New Vishay Siliconix 40-V and 60-V MOSFETs Feature Industry's First Combination of High 3.4-V Threshold Voltage and Low 2.7-mΩ On-Resistance for High-Temperature Automotive Applications

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — April 20, 2005 — Siliconix incorporated (NASDAQ: SILI), an 80.4%-owned subsidiary of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE: VSH), today announced the industry's first n-channel MOSFETs that combine a high 3.4-V threshold voltage with on-resistance as low as 2.7 milliohms.

The 10 new MOSFETs, available in 40-V and 60-V versions, are intended for use in high-temperature, high-current applications with inductive loads in the automotive, industrial, and fixed telecom industries, such as high-side switches, motor drives, and 12-V boardnets.

When MOSFETs operate in high-temperature, high-current environments, they can turn on spontaneously if their threshold voltage, impacted by heat, starts to approach 0 V. Until now, this posed a dilemma for designers. One solution was the addition of a negative voltage driver to the circuit, but the drawbacks were increased circuit size, cost, and complexity. Another solution would be to use a device with a high threshold voltage, but the effect in this case is an undesirable increase in on-resistance.

This new power MOSFET family provides a way out of this dilemma with high-density silicon technology that allows the same device to deliver both low on-resistance and a high threshold voltage that avoids the problem of spontaneous turn-on in automotive, industrial, and other applications involving high temperatures and high levels of current.

Available in the DPAK, D2PAK, and PowerPAK® SO-8 packages, samples and production quantities of the new MOSFETs are available now with lead times of 10 to 12 weeks for larger orders.

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.