ITEM 1.   BUSINESS.

Helix is a world leader in the development, manufacture, and application of innovative vacuum technology solutions for the semiconductor, data storage, and flat panel display markets. Our vacuum systems provide enabling technology for several key steps within the semiconductor manufacturing process, including ion implantation, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition and etching. Semiconductor manufacturers use our systems to create and maintain a vacuum environment, which is critical to their manufacturing processes. We are a leading provider of vacuum systems technology to the world's largest semiconductor capital equipment and semiconductor manufacturers, placing us at a critical point in their advanced technology manufacturing process. We have long-standing customer relationships with many semiconductor capital equipment manufacturers, including Applied Materials, Axcelis, Novellus, Unaxis, Varian Semiconductor and Veeco, as well as semiconductor manufacturers such as Agere, AMD, Atmel, Fuji tsu, Infineon, Intel, Motorola, NEC, Philips, Samsung, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and TSMC. Our products are also used in a broad range of industrial manufacturing applications and advanced research and development laboratories.

We also provide an extensive range of global support and vacuum system monitoring services that lower our end-users' total costs of ownership. We increase our customers' system uptime through rapid response to potential operating problems. We also develop and deliver enhancements to our customers' installed base of production tools. Our service offerings include our TrueBlue^SM Service Agreements, our GUTS^® (Guaranteed Up Time Support) customer response system and our GOLDLink^® (Global On-Line Diagnostics) support system, which provides a remote e-diagnostics solution that allows us to monitor, in real time, the vacuum system performance of our customers' production tools. Our GOLDLink capability has made us a leading total solution provider in the emerging market for Internet-based, proactive e-diagnostics for the semiconductor and semiconductor capital equipment industries.

Industry Overview

In recent years the semiconductor industry has experienced significant growth in both the volume and complexity of devices manufactured. The growth in the volume of semiconductors produced has been driven by the increased demand for products historically using semiconductors, including telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics, personal computers and wireless communication devices, the incorporation of semiconductors into new product areas ranging from automobiles to children's toys, the growth of the Internet, and the proliferation of applications in the data storage and data transfer industry. Furthermore, growing consumer demand for smaller, more sophisticated electronic products, such as mobile phones, laptop computers and wireless networking equipment, has increased the complexity of the semiconductors integrated into these products.

To meet these demands, semiconductor manufacturers have sought volume and efficiency improvements through increased equipment utilization, higher manufacturing yields, the addition of manufacturing equipment in existing facilities and the construction of new fabrication facilities. To achieve greater economies of production, the semiconductor industry is currently transitioning from building semiconductor wafers that are 200 millimeters in diameter to wafers that are 300 millimeters in diameter, with the goal of producing more chips per wafer, thus lowering the cost per chip. This transition to new 300-millimeter equipment is expected to continue over the next several years and represents one of the primary drivers of growth in the semiconductor capital equipment industry in the near term.

The production of advanced semiconductor chips is an extremely complex and logistically challenging manufacturing activity. To create integrated circuits, or semiconductor chips, a semiconductor manufacturer uses several sequential process steps including ion implantation; chemical vapor deposition and physical vapor deposition, which are referred to as CVD and PVD; and etching. Ion implantation equipment injects charged ions into the wafer to change a material's characteristics. CVD and PVD equipment is used to deposit materials onto the surface of the wafer. Etching equipment removes unwanted materials from the wafer. These steps, which comprise the initial fabrication of the integrated circuit and are referred to in the industry as front-end processes, are repeated many times to create the desired pattern on the silicon wafer. Following these front-end processes, the wafer is cut into individual devices, or chips, which then undergo additional assembly and testing steps.

Removing unwanted gases and other impurities is an integral aspect of several stages of the semiconductor fabrication process, particularly the deposition, ion implantation and etching stages. In order to achieve optimal production yields, semiconductor manufacturers must also ensure that each process operates at carefully controlled pressure levels. Impurities in the fabrication process or incorrect pressure levels can lower production yields, thereby significantly increasing the cost per usable semiconductor chip produced. To meet their manufacturing objectives, semiconductor manufacturers require high vacuum pumps to remove all potentially contaminating gases from the manufacturing process. In addition, in light of the importance of proper pressure measurement throughout the fabrication process, vacuum measurement systems that are capable of monitoring and maintaining appropriate pressure levels are critical to ensuring high product yields and preventing device defects.

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Helix Solution

We are a leading manufacturer of highly specialized vacuum pumping and measurement systems that meet the demanding process requirements of manufacturers in the semiconductor, data storage and flat panel display markets. We also provide original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, and end-users of our systems an extensive range of global support services, from vacuum systems design assistance to vacuum process performance monitoring. We believe our vacuum technology solutions increase productivity in the fabrication facility, thereby increasing the value of an OEM's production tool and increasing the device maker's return on investment. We also believe our leadership position in vacuum pumping and measurement systems stems from five key competitive advantages:

Comprehensive, Integrated Vacuum Solutions.  We combine our innovative vacuum pumping and measurement components with our proprietary On-Board^® diagnostic and control technology to provide comprehensive, high-performance vacuum solutions. Our On-Board technology is based upon a comprehensive control architecture that serves as a foundation for the development of highly integrated product offerings. We provide both the hardware and software elements that integrate process control, diagnostics and communication capabilities for all components within the vacuum system. This integration capability extends to vacuum system components manufactured by other suppliers and allows our products to interoperate with their products. Our integrated solutions directly address our end-users' concerns by increasing system uptime, lowering the total cost of ownership, and facilitating the move to remote e-diagnostics of critical enabling processes. We further leverage the information collected by our On-Board technology to provide enhanced customer support services and a range of information-based services.

Broad Customer Base.  We have long-standing customer relationships with both OEMs and end-users of semiconductor capital equipment. Over the last three years, an average of approximately 49% of our net sales have come directly from end-users. We believe our strong relationships with end-users provide us with a competitive advantage over many other suppliers to the semiconductor capital equipment industry. Our work with both OEMs and end-users provides us with unique insights into emerging technologies and applications. We understand our customers' specific needs, and we incorporate our insights into our innovative product offerings. Our balanced mix of OEM and end-user customers and status as a supplier to essentially all of the major front-end OEMs in our segment demonstrates our leading position in the industry.

Superior Global Customer Service and Support.  Continuous production tool operation is critical for our customers. We believe providing a high level of service and support gives us a competitive advantage and enhances our ability to build long-term customer relationships. We continue to build upon the solid relationships that have been established with our customers through the introduction of proactive TrueBlue Service Agreements. Helix TrueBlue Service Agreements allow our customers to realize the benefits of improved performance, increased productivity, ease of business transactions, and the application of knowledge in solving more of their problems. Our leading-edge technology and world-class customer support resources are leveraged as an integral part of our service and support capabilities. Through our GUTS rapid response offering, we provide our customers anywhere in the world access 24 hours a day to a trained Helix employee who can diagnose a problem and initiate a corrective action within one hour. GOLDLink allows us to help our customers monitor the operating performance of their manufacturing facilities and recommend preventative courses of action before problems occur. We have ten service and support offices around the world, and as of December 31, 2003, 174, or 31%, of our employees were dedicated to our global customer service and support activities.

World-Class, Responsive Manufacturing Operations.  We have established a fast cycle-time manufacturing process that provides us with the flexibility to meet the rapidly changing requirements of our customers. We have harnessed our significant manufacturing expertise and our long-standing supplier relationships to build a "just-in-time" manufacturing process that utilizes outsourced subassembly for certain components and allows us to better manage the cyclicality of our business. Our "just-in-time" process allows us to respond to our OEM customers' rapidly changing product needs and help them operate their manufacturing processes at peak efficiency levels.

Technological Leadership in Complex Vacuum Solutions.  Since our inception in 1967 we have participated in the vacuum technology industry and have applied this knowledge to the development of sophisticated vacuum systems for advanced technology applications, such as the building of integrated circuits. Our team of scientists, product development personnel, manufacturing specialists and hardware and software engineers are all focused on advancements in vacuum technology. Our customers recognize us as experts capable of assisting them in the design and selection of vacuum systems and components for their new product initiatives and fabrication facilities. As of December 31, 2003, we had 210 patents issued and 54 patents pending relating to the design and development of our products and systems.

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Products and Services

Vacuum Pumping Components and Systems

Our CTI-Cryogenics cryopumps and systems create an impurity-free vacuum environment for both the PVD and ion implantation markets. Our pumps offer customers rapid, customizable pump speeds, quick system pumpdown and impurity-free vacuum pumping processes without the use of fluids, lubricants or moving parts, ensuring high product yields and process throughputs. Our On-Board system enables central monitoring and control, either in-fab or at remote sites, of every significant function of both individual pumps and entire vacuum networks. We currently supply essentially all major front-end semiconductor capital equipment OEMs and semiconductor manufacturers.

We also provide waterpumps and turbopumps, under the TurboPlus^® line of products, to support the CVD and etch processes. Our waterpumps are high-performance vacuum pumps that optimize the performance of CVD and etch systems by increasing water vapor pumping speed by a factor of five or more, improving system throughput and providing better process results. TurboPlus Vacuum Pumps offer the process advantages of throughput pumping from the turbopump and the uptime benefits of high-speed water vapor pumping, integrated into a compact package with a single, easy-to-use interface.

Over the last three years, net sales of our CTI-Cryogenics products and related support services represented the majority of our consolidated net sales.

Vacuum Measurement Components and Systems

Our Granville-Phillips STABIL-ION^®, CONVECTRON^® and MICRO-ION^® vacuum measurement components and systems are used in the PVD, ion implantation, CVD, and etch processes. Our vacuum gauging products are also integrated into analytical instruments, primarily mass spectrometers. STABIL-ION, CONVECTRON and MICRO-ION systems are individually calibrated at numerous pressure values, resulting in a stable and accurate gauge that does not change calibration with time of use. This stable calibration is essential to starting the production process at the same true pressure on every production run. It also provides improved gauge-to-gauge reproducibility, which is essential for process replication.

Companies depend on our measurement systems to provide repeatable readings, ensuring that processes start at the desired pressure. Non-repeatable gauges can shift over time, causing two different effects:

Over the last three years, net sales of our Granville-Phillips products and related services represented between 18% and 20% of our net sales.

Global Support Services

To our customers, even a few minutes of production downtime is unacceptable. Given the magnitude of the investment in plant and equipment and the value of the work-in-process, which is expected to increase with the move to 300-millimeter production equipment, tool availability is a priority for our customers.

From the industry standard of GUTS to the pioneering e-Diagnostic implementation of GOLDLink support, we have continually demonstrated our commitment to serving our customer base with the most advanced, innovative tools available.

We introduced our GUTS rapid response system in 1986. Our GUTS rapid response system is broadly recognized for delivering superior responsiveness to problems whenever and wherever they may occur. Every call to our customer service center is answered by a capable, empowered Company employee who has the resources to diagnose a customer problem and initiate corrective action, including dispatching a technician or part to the customer in less than one hour.

While our GUTS rapid response system continues to be a leader in reactive customer support, the industry is moving toward enhanced service offerings that rely on proactive problem solving to boost customer productivity. Extended service agreements, which leverage

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Helix core competencies and rely on key technology and capabilities, such as Internet-based remote e-diagnostics, can further enhance production efficiency and throughput. With the introduction of TrueBlue Service Agreements we are well positioned to extend the benefits of e-diagnostics using our On-Board Information Network and our GOLDLink capability. Coupled with our On-Board technology, the GOLDLink network provides us with the ability to access performance data of key vacuum system components, including third-party products, right at the production tool. GOLDLink consists of three key components: hardware and software located on tools in the manufacturing facility, our customer support center and support engineers, and the networks connecting the tools and our support operations.

Our GOLDLink capability allows our customers to redirect their employees to focus on their core competencies by leveraging our vacuum technology and control core competencies. Our ability to detect performance anomalies before they cause a system failure minimizes our customers' risk of significant tool downtime and can result in increased plant productivity.

In the past few years, we received approximately 30% to 37% of our net sales from our global support services, including the delivery and installation of spare parts, retrofits and upgrades.

Customers

We market and sell our products and services primarily to large original equipment and end-user manufacturers of semiconductor, data storage, flat panel display, and other industrial applications. Net sales to OEMs represented 49%, 50%, and 53% of our net sales for 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively.

Semiconductor Customers

We sell our products and services primarily to semiconductor capital equipment manufacturers and end-users for incorporation into equipment used to make integrated circuits. Our products are currently used in a variety of applications including CVD, PVD, ion implantation and etch. We are also building products for use in the lithography process of semiconductor manufacturing. Precise vacuum pressure levels are critical in enabling the production of integrated circuits. We anticipate that the semiconductor capital equipment industry will continue to be a substantial part of our business for the foreseeable future.

Data Storage Customers

We sell products and services to data storage equipment manufacturers and to data storage device manufacturers for use in producing a variety of products including CDs; computer hard disks, including both media and thin-film heads; CD-ROMs; and DVDs. These products use a PVD process to produce optical and magnetic thin-film layers, as well as a protective wear layer.

Flat Panel Display Customers

We sell our products and services to equipment manufacturers and manufacturers of flat panel displays, which have fabrication processes similar to those employed in manufacturing integrated circuits. Flat panel technology produces bright, sharp, large, color-rich images on flat screens for products ranging from hand-held computer games, to laptop and desktop computer monitors, to large-screen televisions.

Other Customers

We sell our products and services to OEMs and producers of end products in a variety of industrial markets. Our products are used in a variety of analytical instruments and industrial and scientific research products. Thin-film optical coatings are used in the manufacture of many industrial products including architectural glass, eyeglasses, lenses, and front surface mirrors. Thin films of diamond-like coatings and other materials are currently applied to products to strengthen and harden surfaces on such diverse products as tools, razor blades, automotive parts, and hip joint replacements.

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The table below represents some of our customers in each of our primary target markets:

Our one reportable segment is the development, manufacture, sale and support of cryogenic and vacuum equipment. Our largest customer is Applied Materials, the world's largest manufacturer of semiconductor capital equipment, representing 20%, 27% and 22%, of our net sales for 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. Our 10 largest customers accounted for 44%, 43%, and 37%, of our net sales for 2003, 2002, and 2001, respectively.

Sales and Marketing

We sell our products and services, primarily through direct sales personnel, to customers in the United States, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. Our sales and service personnel are located at our headquarters in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and in regional offices in Longmont, Colorado; Santa Clara, California; Austin, Texas; Tempe, Arizona; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Darmstadt, Germany; Orsay, France; Livingston, Scotland; Tokyo, Japan; Hsinchu, Taiwan; and Shanghai and Hong Kong, China. We also have distributors and representatives in other major markets. See Note I, "Segment Information," of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of our U.S. and international sales.

We market our products worldwide to companies in our target customer segments. We use several marketing programs focused on our targeted markets to support the sale and distribution of our products. We use exhibitions at a limited number of prominent tradeshows and conferences and presentations at technology seminars to promote awareness of the Company and its products. We also utilize promotional product literature and advertise and publish technical articles in select trade and technical journals.

Manufacturing

We manufacture our pump and compressor components at our facility in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and our measurement gauge components at our Longmont, Colorado, facility. Our use of a lean manufacturing organization, including fast cycle times, embedded quality control, and supply chain management, positions us to meet or exceed our customers' demands.

Our manufacturing activities consist of the assembly and testing of components and subassemblies, which are then integrated into our final products. Once final testing of all subassemblies is completed, the final product is subjected to a series of reliability enhancing operations prior to shipment to customers. We purchase a wide range of electronic, mechanical, and electrical components, some of which are designed to our specifications. We outsource some of our subassembly work. We consider our ability to meet our customers' significantly fluctuating product demands at consistently short lead times using demand flow and lean manufacturing techniques to be a distinct competitive advantage.

Our business is, generally, not dependent on the availability of raw materials or components from any single source. Certain components, however, may be available from only one or two qualified sources. Our policy is to develop alternative sources for components and, where possible, to avoid using scarce raw materials in our products.

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Research and Development

Our industry continues to experience rapid technological change, requiring us to frequently introduce new products and enhancements. We believe that our success will depend upon our ability to identify and provide total systems solutions for our customers' problems. We seek to develop new products and enhancements to our existing products that meet changing customer requirements in our current and new markets. We have in the past made, and expect to continue to make, substantial investments in product and technological development. We believe our experience and relationships will remain important factors to enable us to develop products to meet our customers' needs and penetrate our target markets. Through our direct sales process we monitor changing customer needs, changes in the marketplace and emerging industry standards, and are therefore better able to focus our research and development efforts to address these evolving industry requirements.

We expended $10.1 million in 2003, $14.7 million in 2002, and $16.1 million in 2001 on research and development efforts. We have continued our commitment to invest in new product development to maintain our technological and market leadership, including new products for commercial applications, projects for 300-millimeter products, and enhancements of our core products and GOLDLink support. We perform our research and product development activities at our headquarters facility in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and at our Longmont, Colorado, facility.

Joint Venture with ULVAC

We participate in a joint venture, ULVAC Cryogenics, Inc., or UCI, with ULVAC Corporation of Chigasaki, Japan. Formed in 1981, UCI manufactures and sells cryogenic vacuum pumps, principally to ULVAC, one of the largest semiconductor OEMs in Japan. Each company owns 50% of UCI and we made an initial cash investment of approximately $100,000, with no subsequent cash investments. The joint venture arrangement includes a license and technology agreement from us and a management and consultation agreement from ULVAC.

Competition

The markets for our products and services are highly competitive and are characterized by ongoing technological development and changing customer requirements. We believe that market-driven pressures on our customers to increase productivity and reduce costs are prevalent throughout the markets for our products. In markets in which we have an established presence, we compete primarily on the basis of product performance, applications expertise, and historical customer relationships and support. In new markets for our products, we compete primarily on the basis of product performance, price, and range of features. Other significant competitive factors in our markets include product reliability, on-time delivery, technology, and the ability to adaptively provide solutions for our customers' evolving needs.

We have foreign and domestic competitors for each of our product lines. Some of these competitors are subsidiaries or divisions of larger corporations and have greater resources than we have. If these competitors bring technologically superior products to market in the future, they could overcome our competitive advantages. Our ability to continue to compete successfully depends on our ability to make timely introductions of system enhancements and new products and services, particularly relating to the new 300-millimeter technology, while continuing to provide excellent pre- and post-sales support on existing products and services. We believe we will be required to maintain a high level of investment in research and development and sales and marketing in order to remain competitive.

We are among a relatively small number of companies in the vacuum technology market. If one of our competitors acquires, or is acquired by, another company in this sector, it could result in a stronger competitor with greater resources than we have. Alternatively, if one of our customers were to acquire a vacuum technology company so that it could supply its own requirements, our net sales would decrease.

Employees

As of December 31, 2003, we had 492 permanent and 69 temporary employees worldwide, of which 461 were employed in North America, 69 in Asia and 31 in Europe. As of December 31, 2003, none of our employees based in the United States was represented by a union, and we have never experienced a work stoppage, slowdown or strike. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good.

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ITEM 3.   LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

We may be involved in the normal course in ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business. We are not a party to any proceedings that involve amounts that would have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations if such proceedings were resolved unfavorably.

ITEM 4.   SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.

During the quarter ended December 31, 2003, no matters were submitted to a vote of security holders through the solicitation of proxies or otherwise.

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ITEM 5.   MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol HELX. At December 31, 2003, there were 26,099,364 shares of common stock outstanding and approximately 544 common stockholders of record.

Price Range of Common Stock and Cash Dividend Per Common Share

The following table sets forth the high and low sale prices per share of our common stock during each of the quarters for the two most recent fiscal years.

On January 23, 2004, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.04 per common share payable on February 18, 2004, to common stockholders of record at the close of business on February 8, 2004.

ITEM 6.   SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA.

The following table summarizes certain selected consolidated financial data that should be read in conjunction with "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere herein.

You should read the following discussion and analysis together with our financial statements, related notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this report. In addition to historical information, the following discussion and other parts of this report contain forward-looking information that involves risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated by such forward-looking information due to competitive factors and other factors discussed under "Forward-Looking Statements" below and under "Important Factors That May Affect Future Results" in Exhibit 99.1 to this Annual Report on
Form 10-K.

Overview

We are a world leader in the development, manufacture, and application of innovative vacuum technology solutions for the semiconductor, data storage, and flat panel display markets. Our vacuum systems provide enabling technology for several key steps within the semiconductor manufacturing process, including ion implantation, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition and etching. Semiconductor manufacturers use our systems to create and maintain a vacuum environment, which is critical to their manufacturing processes. We are a leading provider of vacuum systems technology to the world's largest semiconductor capital equipment and semiconductor manufacturers, placing us at a critical point in their advanced technology manufacturing process. We have long-standing customer relationships with many semiconductor capital equipment manufacturers, including Applied Materials, Axcelis, Novellus, Unaxis, Varian Semiconductor and Veeco, as well as semiconductor manufacturers such as Agere, AMD, Atmel, Fuj itsu, Infineon, Intel, Motorola, NEC, Philips, Samsung, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, and TSMC. Our products are also used in a broad range of industrial manufacturing applications and advanced research and development laboratories.

We also provide an extensive range of global support and vacuum system monitoring services that lower our end-users' total costs of ownership. We increase our customers' system uptime through rapid response to potential operating problems. We also develop and deliver enhancements to our customers' installed base of production tools. Our service offerings include our TrueBlue Service Agreements, our GUTS (Guaranteed Up Time Support) customer response system and our innovative GOLDLink (Global On-Line Diagnostics) support system, which provides a remote e-diagnostics solution that allows us to monitor, in real time, the vacuum system performance of our customers' production tools. Our GOLDLink capability has made us a leading total solution provider in the emerging market for Internet-based, proactive e-diagnostics for the semiconductor and semiconductor capital equipment industries.

The principal market we serve is the global semiconductor capital equipment industry, a highly cyclical business. As a result, we have experienced significant variations in net sales, expenses, and results of operations in the periods presented and such variations are likely to continue.

Critical Accounting Policies

Our discussion and analysis of our results of operations and liquidity and capital resources are based on our consolidated financial statements which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to revenue recognition, adequacy of reserves, valuation of investments and income taxes. We base our estimates on historical and anticipated results and trends and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, including assumptions as to future events. These estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. By their natu re, estimates are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty. Actual results may differ from our estimates. We believe that the following significant accounting policies and assumptions may involve a higher degree of judgment and complexity than others.

Revenue Recognition and Accounts Receivable. We recognize net sales from product sales upon shipment provided title and risk of loss have been transferred to the customer, there is persuasive evidence of an arrangement, fees are fixed or determinable, and collection is reasonably assured. Net sales from global support services is recognized as performed or ratably over the period of the related agreements. We recognize net sales from upgrade sales upon customer acceptance provided installation has been completed. Revenues from contracts with multiple-element arrangements, such as those including products and services, are recognized as each element is earned based on the relative fair value of each element. Amounts billed to customers that relate to shipping costs are included in net sales and in cost of sales. As part of a sale, we offer customers a warranty on defects in materials and workmanship.

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We continuously monitor and track the related product returns and record a provision for the estimated amount of such future returns, based on historical experience and any notification we receive of pending returns. While such returns have historically been within our expectations and the provisions established, we cannot guarantee that we will continue to experience the same return rates that we have in the past. Any significant increase in material and workmanship defect rates and the resulting credit returns could have a material adverse impact on our operating results for the period or periods in which such returns materialize. We also maintain allowances for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments. If the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, additional allowances may be required.

Inventory and Reserves for Excess and Obsolescence. We value inventory at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out method) or market. We regularly review inventory quantities on hand and record a provision to write down inventory to its estimated net realizable value, if less than cost, based upon management's assumptions of future material usage and obsolescence, which are a result of future demand and market conditions. If actual market conditions become less favorable than those projected by management, additional inventory provisions may be required. If inventory is written down to its net realizable value and subsequently there is an increased demand for the inventory at a higher value, the increased value of the inventory is not realized until the inventory is sold, which will result in improved margins in the period which the product is sold.

Tax Contingencies. Tax contingencies are recorded to address potential exposures involving tax positions we have taken that could be challenged by taxing authorities. These potential exposures result from the varying application of statutes, rules, regulations and interpretations. Our estimate of the value of our tax contingencies contains assumptions based on past experiences and judgments about potential actions by taxing jurisdictions. It is possible that the ultimate resolution of these matters may be greater or less than the amount that we have accrued.

Deferred Income Taxes. Each reporting period we estimate our ability to realize our net deferred tax assets. Realization of our net deferred tax assets is dependent upon our generating sufficient taxable income in the appropriate tax jurisdictions in future years to obtain benefit from the reversal of net deductible temporary differences and from tax loss and tax credit carryforwards. We reassessed our need for a valuation allowance and determined under applicable accounting criteria that a full valuation allowance was required in 2003. Until an appropriate level of profitability is reached, we will not record Federal tax benefits or provisions on future results of operations.

Restructuring Charges. During 2002 we recorded charges in connection with our restructuring programs. The related reserves reflect estimates, including those pertaining to severance costs and settlements of contractual obligations. We reassess the reserve requirements to complete each individual plan under our restructuring programs at the end of each reporting period. Actual experience may be different from these estimates. For more information, see Note C to the consolidated financial statements.

Retirement Obligations. We have retirement obligations that are developed from actuarial valuations. Inherent in these valuations are key assumptions, including discount rates, rates of compensation increases, and expected long-term rates of return on plan assets, which are usually updated on an annual basis at the beginning of each fiscal year. We are required to consider current market conditions, including changes in interest rates, in making these assumptions. Changes in the related retirement benefit costs may occur due to changes in assumptions.

Investments. We own 50% of a joint venture, ULVAC Cryogenics, Inc., or UCI, which manufactures and sells cryogenic vacuum pumps in Japan, principally to ULVAC Corporation. We account for the joint venture using the equity method of accounting, and we also receive royalties from the joint venture under the terms of a license and technology agreement. The royalties we receive from UCI, as well as our equity in the income and losses of UCI, are both included in our financial statements under joint venture income.

Results of Operations

Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2003, Compared to the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2002

For most of 2003, we continued to experience the significant slowdown in the global market for semiconductor capital equipment that began in 2001. In the last quarter of the year, however, we have seen an increase in both orders and sales as the industry begins to show signs of expansion. Net sales for 2003 were $105.9 million as compared with net sales for 2002 of $100.2 million, an increase of 5.7%.

In the fourth quarter of 2002, we initiated a worldwide cost-reduction program and the suspension of an internal-use software development program in response to the continued duration and severity of the slowdown in the semiconductor capital equipment industry. The cost-reduction program included severance and fringe benefits to terminate approximately 130 employees and included closure or consolidation of selected facilities worldwide. We recorded an $8.7 million charge for restructurings and other charges in the fourth quarter of 2002 and expect to save approximately $2.4 million quarterly which has significantly reduced our breakeven point. This program was substantially completed in the first quarter of 2003.

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Cost of sales for 2003 was $69.8 million compared with $73.0 million for 2002, a decrease of 4.4%. The gross margin for 2003 was 34.0% compared with 27.1% for 2002. The improvement in gross margin for 2003 is primarily due to the lower overhead costs resulting from our cost reduction actions taken in the fourth quarter of 2002, offset by some temporary increases in production and customer support costs incurred in the middle of the year relating to our new generation of vacuum technology.

Research and development expenses were $10.1 million for 2003, or 9.5% of net sales, compared to $14.7 million for 2002, or 14.6% of net sales. The decrease in overall research and development expenses from the prior year is due to cost reduction actions taken in the fourth quarter of 2002, as well as the completion of several major research and development projects during the past year. We maintain a commitment to developing technologies to support a new generation of products for 300-millimeter-capable production tools, to expand our support service capability and to improve our core component product lines.

Total selling, general and administrative expenses for 2003 were $31.3 million, as compared with $37.7 million for 2002. Excluding the $2.8 million nonrecurring litigation charge included in 2002, total selling, general and administrative expenses declined from the prior year by 10.3%, reflecting cost savings realized from the restructuring program implemented in the fourth quarter of 2002.

Royalty and equity income from our joint venture in Japan for 2003 increased to $1.2 million from $0.6 million in 2002. The improvement over 2002 reflects improvement in the Flat Panel Display portion of the semiconductor capital equipment market.

Interest and other income was $0.9 million for both 2003 and 2002. This reflects higher 2003 average cash balances offset by lower interest rates.

We had a pretax loss of $3.2 million in 2003, compared with a pretax loss of $32.4 million for 2002. In 2003 we recorded an income tax provision of $7.9 million. This provision is primarily attributable to the establishment of the valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets in accordance with SFAS 109, "Accounting for Income Taxes" and to record state and foreign income taxes for 2003. If we generate future taxable income domestically against which these tax attributes may be applied, some portion or all of the valuation allowance would be reversed and increase net income reported in future periods. The effective tax rate for 2002 was 40%. The tax rates differ from the U.S. statutory rate primarily due to tax credits and undistributed nontaxable equity income from our joint venture. These tax credits and equity income increase our tax rate on pretax losses and decrease our tax rate on pretax income.

Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2002, Compared to the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2001

In 2002, we experienced a significant slowdown in the global market for semiconductor capital equipment that began in 2001. Net sales for 2002 were $100.2 million as compared with net sales for 2001 of $113.0 million, a decrease of 11.3%.

Cost of sales for 2002 was $73.0 million compared with $75.3 million for 2001, a decrease of 3.0%. The gross margin for 2002 was 27.1% compared with 33.4% for 2001. Cost of sales for 2002 included an additional fourth quarter charge for excess and obsolete inventory totaling $1.7 million resulting from the significant slowdown in the global market for semiconductor capital equipment and from expected efficiencies to be gained in our future delivery of global customer support. We monitor and forecast expected inventory needs based on our constantly changing sales forecast and write-down or write-off inventory when it becomes obsolete or when it is deemed excess. Excluding these charges, the gross margin for 2002 would have been 28.8%, a decline from 2001, primarily due to lower sales volume that reduced utilization of manufacturing capacity.

Research and development expenses were $14.7 million for 2002, or 14.6% of net sales, compared to $16.1 million for 2001, or 14.2% of net sales. We maintain a commitment to developing technologies to support a new generation of products for 300 millimeter- capable production tools, to expand our support service capability and to improve our core component product lines.

Total selling, general and administrative expenses for 2002 were $37.7 million, as compared with $35.1 million for 2001. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses was primarily due to the nonrecurring litigation settlement charge of $2.8 million in 2002. Total selling, general and administrative expenses excluding the nonrecurring litigation settlement charge remained consistent with the prior year, reflecting a decrease in spending due to the restructuring program completed in the third quarter of 2001 offset by an increase in depreciation expense associated with our new global information system and associated startup costs.

Restructurings and other charges recorded during the fourth quarter of 2002 were associated with the initiation of a worldwide cost-reduction program and the suspension of an internal-use software development program in response to the continued duration and severity of the slowdown in the semiconductor capital equipment industry. The $8.7 million charged to restructurings and other charges is comprised of $3.0 million of employee severance costs; $2.8 million to consolidate leased facilities; and $2.9 million to write off certain software.

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The employee costs of $3.0 million primarily consist of severance and fringe benefits to terminate approximately 130 employees. The affected employees, most of whom were located in the United States, were primarily full-time nonmanufacturing employees. Notification and termination benefits were communicated to employees in the fourth quarter of 2002. The majority of the terminations took place in 2002, and most of the remaining terminations occurred in the first quarter of 2003. We realized approximately $2.0 million in quarterly savings from the reduction in force.

The $2.8 million of net exit costs related to facility closures resulted from the planned consolidation of customer support facilities located in Massachusetts; facility reductions of satellite sales and customer support facilities located in Texas, Arizona, and California; and consolidation of sales and service centers located in Japan. These accrued costs reflect payments required under operating lease contracts in excess of expected sub lease rentals and costs for writing down related leasehold improvements at the affected facilities. The consolidation of these facilities is expected to result in quarterly cost savings of approximately $0.4 million.

We also suspended an internal-use software development program given current market conditions and timing of market application, resulting in a $2.9 million charge.

Royalty and equity income from our joint venture in Japan for 2002 decreased to $0.6 million from $2.4 million in 2001 due to the continued decline in the Japanese semiconductor capital equipment market.

Interest and other income was $0.9 million for both 2002 and 2001. In 2002, higher average cash, cash equivalent and investment balances resulting from the public offering completed in March 2002 were offset by lower interest rates.

We had a pretax loss of $32.4 million in 2002, resulting in a tax benefit of $12.9 million, compared with a pretax loss of $11.2 million and a tax benefit of $5.3 million for 2001. The effective tax rates for 2002 and 2001 were 40% and 47%, respectively. The tax rates differ from the U.S. statutory rate primarily due to tax credits and undistributed nontaxable equity income from our joint venture. These tax credits and equity income increase our tax rate on pretax losses and decrease our tax rate on pretax income. The decline in the 2002 tax rate was primarily attributable to the decline in the benefit received from lower undistributed nontaxable equity income from our joint venture.

Quarterly Financial Results

The following table presents selected unaudited financial information for the eight quarters in the period ended December 31, 2003. The results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of future quarterly results and, accordingly, period-to-period comparisons should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance.