Matrix Semiconductor Receives the 100th U.S. Patent

normal> Business Wire May 10, 2005 SANTA CLARA, CA News -

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Normal > Matrix Semiconductor announced today that it has obtained the hundredth patent related to three-dimensional integrated circuit technology from the US Patent and Trademark Office. This important milestone shows the progress made by Matrix in the design, development and manufacture of 3D integrated circuits.

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Normal > The hundredth patent describes the Segmented Wordline architecture developed for Matrix® 3-D memory (3DM) . This new architecture can significantly increase silicon efficiency, enabling it to produce today's smallest 1G silicon memory products in an area of 31 mm2 (please refer to today 's announcement by Matrix Semiconductor ).

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Normal > Matrix Semiconductor is the first company to commercialize 3-D monolithic ICs. Seeking to gradually increase the integration level or the storage density of silicon has long been the long-term pursuit of the entire industry. As the fundamental limit of traditional two-dimensional semiconductor products is quickly reached, the study of three-dimensional design becomes more and more important.

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Normal > Dennis Segers , president and chief executive officer of Matrix Semiconductor , said: “For companies of this size, it is a very rare phenomenon to establish such a huge basic intellectual property entity. This is an important milestone for the founder and engineering research team. The evidence of innovation, dedication and foresight."

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The key to the normal > Matrix approach is that it can effectively use 3D space to achieve breakthrough results through the use of traditional materials and manufacturing methods. While other approaches have sought to use expensive manufacturing and packaging methods, Matrix 's approach allows companies to break through the most important obstacle—to achieve low cost—to develop true three-dimensional integrated circuits.

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Normal > The first product based on these innovative technologies is the Matrix 3DM , which is a cost-effective, programmable, permanent, non-volatile memory. Matrix 3DM has begun mass shipments, and it can only meet the needs of portable device content publishing markets including handheld computers, mobile phones, portable audio and video players, advanced toys and game consoles. Mattel (JuiceBox(TM)) and Sharp (electronic dictionary) are the first companies to use Matrix 3DM in current retail products .

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Normal > About Matrix Semiconductor

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Normal > Matrix Semiconductor, Inc.