Siliconix Streamlines Military-Aerospace and High Reliability Procurement with Industry's First Factory-Direct, Ruggedized Off-the-Shelf Components.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 26, 2001

In a move that will greatly simplify the way analog and power components are sourced for military and aerospace systems, Siliconix incorporated (Nasdaq:SILI), an 80.4%-owned subsidiary of Vishay Intertechnology Inc. (NYSE:VSH), Monday announced that it is ruggedizing its own FETs and integrated circuits to provide high reliability versions of these devices on an off-the-shelf basis.

Until now, military and aerospace customers have needed to rely on third-party up-screen houses for this preconditioning process. This extra step increases lead times and inflates prices for ruggedized JFETs, MOSFETs, power ICs, analog switches, and analog multiplexers.

With its new Ruggedized-off-the-Shelf (ROTS) program, these Vishay Siliconix products are factory preconditioned with stabilization-bake, temperature cycle, burn-in, and minimum/maximum temperature testing -- eliminating the need to send devices to a third party to meet demanding standards for high reliability.

Vishay Siliconix factory processing eliminates devices that would fail early in rugged military and aerospace environments, while shortening customer lead times and reducing costs.

ROTS devices are guaranteed to provide a -55 degrees Centigrade to +125 degrees Centigrade maximum operating temperature, and a separate data sheet is published for each ROTS classification device to streamline the design-in and procurement process.

More than 20 of the most popular Vishay Siliconix FETs and analog ICs are available now in ROTS versions. For a complete listing, or to request availability of ROTS versions of other devices, visit the Vishay Web site at www.vishay.com or E-mail [e-mail].

With the addition of ROTS, Siliconix now offers three off-the-shelf options for high-reliability designs, including military, aerospace, commercial, and medical applications. Vishay Siliconix hermetic off-the-shelf (HOTS) devices are offered in a variety of packages that protect against moisture and other destructive environmental factors.

Vishay Siliconix military off-the-shelf (MOTS) devices conform to JM38510 (JM38510/XXXXX), JAN, JANTX, JANTXV and comply with Standard Military Drawings (SMD). Vishay Siliconix MOTS devices also include a variety of /883 and "-2" products that are JANTX/Class B similar devices without DSCC slashsheets.

Siliconix, a company of Vishay Intertechnology Inc., is a leading manufacturer of power MOSFETs, power ICs and analog switches for computers, cell phones, fixed communications networks, automobiles and other electronic systems.

With 2000 worldwide sales of $473 million, the company's facilities include Class 1, 6-inch wafer fabs dedicated to the manufacture of power products in Santa Clara and Itzehoe, Germany. Power products are also manufactured by a subcontractor in Japan.

Analog switches, analog multiplexers, and low-power transistors are fabricated by subcontractors in Dresden, Germany and in Beijing. Assembly and test facilities include a company-owned facility in Taiwan, a joint venture in Shanghai, China, and subcontractors in the Philippines, China, and the United States.

Vishay, a Fortune 1,000 company with year 2000 sales of $2.5 billion, is the largest U.S. and European manufacturer of passive electronic components (resistors, capacitors, inductors). Vishay is the No. 2 manufacturer of discrete semiconductors worldwide and the No. 1 manufacturer of diodes and rectifiers worldwide.

Vishay is also the world's largest manufacturer of infrared communication devices (IRDCs) and has a leading position in power and analog switching circuits. The company's components can be found in products manufactured in a very broad range of industries worldwide.

With headquarters in Malvern, Penn., Vishay employs over 20,000 people in over 70 plants in the United States, Mexico, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Taiwan, China, and the Philippines. Vishay can be found on the Internet at http://www.vishay.com.

ROTS, HOTS, and MOTS are trademarks of Siliconix incorporated.