NEWS
RELEASE
Peregrine Semiconductor and MagnaChip Begin
Final Qualification on UltraCMOS™ Technology Transfer
San Diego, California, USA, and Seoul, South Korea, July
14, 2008. Peregrine Semiconductor
Corporation, a leading
supplier of high-performance RF CMOS and mixed-signal communications
ICs,
and MagnaChip Semiconductor Ltd., a leading Asia-based designer
and manufacturer of analog and
mixed-signal semiconductor products
for high volume consumer applications, today, announced that
the final qualification phase has begun in the process technology transfer
of Peregrine’s
UltraCMOS™ SOS (Silicon-On-Sapphire) technology
to MagnaChip’s Cheongju wafer manufacturing
facility.
Peregrine and MagnaChip have been actively transferring the UltraCMOS
process technology since
mid-2007. Several Peregrine products
have now successfully passed validation testing and are now
entering
the final phase of qualification. Qualification is expected to be complete
by the end of thirdquarter
2008.
“Peregrine is making
substantial gains in market share of high-performance RFICs, especially
in the
high-throw-count antenna switch opportunity in GSM/WCDMA
handsets,” stated Jim Cable, CEO of
Peregrine Semiconductor Corp.
“In order to satisfy the demands of these high-volume, highly visible
customers, we designed the ideal mix of suppliers and developed
long-term strategic relationships.
Fortifying our supply chain,
this agreement provides significant capacity for growth,” he added.
“By
securing MagnaChip -- among the top foundries in the world
-- as a manufacturing resource, our
customers will be assured
of the supply and availability of Peregrine’s products and technology,”
he
concluded.
“Peregrine’s yield and performance standards
for UltraCMOS products are very high,” stated Mark
Miscione,
Vice President of Manufacturing at Peregrine Semiconductor. “The speed
at which
MagnaChip was able to accomplish this technology transfer
and the resulting performance of the
components have been excellent,”
he added.
“MagnaChip’s semiconductor manufacturing services are
targeted to customers who require
differentiated, specialty analog
and mixed-signal process technologies. With this joint technology
development, MagnaChip and Peregrine have entered into a long-term
strategic relationship that will
enable Peregrine to support
their rapid growth and allow us to develop unique manufacturing
expertise,” said Channy Lee, Executive Vice President and General
Manager of MagnaChip’s
Semiconductor Manufacturing Services Division.
Sang Park, Chairman and CEO of MagnaChip, commented, “Our goal is
to build solid, strategic
relationships with strong foundry customers,
serving high-growth markets. With its revolutionary
UltraCMOS
SOS process and high-performance RFIC products, Peregrine exemplifies
this type of
customer.”
About UltraCMOS™ Technology
UltraCMOS™ mixed-signal process technology is a patented
variation of silicon-on-insulator (SOI)
technology on a sapphire substrate. This technology
provides high yields, competitive costs and
delivers significant performance advantages over
competing processes such as GaAs, SiGe BiCMOS
and bulk silicon CMOS in applications where RF performance,
low power and high levels of
integration are paramount.
About Peregrine Semiconductor
Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation designs, manufactures,
and markets high-performance
communications RF ICs for the wireless infrastructure
and mobile wireless; broadband CATV/DTV;
communications infrastructure; and aerospace and
avionics markets. Manufactured on the
Company’s proprietary UltraCMOS™ mixed-signal process
technology, Peregrine products are
uniquely poised to meet the needs of a global RF
design community in high-growth applications such
as WCDMA, EDGE and GSM digital cellular, broadband,
DTV, DVR and rad-hard space and defense
programs. Peregrine, headquartered in San Diego,
California, maintains global sales support
operations and a worldwide technical distribution
network. Additional information is available on the
web at
www.psemi.com
About MagnaChip Semiconductor
Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, MagnaChip Semiconductor
is a leading, Asia-based designer
and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor
products for high volume consumer
applications, such as mobile phones, digital televisions,
flat panel displays, notebook computers,
mobile multimedia devices and digital cameras. The
Company has a broad range of analog and
mixed-signal semiconductor technology, supported
by its 29-year operating history, large portfolio of
registered and pending patents and extensive engineering
and manufacturing process expertise. For
more information, visit
www.magnachip.com.
Forward-Looking Statements:
Certain statements contained in this press release
contain forward-looking statements regarding MagnaChip
Semiconductor's operations, economic performance
and financial condition. Although MagnaChip Semiconductor believes that
the expectations reflected in these statements are reasonable, no assurance
can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct
as a result of many factors, including those described in our annual
report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, which was
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2008.
-End-
Press Contacts:
Peregrine
Semiconductor Corporation
Rodd Novak, V.P., Marketing
Tel: (858) 731-9464
rnovak@psemi.com
Cindy Trotto, Marketing Communications Manager
Tel: (602) 750-7203
ctrotto@psemi.com
MagnaChip
In Korea:
Mi-Jeong HAN, PR Manager
Tel: 82-2-6903-3195
mjhang@magnachip.com
In the U.S.:
Joseph Villalta
at The Ruth Group
Tel: +646-536-7003
jvillalta@theruthgroup.com
The Peregrine Semiconductor name
and logo are registered trademarks and UltraCMOS and HaRP are trademarks
of Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.