KULIM, Malaysia & LEUVEN, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 2004--Silterra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. and IMEC, Europe's leading independent nanoelectronics and nanotechnology research center based in Belgium, today announced that they have signed an agreement for a joint development project (JDP) with the intention of creating a foundry-compatible 0.13-micron CMOS process technology. The process will be based on IMEC's 0.13-micron platform technology and modified to meet the requirements of wafer foundry customers.

"We are excited about this project because IMEC is well known for its world-class R&D expertise," said Bruce Gray, chief operating officer and interim CEO of Silterra. "We have already completed the groundwork with customers to define their technology requirements and understand their specifications. Together Silterra and IMEC will take the next steps to develop a compatible 0.13-micron technology for the foundry industry."

A team of Silterra and IMEC engineers will fine-tune the base-IMEC process at IMEC's research facility in Leuven to meet the specifications provided by Silterra. The process will have physical design rules and electrical characteristics that match mainstream technologies, enabling customers to seamlessly support their multi-foundry sourcing strategy. The technology will have FSG (fluoro-silicate glass) or low-K inter-metal dielectric options and up to eight layers of copper interconnect.

"The wafer foundry business is an important part of the semiconductor supply chain," stated Prof. Gilbert Declerck, president and CEO of IMEC. "We are very happy to partner with Silterra to develop a technology that will benefit such a wide customer base. Our 0.13-micron platform technology is a great starting point to build on because it is proven and will help shorten development cycle times significantly."

The new process, like Silterra's own foundry compatible 0.18- and 0.22-micron logic technologies, is targeted for a wide range of products for communications, consumer and computational applications. Silterra expects to provide supporting design libraries and IP in Q1 2005, with pilot production starting in Q2 2005.

About Silterra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.:

Silterra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. is a leading semiconductor wafer foundry offering customers major foundry compatible 0.25-micron, 0.22-micron and 0.18-micron CMOS logic, high-voltage and mixed-signal/RF technologies. Silterra's wafer fab has a designed capacity of 38,000 eight-inch wafers per month. The company, which is committed to world-class service and environmental responsibility, was a winner of the Malaysian Prime Minister's Hibiscus Award for Notable Achievement in Environmental Performance for 2003. Silterra is ISO 9002/2000 and ISO 14001 certified. The company's headquarters and factory are located in Kulim, Malaysia, and has sales and marketing offices in San Jose (California), Scottsdale (Arizona), Hsinchu (Taiwan) and Munich (Germany). For additional information on Silterra or its services, please visit www.silterra.com.

About IMEC

IMEC is a world-leading independent research center in nanoelectronics and nanotechnology. Its research focuses on the next generations of chips and systems, and on the enabling technologies for ambient intelligence. IMEC's research bridges the gap between fundamental research at universities and technology development in industry. Its unique balance of processing and system know-how, intellectual property portfolio, state-of-the-art infrastructure and a strong network of companies, universities and research institutes worldwide, positions IMEC as a key partner with which to develop and improve technologies for future systems.

IMEC is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and has representatives in the U.S., China and Japan. Its staff of more than 1300 people includes over 380 industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2003, its revenues were EUR 145 million. Further information on IMEC can be found at www.imec.be.

Contacts


Silterra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.
David Fung, 408-530-0883
david_fung@silterra.com
or
Silterra Media Contact:
Katie Olivier, 972-774-9850
kolivier@dvscommunications.com
or
IMEC
Katrien Marent, +32 16 28 18 80
Katrien.Marent@imec.be