IBM SHIPS 100 MILLIONTH SILICON GERMANIUM CHIP.

IBM has shipped the 100 millionth chip made with silicon germanium (SiGe), a technology pioneered by IBM that is revolutionizing the design of cell phones and other wireless electronic products.

The 100 millionth SiGe chip was produced at IBM's Burlington, Vermont facility, the company's primary chip manufacturing site and exclusive IBM SiGe production facility, and was delivered to Tektronix (NYSE:TEK), a world leader in advanced test, measurement and monitoring equipment.

The milestone underscores the growing use of SiGe technology in chip applications that demand a combination of very high speed, reduced power consumption and the economies made possible by SiGe's production on standard silicon-based semiconductor tooling and manufacturing lines. Earlier this year, IBM announced the use of SiGe in building the then world's fastest integrated circuit, running at over 110 GHz.

"We're translating SiGe's benefits into real customer applications," said Dr. Bernard Meyerson, IBM Fellow and chief technologist, IBM Technology Group. "With multiple SiGe technologies, a full suite of design tools, and our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility we have the resources to help anticipate and meet our customers' requirements. SiGe adoptors such as Tektronix are turning to IBM because we are the premier volume supplier of advanced SiGe technology."

SiGe is a process technology in which the electrical properties of silicon, the material underlying virtually all modern microchips, is augmented with germanium to make the chips operate more efficiently. This technology is already widely deployed in a range of both high speed wired and low cost wireless gear. In addition, SiGe provides increased integration capabilities, enabling designers to reduce the size and cost of electronic products.

"We are pleased to continue our long-standing affiliation with IBM, the respected innovator of SiGe technology. IBM brings a wealth of experience in working with other early access developers as well as solid manufacturing capabilities, that create the foundation of our long-term technology relationship," said Rick Wills, Chairman and CEO, Tektronix. "With the ability to push to even higher performance and integration levels, IBM's next generation SiGe technology combined with Tektronix' test and measurement solutions, will enable Tektronix to continue to set new standards of performance in test instrumentation as our customers have come to expect."

The milestone reinforces IBM's position as the industry's leading SiGe chip and technology supplier. In recent data published by research firm IC Insights in their "2002 McClean Report," the firm estimates that SiGe sales are projected to grow to about $2.7 billion by 2006. The report estimates that IBM SiGe revenues grew 86 percent 2001 over 2000, representing more than 80% of total 2001 SiGe business.

IBM first revealed its SiGe technology in 1989, and was first to introduce the technology into high volume standard chip production. Since then, IBM's SiGe technology has been adopted by a wide range of companies for a variety of applications, including RF components in cellular handsets, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) chipsets, high speed test and measurement equipment, and chipsets for optical data transmission systems.