Cypress Commences Volume Shipments of MCUs Based on eCT Embedded Flash Memory Manufactured at UMC

SAN JOSE, Calif. and HSINCHU, Taiwan, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: CY), a leading embedded solutions provider, and United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE: UMC) (TWSE: 2303) ("UMC"), a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced that Cypress has begun volume shipments of microcontrollers (MCUs) containing its proprietary 40nm Embedded Charge-Trap (eCT™) Flash manufactured at UMC. The shipments mark the culmination of a multi-year collaboration between Cypress and UMC to integrate Cypress's flash technology with UMC's 40nm Low Power (40LP) logic process. The 40nm eCT Flash comes in a 0.053 μm² cell size that is approximately 25 percent smaller than the nearest competitor. The eCT Flash macro is capable of 8 nsec random access and 30 μsec word-programming speed, two key attributes engineered for the most-demanding, high-performance applications. In addition, it meets stringent automotive reliability requirements. 

"This is an important milestone for eCT technology and a testimony to the successful partnership between Cypress and UMC; at the current run rate, we will have shipped more than seven million MCUs containing eCT Flash by the end of this year," said Sam Geha, senior vice president of the Memory Products Division at Cypress. "We set out to deliver an embedded Flash technology with the industry's smallest cell size. Leveraging our memory expertise and UMC's process expertise, we were able to fulfill that objective while minimizing mask adders and preserving logic device models. We also integrated automotive-grade reliability and performance, making eCT a key enabler of Cypress's new generation of Traveo™-branded automotive MCU products."

"UMC and Cypress have a long-standing development relationship over many technology generations," said S.C. Chien, senior vice president of Corporate Marketing at UMC. "Our 40LP is a mature, high-volume production technology that appeals to numerous market sectors due to its proven defect density and yields, resulting in considerably reduced costs compared to smaller process geometries, while still addressing power and performance requirements. UMC also helps customers mitigate geographic risk with fabs supporting 40LP in Taiwan, Singapore and China, and we are pleased to extend the benefits of our 40LP process to support Cypress's eCT technology and bring differentiation to their MCUs."

With its small cell size along with high performance and reliability, eCT is an ideal solution for a wide range of applications, from automotive to industrial to consumer. In addition, the scalability enabled by the relatively low cell profile means that eCT technology will ensure a competitive MCU product roadmap through 28nm and beyond.

The eCT Flash macros are also available for licensing from Cypress. For more information on licensing, please contact Cypress at ip_licensing@cypress.com.

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About Cypress
Founded in 1982, Cypress is the leader in advanced embedded system solutions for the world's most innovative automotive, industrial, home automation and appliances, consumer electronics and medical products.  Cypress's programmable systems-on-chip, general-purpose microcontrollers, analog ICs, wireless and USB-based connectivity solutions and reliable, high-performance memories help engineers design differentiated products and get them to market first.  Cypress is committed to providing customers with the best support and engineering resources on the planet enabling innovators and out-of-the-box thinkers to disrupt markets and create new product categories in record time.  To learn more, go to www.cypress.com.

About UMC
UMC (NYSE: UMC, TWSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry that provides advanced IC production for applications spanning every major sector of the electronics industry. UMC's robust foundry solutions enable chip designers to leverage the company's sophisticated technology and manufacturing, which include high volume production 28nm gate-last High-K/Metal Gate technology, ultra-low power platform processes specifically engineered for Internet of Things (IoT) applications and the automotive industry's highest-rated AEC-Q100 Grade-0 manufacturing capabilities for production of ICs found in cars. UMC's 10 wafer fabs are strategically located throughout Asia and are able to produce over 500,000 wafers per month. The company employs more than 18,000 people worldwide, with offices in Taiwan, China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the United States. UMC can be found on the web at http://www.umc.com.

Note From UMC Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements in the foregoing announcement are forward-looking within the meaning of the U.S. Federal Securities laws, including statements about introduction of new services and technologies, future outsourcing, competition, wafer capacity, business relationships and market conditions. Investors are cautioned that actual events and results could differ materially from these statements as a result of a variety of factors, including conditions in the overall semiconductor market and economy; acceptance and demand for products from UMC; and technological and development risks. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in UMC's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. UMC does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.

Cypress and the Cypress logo are registered trademarks and eCT and Traveo are trademarks of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. All other trademarks are property of their owners.

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