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Colibrys Acquires Applied MEMS Business From I/O; Merged Entity will be a Leading Global Provider of Advanced MEMS Technology.


HOUSTON -- Input/Output, Inc. (NYSE NYSE

See: New York Stock Exchange
:IO) and Colibrys SA, a privately-held firm based in Neuchatel, Switzerland, announced today that Colibrys has completed the acquisition of the Applied 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.  subsidiary from I/O (Input/Output) The transfer of data between the CPU and a peripheral device. Every transfer is an output from one device and an input to another. See PC input/output.

I/O - Input/Output
 in an all-stock transaction. Colibrys designs and manufactures high-performance MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems) products and offers contract manufacturing services for MEMS devices to customers in the defense, aerospace, telecommunications Communicating information, including data, text, pictures, voice and video over long distance. See communications. , life sciences, industrial imaging, and energy industries. The new company, which will retain the name Colibrys and remain headquartered in Switzerland, will become one of the largest and most technologically advanced firms in the global MEMS industry.

Bob Peebler, President and Chief Executive Officer of I/O, commented on the transaction, "We are convinced that MEMS-based sensors like VectorSeis(R) will increasingly become the sensors of choice for seismic imaging in the oil and gas business. To drive the rapid adoption of MEMS-based seismic sensors, I/O believes that continuous improvements in the design and manufacture of the core MEMS technology will be required. Combining our Applied MEMS business with a high-end MEMS company such as Colibrys is the surest way to achieve our long-term objectives. Just as I/O and Applied MEMS have pioneered advanced MEMS technology for seismic imaging, Colibrys has developed breakthrough technology applications for other industries. We and Colibrys both believe the new entity can unlock significant synergies for our customers and our stakeholders Stakeholders

All parties that have an interest, financial or otherwise, in a firm-stockholders, creditors, bondholders, employees, customers, management, the community, and the government.
."

Peebler continued, "Through this transaction, we will be better positioned to reduce costs and improve gross margins on VectorSeis-based seismic imaging systems, reduce future investment requirements to sustain technology leadership in MEMS, and mitigate some manufacturing risk by having multiple supply sources for VectorSeis accelerometers. At the same time, we have structured the venture to ensure that I/O's interests are protected and to share in any future upside Upside

The potential dollar amount by which the market or a stock could rise.

Notes:
This is basically an educated guess on how high a stock could go in the near future.
See also: Bull, Downside
."

I/O will retain a minority equity interest in the new company and hold one seat on the Colibrys Board of Directors. I/O also will retain ownership of all intellectual property associated with the Applied MEMS business and will license this technology to Colibrys as part of the transaction. Moving forward, Colibrys will be the supplier to I/O of MEMS accelerometers used in the company's VectorSeis digital, full-wave seismic sensors while I/O will have preferential pref·er·en·tial  
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or giving advantage or preference: preferential treatment.

2.
 rights to Colibrys' MEMS technology for seismic applications involving natural resource extraction.

Sean Neylon, Chief Executive Officer of Colibrys, commented on the acquisition of Applied MEMS, "We enthusiastically welcome Applied MEMS to the Colibrys family. This transaction is complementary in so many ways. It dramatically strengthens our position in the energy sector and the U.S. marketplace, two strategic areas we had targeted for future growth. By combining our engineering, manufacturing, and marketing efforts, the new Colibrys will be positioned to extend its leadership position in the high-end motion sensing segment where defense, aerospace, and seismic applications offer significant, long-term growth potential. The new company will also have greater financial scale and flexibility, which should allow Colibrys to take advantage of future opportunities for organic growth and acquisitions and to make the investments required to enhance our leadership position in the markets we serve around the world.

"Our private equity investors are extremely supportive of this transaction. They see the synergies that result from the combination of Applied MEMS and Colibrys and believe that the new company satisfies a market need for an independent, high-end MEMS sensor provider with a global footprint."

Howard Goldberg, former General Manager of Applied MEMS and an Executive Vice President in the new entity, added, "The entire Applied MEMS team is excited to be joining the Colibrys family. This transaction creates an all-around win for the companies involved and for our customers who will have immediate access to a broad, complimentary technology base and a one-stop shop One-Stop Shop

A company or a location that offers a multitude of services to a client or a customer. The idea is to provide convenient and efficient service and also to create the opportunity for the company to sell more products to clients and customers.
 for their MEMS needs. We look forward to collaborating with our new colleagues."

Additional information about the companies and the transaction is available on the I/O Web site at: http://www.i-o.com/About_us/News_Room/

About I/O

I/O is the world's leading, technology-only seismic services provider. The company provides cutting-edge seismic acquisition equipment, software, and planning and seismic processing services to the global oil and gas industry. The company's technologies are applied in both land and marine environments, in traditional 2D and 3D surveys, and in rapidly growing areas like time-lapse (4D) reservoir monitoring and full-wave imaging. I/O has offices in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , Canada, Europe, China, Russia and the Middle East. Additional information is available at www.i-o.com.

About Applied MEMS

Applied MEMS partners with visionaries in the life sciences, energy, telecommunications, and other high-tech industries to develop innovative MEMS solutions that open new markets, enable new functionality, lower R&D costs, and shorten time to market. Applied MEMS manufactures and distributes the industry's lowest-noise commercial accelerometer accelerometer

Instrument that measures acceleration. Because it is difficult to measure acceleration directly, the device measures the force exerted by restraints placed on a reference mass to hold its position fixed in an accelerating body.
, Si-Flex(TM), for applications that include test and measurement, earthquake and structural monitoring, and defense. Additional information is available at www.appliedmems.com.

About Colibrys

Colibrys is a world-leading supplier of standard MEMS products and innovative custom MEMS solutions. Colibrys has the full breadth of MEMS capability, undertaking design, development, wafer (1) A small, thin continuous-loop magnetic tape cartridge that has been used from time to time for data storage and specialized applications.

(2) The base unit of chip making. It is a slice taken from a salami-like silicon crystal ingot up to 12" (300mm) in diameter.
 fab manufacture, packaging, and test of MEMS components. Colibrys is focusing its efforts where the potential for market sales growth remains very high, especially in professional Navigation and Guidance systems, Life sciences, Telecommunications networks A telecommunications network is a of telecommunications links and nodes arranged so that messages may be passed from one part of the network to another over multiple links and through various nodes. , Energy, and Industrial Imaging and Display Applications. Additional information is available at www.colibrys.com.

About MEMS Technology

MEMS (Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems) are highly miniaturized devices that integrate a number of functions including fluidics fluidics, branch of engineering and technology concerned with the development of equivalents of various electronic circuits using movements of fluid rather than movements of electric charge. , optics, mechanics and electronics on a single silicon chip using techniques similar to traditional integrated circuit integrated circuit (IC), electronic circuit built on a semiconductor substrate, usually one of single-crystal silicon. The circuit, often called a chip, is packaged in a hermetically sealed case or a nonhermetic plastic capsule, with leads extending from it for  process technology. MEMS merges sensing, actuating ac·tu·ate  
tr.v. ac·tu·at·ed, ac·tu·at·ing, ac·tu·ates
1. To put into motion or action; activate: electrical relays that actuate the elevator's movements.

2.
, and computing computing - computer  into miniature systems that enable enhanced levels of perception, control and performance.
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Publication:Business Wire
Geographic Code:4EXSI
Date:Dec 17, 2004
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