For Release: July 6, 1998
Altera Receives First WaferTech Production Silicon
- New U.S. Fab Successfully Duplicates TSMC (Taiwan) 0.35-micron Process
- Altera Strengthens Position in Low Cost, Fabless Process Leadership
- Joint Venture Fab Comes On-line One Month Ahead of Schedule
San Jose, Calif., July 6, 1998--Altera Corporation (Nasdaq: ALTR) announced today that it has taken delivery of the first production-volume 0.35-micron process wafers fabricated by WaferTech (Camas, Wash.). WaferTech is a joint venture of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Altera Corporation, Analog Devices Inc., and Integrated Silicon Solutions Inc. With the initial delivery from this Pacific Northwest fab, Altera has become the first WaferTech joint venture partner to accept production-volume silicon wafers from the plant, a continuation of its leadership in advanced process technologies among fabless semiconductor suppliers. The first shipment of 8-inch, 0.35-micron CMOS wafers produced will be used for Altera's FLEX® 10K PLD family.
"This achievement speaks to the portability of the processes developed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)," said Ken Smith, WaferTech president and chief operating officer. "TSMC's customers, utilizing their current TSMC customer support organizations, now have a viable second-source fab in the U.S. to supply their product needs."
A low defect ratio in the silicon was achieved by precisely duplicating the fab process from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation facility in Taiwan, which included the transfer of photomasks used to produce the FLEX 10K family. The same wafer manufacturing equipment used in the TSMC fab was brought on-line at the WaferTech facility, and WaferTech employees were trained by their counterparts from TSMC Taiwan. Detailed photographic records and other comparison data have been compiled which demonstrate the achievement of the exact replication of the wafer fabrication process.
"WaferTech successfully achieved its goal of low defect density and outstanding yield in the first batch of production-volume wafers," said Denis Berlan, Altera chief operating officer. "The total compatibility of the mask sets and the process between TSMC Taiwan and WaferTech guarantees transparent transfer of product between the two manufacturing lines. Thus, Altera can draw upon multiple sources of high quality silicon to meet our customers' high density PLD needs."
"Further advances in process technology are planned at WaferTech on 0.25- and, eventually, 0.18-micron process as the increasingly complex needs for PLD designs demand more logic density on a shrinking die area," said Cliff Tong, Altera vice president of product marketing. "Altera plans to take advantage of the these future process technology shrinks in its upcoming Raphael family, which will offer million-plus gate densities."
The realization of production volume wafers from WaferTech is a further step in the manufacturing relationship between Altera Corporation and TSMC, with the U.S. fab providing important geographic diversification. Altera holds an 18 percent equity stake in the WaferTech joint venture.
Safe Harbor Notice
This press release contains "forward looking statements" which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward looking statements are generally preceded by words such as "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "projects," or "intends." Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements in this release involve risks and uncertainty, including without limitation the risk that planned products will not be introduced as currently anticipated. Please refer to the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, copies of which are available from the Company without charge, for further information.
About Altera
Altera Corporation, founded in 1983, is a worldwide leader in high-performance, high-density programmable logic devices and associated computer aided engineering (CAE) logic development tools. Programmable logic devices are semiconductor chips that offer on-site programmability to customers. The chips are programmed using tools that run on personal computers or engineering workstations. User benefits include ease of use, lower risk, and fast time-to-market. The company offers the broadest line of CMOS programmable logic devices that address high-speed, high-density, and low-power applications. Altera products serve a broad range of markets, including telecommunications, data communications, computers, and industrial applications. Altera common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol ALTR. More information on Altera can be obtained on the worldwide web at http://www.altera.com.
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