Analog Devices' Silicon-on-Insulator Fab Meets Demanding QS 9000 International Quality Standard.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers NORWOOD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 22, 2003 Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : ADI), a global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal processing applications, today announced its SOI (Silicon On Insulator) A chip architecture that increases transistor switching speed by reducing capacitance (build-up of electrical charges in the transistor's elements), and thus reducing the discharge time. The power requirement is also reduced in some designs. (Silicon-On-Insulator) substrate manufacturing facility in Belfast, UK has achieved QS 9000 compliance with the international automotive quality standard. The QS 9000 conformance certificate and final audit results were presented to ADI by the NSAI NSAI Nashville Songwriters Association International NSAI National Standards Authority of Ireland NSAI Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflamatory auditor on February 4, 2003. "The QS-9000 registration was an important milestone on our roadmap for world-class quality and environmental systems at the Belfast site," said Ira Moskowitz, director of manufacturing, Micromachined Products Division, Analog Devices. "Our objective is to stay at the very leading edge of world class performance and we are working towards qualifying for the next generation systems as soon as possible. These systems include the OHSAS OHSAS Occupational Health and Safety Management System OHSAS Occupational Health & Safety Assessment Series OHSAS Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (UK) 18001 health and safety registration, the TS 16949 quality certification and an industry-leading EFQM EFQM European Foundation for Quality Management score." This most recent achievement reflects ADI's ongoing dedication and commitment to the manufacture of the highest quality products in the cleanest environments. Created by Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, the QS 9000 automotive quality standard has set the benchmark for quality systems. The Belfast facility obtained its ISO (1) See ISO speed. (2) (International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iso.ch) An organization that sets international standards, founded in 1946. The U.S. member body is ANSI. 9002 accreditation in 1999 and a conversion to ISO 9001/2000 in September 2002. The facility is also preparing for its first OHSAS 18001 audit later this year as well as TS 16949 quality certification and an industry-leading EFQM score. OHSAS 18001 is an Occupation Health and Safety Assessment Series for health and safety management systems. ISO/TS16949:2002 specifies the quality system requirements for the design, development, production, installation and servicing of automotive-related products. The European Model for Business Excellence - now called the EFQM (European Federation of Quality Management) Excellence Model - was introduced in 1991 as the framework for organizational self-assessment and serves as the basis for judging entrants to a large number of national and regional quality awards across Europe. Analog Devices manufactures Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafers for use in some MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) Tiny mechanical devices that are built onto semiconductor chips and are measured in micrometers. In the research labs since the 1980s, MEMS devices began to materialize as commercial products in the mid-1990s. products. As a MEMS pioneer, Analog Devices shipped the first fully integrated, single chip iMEMS(R) (integrated Micro Electro Mechanical System) accelerometers in 1991 and has shipped more than 100 million accelerometers to date, primarily for safety critical automotive air bag applications. Analog Devices' iMEMS technology combines the world's best signal processing engineering knowledge and proven MEMS competencies and has demonstrated proven circuit, sensor and process reliability performance of better than 1 FIT (failure in time). About Analog Devices Analog Devices is a leading manufacturer of precision high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing See DSP. Digital Signal Processing - (DSP) Computer manipulation of analog signals (commonly sound or image) which have been converted to digital form (sampled). applications. The company is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts and employs approximately 8,600 people worldwide. It has manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts, California, North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. , Ireland, the Philippines, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Analog Devices' stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) World's largest marketplace for securities. The exchange began as an informal meeting of 24 men in 1792 on what is now Wall Street in New York City. and the company is included in the S&P 500 Index. Editor's note: iMEMS is a registered trademark of Analog Devices, Inc. |
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