Vishay Chairman and CEO Announces Technology Breakthroughs at electronica 2000 Trade Show in Germany

MALVERN, PENNSYLVANIA - December 8, 2000 - Dr. Felix Zandman, Chairman and CEO of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE: VSH), announced several technology breakthroughs during a noon press conference at the electronica 2000 trade show in Munich, Germany. Electronica 2000, Europe's largest trade show devoted to components and assemblies in electronics, ran from November 21 through 24 at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre. Innovations discussed by Dr. Zandman included the following:

The Vishay Z201 ultra-performance Bulk Metal® foil resistor, which combines the lowest ever temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), 0.2 ppm/°C Mil range, with tolerance to 0.005%. The Z201 aerospace and instrumentation resistor provides a five-fold TCR improvement over the best previously available foil resistor and a ten-fold improvement over standard foil resistors.

The Vishay FunctionPAK, a high-efficiency, fully integrated buck/boost DC/DC converter that includes passive and semiconductor components and does not require any external components. This device is the smallest in the industry, with a profile of only 1.8 mm. Its features include 2 MHz switching frequency, 100% duty cycle, power density of more than 80 W/inch 3, 2.7 to 6v input range, and -40° C to +85° C temperature range. Packaging is available in both BGA and LGA.

Vishay Siliconix PowerPAK power MOSFET package technology, a breakthrough for high power density applications. It provides greatly improved thermal performance for power conversion and power management circuitry in notebook and desktop computers, communications networks, and handheld information appliances. The new packaging technology will enable devices with thermal resistance of <1°C/W, or approximately the same as a twice-as-large, twice-as-thick DPAK power MOSFET. By comparison, thermal resistance is 16°C/W for a single-channel, standard SO-8.

Vishay Siliconix TrenchFETs® built on a 178-million-cells-per-square-inch process, a more than five-fold improvement over the previous state of the art, i.e., 32 million cells per square inch. This process makes possible record-breaking 2mO, 30V power MOSFETs for power management and power conversion in end products from cell phones to the fixed communications infrastructure that powers the internet. The r(on) resistance is now reduced by 30%.

Vishay Siliconix MICRO FOOT® chip-scale power MOSFET technology, which reduces mobile power management space requirements by 70% and thickness by 50%. New MICRO FOOT power MOSFETs will serve at low-power, low-duty-cycle applications such as cell phone power management and power conversion, where their small size and height will enable slimmer end products with a broader range of features. It is the smallest and thinnest device of its kind available.

These breakthroughs in passive-component and semiconductor technology, part of the 18 new products and technologies announced at electronica 2000, highlight Vishay's position as a global leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of electronic components. In his press conference today, Dr. Zandman also summarized key market factors and outlined Vishay's strategic direction. In conclusion, he noted that: Vishay is a high-growth company; Increasing demand for Vishay products is driven by growing reliance on electronics in the telecommunications, computer, automotive, consumer, industrial, medical, and military markets; Vishay's dramatic growth has been guided by a skilled and experienced management team; Vishay's investment in R&D yields a steady stream of new products and technologies; An aggressive acquisition strategy and a continuing commitment to product innovation have enabled Vishay to become a global industry leader; Vishay's focus on its broad product line and cost reduction provide a competitive edge during industry upturns and downturns.

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc., a Fortune 1,000 Company listed on the NYSE (VSH), is one of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors (diodes, rectifiers, transistors, and optoelectronics and selected ICs) and passive electronic components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, sensors, and transducers). These components are used in virtually all types of electronic devices and equipment, in the industrial, computing, automotive, consumer, telecommunications, military, aerospace, and medical markets. Its product innovations, successful acquisition strategy, and ability to provide "one-stop shop" service have made Vishay a global industry leader. Vishay can be found on the Internet at http://www.vishay.com.