Vishay Adds to "L Series" Low-Voltage Analog Switches and Multiplexers With New High-Reliability Versions in CerDIP and 20-Pin LCC Packages

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA — September 25, 2003 — Two new high-reliability package options for the "L Series" of low-voltage analog switches and multiplexers were announced today by Siliconix incorporated (NASDAQ: SILI), an 80.4%-owned subsidiary of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE: VSH).

Now available in both the CerDIP and 20-pin LCC packages, as well as in the narrow-body SOIC-16 and TSSOP-16, devices in the Vishay Siliconix L Series are pin- and function-compatible companions to higher-voltage CMOS industry-standard analog switches and are the industry's first such low-voltage products built to MIL-STD-883.

Delivering faster, more accurate signal processing performance with lower power consumption, L Series analog switches and multiplexers in the new CerDIP and LCC packages are intended for use in military and aerospace systems, including battery-powered equipment and communications. A -55 °C to +125 °C operating temperature range ensures reliable performance in rugged environments.

The high-bandwidth L Series devices include five monolithic quad SPST analog switches (DG411L,DG412L,DG413L, DG441L,and DG442L), two single SPST analog switches (DG417L and DG418L), a single SPDT analog switch (DG419L), and two precision analog multiplexers: the 8-channel DG408L and the dual 4-channel DG409L.

The devices' basic DG-part-number nomenclature gives designers both the flexibility of a recognizable standard and the ability to choose the best part for a given application. For example, a designer familiar with the DG409 for 12-V to 44?-V applications may choose to incorporate the DG409L for 12-V down to 3-V applications.

Typical turn-on time for the L Series analog switches is just 20 ns - compared with up to 150 ns for industry-standard versions - while a 3?dB insertion loss at 280 MHz allows higher bandwidth operation. Providing the widest dynamic range with low signal errors and distortion, superior off-isolation performance of -71 dB at 50 MHz virtually eliminates crosstalk.

The DG408L and DG409L multiplexers offer a threefold or better performance improvement compared with the previous-generation DG408 and DG409. Maximum on-resistance in the new devices is reduced to 29 Ω from 100 Ω, typical transition time is cut to 30 ns from 160 ns, and turn-on time is lowered by a third - to 38 ns from 115 ns. Off-isolation is -70 dB at 1 MHz.

Allowing designers to take advantage of the power savings of lower supply voltages, devices in the L Series are specified for 2.7-V to 12-V single supplies or +/-3-V or +/-6-V dual-supply operation. Maximum on-resistance ranges of only 29 Ω to 80 Ω provide low power consumption, while flat performance over the full drain voltage and temperature range provides less variation between signals. All 10 devices provide a simple logic interface, break-before-make switching action, and ESD protection to 2000 V.

Samples and production quantities of L Series analog switches and multiplexers in all four package types are available now, with lead times of eight 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.