Vishay Siliconix Releases Breakthrough TrenchFET® Gen II Power MOSFET Technology

N-Channel Devices Achieve 3-mΩ rDS(on) and Qg of 45 nC in SO-8 Footprint

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA — September 2, 2003 — A next-generation TrenchFET® technology yielding devices that redefine state of the art for power MOSFETs was announced today by Siliconix incorporated (NASDAQ: SILI), an 80.4%-owned subsidiary of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE: VSH).

Siliconix is using this new platform to build the industry's first power MOSFET to break the 4-milliohm barrier in the SO-8 footprint.

Products built on TrenchFET Gen II technology are based on a 300-million-cells-per-square-inch platform offering a specific on-resistance of 12 mΩ /mm², a 30% improvement over previous-generation silicon. In addition to its higher cell density, TrenchFET Gen II uses a new stripe topology that reduces mask count by 28%, optimizing turnaround and reducing costs.

The first products built on the new technology are the 30-V n-channel Si4320DY (LITTLE FOOT® SO-8) and Si7356DP (PowerPAK® SO-8), both of which are designed to serve as high-performing, cost-effective solutions for low-side operation in synchronous buck dc-to-dc converters in notebook computers, and for secondary synchronous rectification in fixed telecom applications. Their record-breaking on-resistance specifications are 4 mΩ at 4.5 V and 3 mΩ at 10 V - values that are 17% and 14% lower, respectively, than the next-best competing devices. A high threshold voltage and low Q_gd/Q_gs ratio of 0.8 offer substantial shoot-thru protection and add to efficiency by providing a good margin for noise and voltage spikes.

The new Si4320DY and Si7356DP provide efficient in-circuit performance that reduces power consumption and prolongs battery life in end systems. This increased efficiency allows systems to run cooler and thereby contributes to a cycle in which on-resistance and conduction losses are further reduced. A typical application circuit test on a dual-phase evaluation board demonstrates a gain of nearly 1% in efficiency and a reduction of device temperature by 7°C.

Siliconix was industry's first supplier to introduce Trench power MOSFETs. The company's TrenchFET® IP includes numerous patents, including fundamental technology patents dating from the early 1980s.

Samples and production quantities of the Si4320DY and Si7356DP are available now with lead times of four to six weeks for larger orders.

Siliconix is a leading manufacturer of power MOSFETs, power ICs, analog switches, and multiplexers for computers, cell phones, fixed communications networks, automobiles, and other consumer and industrial electronic systems. With 2002 worldwide sales of $372.9 million, the Company's facilities include a Class 1 wafer fab dedicated to the manufacture of power products in Santa Clara, California, and an affiliated Class 1 wafer fab located in Itzehoe, Germany. The Company's products are also fabricated by subcontractors in Japan, Germany, China, and Taiwan. Assembly and test facilities include a company-owned facility in Taiwan, a joint venture in Shanghai, China, and subcontractors in the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Israel, and the United States.

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.