adequate to protect us from all liabilities that we might incur in connection with the manufacture and sale of our products if a successful product liability claim or series of product liability claims were brought against us.

We also may be involved in other legal proceedings or claims and experience threats of legal action from time to time in the ordinary course of our business.  For example, securities class action litigation is often brought against companies following periods of volatility in the market price of its securities or in connection with strategic transactions.  We may in the future be the target of securities litigation due to volatility in the market price of our common stock or for other reasons.  Any securities litigation could result in substantial costs and could divert the attention and resources of our management.

Where appropriate, we intend to vigorously defend all claims. However, any actual or threatened claims, even if not meritorious or material, could result in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources. The continued defense of these claims and other types of lawsuits could divert management’s attention away from running our business. In addition, required amounts to be paid in settlement of any claims, and the legal fees and other costs associated with their defense or also settlement, cannot be estimated and could, individually or in the aggregate, materially harm our financial condition.  We may also experience higher than expected warranty claims.

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Risks Related to Our Research and Development and Intellectual Property Activities

We may not be able to keep pace with the rapid change in the technology needed to meet customer requirements.

Success in the semiconductor equipment industry depends, in part, on continual improvement of existing technologies and rapid innovation of new solutions. For example, the semiconductor industry continues to shrink the size of semiconductor devices. This and other evolving customer needs require us to continually respond with new product developments.

Technical innovations are inherently complex and require long development cycles and appropriate professional staffing. Our future business success depends on our ability to develop and introduce new products, or new uses for existing products, that successfully address changing customer needs and win market acceptance.  We also must manufacture these new products in a timely and cost-effective manner.  To realize future growth through technical innovations in the semiconductor industry, we must acquire the technology through product development, merger and acquisition activity or through the licensing of products from our technology partners.  Potential disruptive technologies could have a material adverse effect on our business if we do not successfully develop and introduce new products, technologies or uses for existing products in a timely manner and continually find ways of reducing the cost to produce them in response to changing market conditions or customer requirements.

Our research and development investments may not result in timely new products that can be sold at favorable prices and obtain market acceptance.

The rapid change in technology in our industry requires that we continue to make investments in research and development in order to enhance the performance, functionality and cost of ownership of our products to keep pace with competitors’ products and to satisfy customer demands for improved performance, features and functionality. We cannot provide assurance that revenue from future products or enhancements will be sufficient to recover the development costs associated with such products or enhancements, or that we will be able to secure the financial resources necessary to fund future development. Research and development costs are typically incurred before we confirm the technical feasibility and commercial viability of a product, and not all development activities result in commercially viable products. We cannot assure that products or enhancements will receive market acceptance, or that we will be able to sell these products at prices that are favorable to us, or at all. In addition, from time to time we receive funding from government agencies for certain strategic development programs to increase our research and development resources and address new market opportunities. As a condition to this government funding, we may be subject to certain record-keeping, audit, intellectual property rights-sharing and/or other obligations. If we do not successfully manage our investments in research and development, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Third parties may violate our proprietary rights, in which we have made significant investments, resulting in a loss of value of some of our intellectual property or costly litigation.

Our success is dependent in part on our technology and other proprietary rights. We own various United States and international patents and have additional pending patent applications relating to some of our products and technologies. Protecting and defending our patents domestically, and especially internationally, is costly.  In addition, the process of seeking patent protection is lengthy and expensive.  Therefore, we cannot be certain that pending or future applications will result in issued patents, or that issued patents will be of sufficient scope or strength to provide meaningful protection or commercial advantage to us. Other companies and individuals, including our larger competitors, may develop technologies that are similar or superior to our technology or design around the patents we own or license. In addition, the patent for the technology that we license and use in our manufacture of insert carriers has expired, which, along with the other risks related to our patents described above, may have the effect of diminishing or eliminating any competitive advantage we may have with respect to our manufacturing process.

We also maintain trademarks on certain of our products and claim copyright protection for certain proprietary software and documentation.  We can give no assurance, however, that our trademarks and copyrights will be upheld or will successfully deter infringement by third parties.

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We attempt to protect our trade secrets and other proprietary information through confidentiality agreements with our customers, suppliers, employees and consultants and through other security measures. We also maintain exclusive and non-exclusive licenses with third parties for the technology used in certain products. However, these employees, consultants and third parties may breach these agreements, and we may not have adequate remedies for wrongdoing. In addition, the laws of certain territories, such as China, in which we develop, manufacture or sell our products may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States.

We may face intellectual property infringement claims that could be time-consuming and costly to defend and could result in our loss of significant rights and the assessment of treble damages.

From time to time, we have received communications from other parties asserting the existence of patent rights or other intellectual property rights that they believe cover certain of our products, processes, technologies or information. Some of these claims may lead to litigation. We cannot assure that we will prevail in these actions, or that other actions alleging misappropriation or misuse by us of third-party trade secrets, infringement by us of third-party patents and trademarks or the validity of our patents, will not be asserted or prosecuted against us. If there is a successful claim of infringement against us, we may be required to pay substantial damages (including treble damages if we were to be found to have willfully infringed a third party’s patent) to the party claiming infringement, incur costs to develop non-infringing technology, stop selling or using technology that contains the allegedly infringing intellectual property, or enter into royalty or license agreements that may not be available on acceptable or commercially practical terms, if at all. Intellectual property litigation, regardless of outcome, is expensive and time-consuming, and could divert management’s attention from our business.  Our failure to successfully defend against infringement claims, or to develop non-infringing technologies or license the proprietary rights on a timely basis, could have a material negative effect on our business, operating results or financial condition.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

Our results of operations are difficult to predict, and, we have experienced, and may continue to experience, significant volatility in our stock price as a result.

A variety of factors may cause the price of our stock to be volatile.  For example, our results of operations are difficult to predict and have fluctuated from time to time in the past. We expect that our results of operations may continue to fluctuate from time to time in the future. It is possible that our results of operations in some reporting periods will be below market expectations. If our results of operations for a particular reporting period are lower than the market expectations for such reporting period, investors may react negatively and, as a result, the price of our stock may materially decline.

Furthermore, the stock market in general, and the market for shares of high-technology companies in particular, including ours, have experienced extreme price fluctuations, which have often been unrelated to the operating performance of affected companies. During the two-year period ended September 30, 2020, the price of our common stock has ranged from $7.96 to $3.55. The price of our stock may be more volatile than the stock of other companies due to, among other factors, the unpredictable, volatile and seasonal nature of the industries in which we operate, our significant customer concentration, intense competition, our fluctuating backlog and our relatively low daily stock trading volume.  As a result, the market price of our common stock is likely to continue to fluctuate significantly in the future, including fluctuations related and unrelated to our performance.

Shareholder activists could cause a disruption to our business.

An activist investor may indicate disagreement with our strategic direction or capital allocation policies and may seek representation on our Board of Directors. Our business, operating results or financial condition could be adversely affected and may result in, among other things:

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Future sales of our common stock by us or our existing shareholders could depress the market price of our common stock.

If we or our existing shareholders sell a large number of shares of our common stock, the market price of our common stock could decline significantly. Further, even the perception in the public market that we or our existing shareholders might sell shares of common stock could depress the market price of the common stock.

If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if they downgrade our stock, the price of our stock could decline.

The trading market for our shares of common stock could rely in part on the research and reporting that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business. We do not control these analysts. Furthermore, if one or more of the analysts who do cover us downgrades our stock, the price of our stock could decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our stock price to decline.

ITEM 1B.  UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

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ITEM 2.  PROPERTIES

We believe that our properties are adequate for our current needs. In addition, we believe that adequate space can be obtained to meet our foreseeable business needs. The following chart identifies the principal properties which we own or lease.

Our building in North Billerica, Massachusetts secures a mortgage note with a remaining balance of $5.2 million as of September 30, 2020 and a maturity date of September 26, 2023. The debt was refinanced in September 2016 with an interest rate of 4.11% through September 26, 2021, at which time the interest rate will be adjusted to a per annum fixed rate equal to the aggregate of the Federal Home Loan Board Five Year Classic Advance Rate plus two hundred forty basis points.

ITEM 3.  LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Amtech and its subsidiaries are defendants from time to time in actions for matters arising out of their business operations. We do not believe that any matters or proceedings presently pending will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

ITEM 4.  MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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PART II

ITEM 5.  MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

MARKET INFORMATION

Our common stock, par value $0.01 per share (Common Stock), is trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, under the symbol “ASYS.”

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Share Repurchase Program

On February 4, 2020, the Board approved a new stock repurchase program, pursuant to which we may repurchase up to $4 million of our outstanding Common Stock over a one-year period, commencing on February 10, 2020. Repurchases under the program will be made in open market transactions at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions, or by other means in compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC; however, we have no obligation to repurchase shares and the timing, actual number, and value of shares to be repurchased is subject to management’s discretion and will depend on our stock price and other market conditions. We may, in the sole discretion of the Board, terminate the repurchase program at any time while it is in effect. Repurchased shares may be retired or kept in treasury for further issuance. During the year ended September 30, 2020, we repurchased 366,000 shares of our Common Stock on the open market at a total cost of approximately $2.0 million (an average price of $5.46 per share). All shares repurchased during the year ended September 30, 2020 have been retired. Approximately $2 million remain under the repurchase program as of September 30, 2020.

During the three months ended September 30, 2020, we did not repurchase any of our equity securities nor did we sell any equity securities that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

HOLDERS

As of November 13, 2020, there were 374 shareholders of record of our Common Stock. Based upon a recent survey of brokers, we estimate there were approximately an additional 5,124 beneficial shareholders who held shares in brokerage or other investment accounts as of that date.

DIVIDENDS

We have never paid dividends on our Common Stock. Our present policy is to apply cash to investment in product development, acquisition or expansion; consequently, we do not expect to pay dividends on Common Stock in the foreseeable future.

UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

There were no unregistered sales of equity securities in fiscal 2020.

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COMPARISON OF STOCK PERFORMANCE

The following line graph and related information shall not be deemed “soliciting material” or “filed” with the SEC, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filings under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Exchange Act, each as amended, except to the extent that we specifically incorporated by reference it into such filing.

The following line graph compares cumulative total shareholder return, assuming reinvestment of dividends, for our Common Stock, the NASDAQ Composite Index and the NASDAQ Industrial Index. Because we did not pay dividends on our Common Stock during the measurement period, the calculation of the cumulative total shareholder return on our Common Stock did not include dividends. The following graph assumes that $100 was invested on October 1, 2015.

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ITEM 6.  SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The selected financial data presented below should be read in conjunction with Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and our consolidated financial statements (including the related notes thereto) contained elsewhere in this report.  The selected financial data in the table below excludes results from our discontinued operations.

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ITEM 7.  MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors including, but not limited to, those described in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Please refer to page 5 for further information regarding forward-looking statements and “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for a description of our risk factors.

Overview

We are a leading, global manufacturer of capital equipment, including thermal processing and wafer polishing and related consumables used in fabricating semiconductor devices, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon power devices, analog and discrete devices, electronic assemblies and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). We sell these products to semiconductor device and module manufacturers worldwide, particularly in Asia, North America and Europe.  

We operate in two reportable business segments, based primarily on the industry they serve: (i) Semiconductor and (ii) SiC/LED. In our Semiconductor segment, we supply thermal processing equipment, including solder reflow ovens, diffusion furnaces, and customer high-temp belt furnaces for use by semiconductor and electronics assembly manufacturers. In our SiC/LED segment, we produce substrate consumables and machinery for lapping (fine abrading) and polishing of materials, such as silicon wafers for semiconductor products, sapphire wafers for LED applications, and compound substrates, like silicon carbide wafers, for power device applications.

Our semiconductor customers are primarily manufacturers of integrated circuits and optoelectronic sensors and discrete (O-S-D) components used in analog, power and radio frequency (RF). The semiconductor industry is cyclical and historically has experienced fluctuations. Our revenue is impacted by these broad industry trends. Although semiconductor demand for our products may have reached its cyclical peak in our fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, we believe that continued technological advances and emerging industries, such as silicon carbide power devices, will sustain our long-term performance.

We continue to focus on our plans to profitably grow our business and have developed a strategic growth plan and a capital allocation plan that support our growth objectives. Our strategic growth plan calls for profitable growth as the semi industry recovers, with the following areas of focus:

We anticipate that the required investments to achieve our revenue growth targets will be in the range of $6.0 - $8.0 million in research and development and capital expenditures. We may also need to make investments in other

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areas of our business, such as management information systems and capacity expansions at other existing manufacturing facilities.  Additionally, as a capital equipment manufacturer, we will need working capital to support and fuel our future growth. We are and will continue to closely scrutinize these planned investments, in light of the COVID-19 challenges, and we may defer some of our projects. However, we intend to continue to invest in our business to support and fuel our future growth.

In addition to these investments in our organic growth, another key aspect of our capital allocation policy is our plan to grow through acquisitions. We have the expertise and track record to identify strong acquisition targets in the semi and SiC growth environment and to execute transactions and integrations to provide for accretive, profitable growth in both the short-term and long-term. As of the date of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we do not have an agreement to acquire any acquisition target.

COVID-19

On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared an outbreak of COVID-19.  In March 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and the outbreak has become increasingly widespread, including in all of the markets in which we operate. The COVID-19 outbreak has had a notable impact on general economic conditions, including but not limited to the temporary closures of many businesses; “shelter in place” and other governmental regulations; and reduced spending due to both job losses and other effects attributable to COVID-19. As noted below, as a key supplier to essential businesses, we have continued to supply our products and services to those businesses deemed essential businesses in the states in which we operate. However, our business is subject to the general health of the economy and federal and local guidelines and restrictions have significantly curtailed the level of economic activity in affected areas, which include the areas in which we conduct our business.  

As we continue to navigate the challenges presented by COVID-19, our first priority is the safety and well-being of our employees. We began experiencing challenges relating to the COVID-19 virus early-on in calendar year 2020 when our Shanghai facility remained closed beyond the normal Chinese New Year holiday. This facility reopened in early March and, in a safe and phased approach, we ramped up production while following the Chinese government’s requirements for personal protective equipment, cleaning of the facility, and social distancing, among other measures. As of the date of this Annual Report, our Shanghai production levels have returned to near-capacity. Additionally, we continue to closely monitor our supply chain and have increased our safety stock for certain key parts.

Our domestic manufacturing facilities are located in Billerica, Massachusetts and Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In early March, we began implementing work-from-home options for all of our U.S. office personnel, including our corporate staff in Tempe, Arizona. Later in March, the governors of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Arizona issued stay-at-home orders for employers that do not provide essential services. With the assistance of legal counsel, we determined that as key suppliers to essential businesses, we could stay open, however we balanced the right to stay open with the health and safety of our employees.  In Massachusetts, which had a high number of COVID-19 infections, we continued to work on a very limited basis and over time gradually increased factory personnel in a safe and phased approach.  As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, all domestic manufacturing facilities have returned to normal operations.

Although we do not yet know the full duration and extent the impact of COVID-19 will have on our operations, we currently expect the negative impact to be a temporary trend. We have implemented procedures to maximize our ability to continue to provide products and services to our customers and to mitigate the effect of the downturn on our results of operations, including minimizing costs where appropriate. There remain many unknowns and we continue to monitor the expected trends and related demand for our products and services and have and will continue to adjust our operations accordingly.  Please see additional information in “Item 1a. Risk Factors.”

Amtech is in a strong financial position with $45.1 million in cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2020 and $5.2 million of mortgage-related debt. In addition, while we did not utilize the Paycheck Protection Program loan provision of the CARES Act, we are pursuing other relief options available to us, such as deferring social security tax payments, payroll tax credits, and utilizing certain changes in tax loss carryback rules to receive refunds for prior tax years. We are reviewing and implementing actions to reduce cash outlays and expenses.  As a

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result of these efforts and our strong balance sheet, we believe we have enough cash to sustain us for at least the next twelve months. However, if the recovery takes longer than expected, we believe we have the ability to make additional adjustments as needed.

Solar and Automation Divestitures

On April 3, 2019, we announced that the Board determined that it was in the long-term best interest of the Company to exit the Solar business segment and to focus our strategic efforts on our semiconductor and silicon carbide/polishing business segments in order to more fully realize the opportunities we believe are presented in those areas. The divestiture included our Tempress and SoLayTec subsidiaries, which comprised substantially all of our Solar segment.

The Board made its decision after analyzing our past performance, current market conditions and the strategic outlook for our Solar segment, which operated in a highly competitive market among lower cost manufacturers, particularly in China. Historical fluctuations in the solar cell industry combined with downward pricing pressure had negatively affected the Company’s results of operations in recent years. This pricing pressure had contributed to the losses incurred by our Solar segment and overshadowed the revenue growth and profitability of our semiconductor and silicon carbide/polishing segments. As previously disclosed in our periodic reports, we had been pursuing strategic alternatives for the continued operations of the Solar segment. After further assessment, however (including input from management of the Solar segment and our professional advisors), the Board determined that the investment required to return our Solar business to profitability would be better utilized to pursue strategic opportunities in the Semiconductor and SiC/LED segments.

On June 7, 2019 (“Sale Date”), we completed the sale of SoLayTec to a third party located in the Netherlands. Upon the Sale Date, we recognized a gain of approximately $1.6 million, which we included in loss from discontinued operations reported in our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended September 30, 2019. Also, effective on the Sale Date, SoLayTec is longer included in our consolidated financial statements.

Effective January 22, 2020 (“Tempress Sale Date”), we completed the sale of Tempress for nominal consideration to a third party located in the Netherlands. In connection with this sale transaction, we provided an unsecured term loan to Tempress in the principal sum of $2.25 million, to be used to fund Tempress’ working capital requirements and to facilitate the restructuring of Tempress’ operations.  We forgave $0.5 million of the loan in accordance with the terms of the loan agreement.  The balance of the loan was paid in full during fiscal 2020.  We recorded a pre-tax loss on sale of approximately $10.9 million, of which approximately $7.2 million was the recognition of previously recorded accumulated foreign currency translation losses.  The total pre-tax loss did not have a material effect on our cash balances at our continuing operations.  We also recognized a significant tax benefit relating to this loss, which can be carried over to future years. Effective on the Tempress Sale Date, Tempress is no longer included in our consolidated financial statements.

The portion of our Solar segment not included in discontinued operations is our previously reported Automation division, R2D. R2D had historically sold automation products to both solar and semiconductor customers. On December 13, 2019 (“R2D Sale Date”), we finalized the sale of R2D to certain members of R2D’s management team.  Upon the sale, we recognized a loss of approximately $2.8 million, which we reported as loss on sale of subsidiary in our Consolidated Statements of Operations for year ended September 30, 2020.  Effective on the R2D Sale Date, R2D is no longer included in our consolidated financial statements.

Segment Reporting Changes

After announcing the planned divestiture of our Solar segment, we conducted an evaluation of our organizational structure. Beginning with the second quarter of fiscal 2019, we made changes to our reportable segments. With the divestiture of our Automation segment in the first quarter of fiscal 2020, we further evaluated our organization structure and concluded that we have two reportable business segments following the divestiture. Prior period amounts have been revised to conform to the current period segment reporting structure.

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Industry Fluctuations

Our quarterly and annual operating results have been and will continue to be impacted by the timing of large system orders.  Further, the semiconductor equipment industry is highly cyclical, and the conditions of this industry remain volatile.  Therefore, our order flow fluctuates quarter to quarter.  For additional information regarding the risks related to our business and industry, please refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors within this Form 10-K.

Fiscal Year

Our fiscal year is from October 1 to September 30. Unless otherwise stated, references to the years 2020, 2019 and 2018 relate to the fiscal years ended September 30, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Smaller Reporting Company

As a smaller reporting company, as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K, we are electing scaled disclosure reporting obligations for this Item, and, therefore, are providing a two-year comparison rather than a three-year comparison.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth certain financial data as a percentage of net revenue for the periods indicated:

Fiscal 2020 compared to Fiscal 2019

Net Revenue

Net revenue consists of revenue recognized upon shipment or installation of equipment, with the exception of products using new technology, for which revenue is recognized upon customer acceptance. Spare parts sales are recognized upon shipment and service revenue is recognized upon completion of the service activity, which is generally ratable over the term of the service contract. Since the majority of our revenue is generated from large system sales, revenue and operating income can be significantly impacted by the timing of system shipments and system acceptances.  See “Critical Accounting Policies – Revenue Recognition” included in the “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”.

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Our net revenue by operating segment for the years ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 were as follows (dollars in thousands):

Net revenue for the years ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 were $65.5 million and $85.0 million, respectively, a decrease of $19.6 million or 23%. Revenue from the Semiconductor segment decreased $11.9 million, or 18%.  Our semiconductor and SiC/LED revenues are dependent on our customers’ expansions, and our results have been negatively impacted by the uncertainty in the global economy due primarily to the impact of the COVID-19 virus, as well as lingering trade tensions between the U.S. and China. We believe the impact from the COVID-19 virus in both our China and U.S. operations are temporary trends, as we experienced a return to near-capacity in our China factory during the third fiscal quarter of 2020. However, we also believe that we will continue to experience some level of volatility in our bookings and shipments as various states and countries experience resurgences of the virus. Despite the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 virus, we believe there remains significant potential in the SiC industry and long-term growth in power semiconductor. Non-segment related revenues relate to R2D, the automation division that we divested in December 2019.

Backlog and Orders

For comparison purposes, we have removed the Automation segment, which was sold effective December 13, 2019, from the tables below.

Our backlog, including deferred revenue, as of September 30, 2020 and 2019 were as follows (dollars in thousands):

New orders booked in the years ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 were as follows (dollars in thousands):

At the end of 2020, two customers individually accounted for 20% and 11% of our total backlog. Four customers accounted for 50% of our backlog as of September 30, 2020. The orders included in our backlog are generally credit approved customer purchase orders believed to be firm and are generally expected to ship within the next twelve months. Because our orders are typically subject to cancellation or delay by the customer, our backlog at any particular point in time is not necessarily representative of actual sales for succeeding periods, nor is backlog any assurance that we will realize profit from completing these orders.

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Gross Profit and Gross Margin

Gross profit is the difference between net revenue and cost of goods sold. Cost of goods sold consists of purchased material, labor and overhead to manufacture equipment or spare parts and the cost of service and support to customers for installation, warranty and paid service calls. Gross margin is gross profit as a percent of net revenue.  Our gross profit and gross margin by operating segment for the years ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 were as follows (dollars in thousands):