Amkor and Sharp to Share Stacked-Chip CSP Assembly Technologies.

CHANDLER, Ariz. and OSAKA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sept. 15, 1999--

Amkor Technology (Nasdaq:AMKR) and Sharp Corporation today announced an agreement to share stacked-die IC chip-scale packaging (CSP) assembly technologies.

Under the agreement, Amkor, the world's largest independent IC packaging and test contractor, is licensed to use Sharp's tape-based stacked-chip package assembly techniques to build stacked ICs for Sharp and other chip manufacturers; Sharp, a major semiconductor device manufacturer, is licensed to use Amkor's laminate-based ChipArray(TM) technology to package any of its products. Amkor and Sharp already assemble stacked-chip CSP ICs using their own technologies. The agreement also calls for co-development efforts in which Amkor and Sharp will work together to enhance stacked CSP technologies and continue to reduce costs.

Vincent DiCaprio, Amkor's Director of Advanced Product Development said, "With this agreement, both companies have broadened their product offerings. Sharp and Amkor have previously partnered on industry-leading semiconductor packaging, and we welcome the opportunity to continue a mutually beneficial relationship."

Morihiro Kada, General Manager, Packaging Engineering Department, Systems LSI Development Center, IC Group of Sharp said, "Our agreement with Amkor is an important step in assuring wireless OEMs of a reliable supply of stacked flash/SRAM devices in a range of sizes and price points."

About Stacked-Chip CSP Packaging

Small-footprint integrated circuit packages that combine flash and SRAM memory chips stacked atop each other are an important enabler for small cellular telephone handsets and other portable wireless devices.

"Tape" and "laminate" refer to the substrate to which memory die are mounted and wire-bonded. Conductors on and within the substrate provide connections to arrays of solder balls, which in turn provide connection to the wireless devices' main circuit boards. Tape generally provides only a single layer of metal interconnect, but has a slimmer profile than laminate. Laminate, with multiple metal layers, provides more design flexibility for I/O layout, but results in higher-profile packages.

Chip Scale Packaging, sometimes defined as 1.2 times the die size, more properly refers to array packages nearly the same size as the chips they contain, with a ball pitch of less than 1.0 mm. Using this definition, CSP sizes can be standardized, leading to manufacturing economies of scale.

About Amkor Technology

Amkor is an industry-leading supplier of contract microelectronic manufacturing-services. The company offers a complete set of services including deep submicron wafer fabrication, wafer probe testing, IC packaging assembly and design, final testing, burn-in, characterization and reliability testing. More information on Amkor is available from the company's SEC filings and on Amkor's web site, http://www.amkor.com.