TriQuint Semiconductor Wins DARPA Contract To Develop Gallium Nitride High Power Wideband Module;...

HILLSBORO, Ore. -- TriQuint Semiconductor (Nasdaq:TQNT), a leading supplier of microwave and millimeter wave products for the defense industry, today announced that it has been awarded a multi-year contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop high power wide band

amplifiers in gallium nitride. Gallium nitride High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) devices provide the higher power density and efficiency required for high power phased array radar, electronic warfare, missile seeker and communications systems. The Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, Md., is the contracting activity (W911QX-05-C-0087).

The contract is in two phases. The first phase, lasting three years and valued at $15.8 million, covers the development of gallium nitride material and devices to improve performance and reliability. The second, optional phase covers years four and five and is valued at $15.9 million. This phase will develop gallium nitride high power, wide band amplifiers and package technology for insertion into Department of Defense (DoD) systems.

TriQuint is the prime contractor and is teamed with BAE Systems, Emcore Corporation, II-VI Incorporated, Lockheed Martin and Nitronex on the program. University partners Dr. Michael Shur of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Dr. Jesus del Alamo of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are also participating. The program tasks include material optimization, device development, MMIC development and module demonstration. The contract emphasizes reliability, yield, uniformity and reproducibility. The program also includes a MMIC validation process. At the end of the five-year program, TriQuint Semiconductor will have a reliable, reproducible and stable gallium nitride process suitable for DoD and commercial applications.

"TriQuint is very excited to be leading a highly qualified team in the development of this new technology. Gallium nitride offers a five-fold improvement in power density compared to gallium arsenide devices, and makes it ideal for high power radar and communications applications," said Mr. Anthony Balistreri, TriQuint's program manager for research and development. "TriQuint looks forward to providing high volume, cost effective foundry services and standard products based on gallium nitride."

"We have assembled an excellent team, with strengths in the key areas called out in the program requirements," said Dr. Paul Saunier, TriQuint's principal investigator. "The team will combine talent and experience to minimize risk and reduce development time, leading to a successful development effort."

TriQuint has worked with gallium nitride since 1999 under the sponsorship of Lockheed Martin, as well as its own funding. Other team members have also been active in gallium nitride technology development and have demonstrated promising results in terms of performance and reliability.

ABOUT TRIQUINT:

TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. (Nasdaq:TQNT) is a leading supplier of high performance products for communications applications. The company focuses on the specialized expertise, materials and know-how for RF/IF and optical applications. The company enjoys diversity in its markets, applications, products, technology and customer base. Markets include wireless phones, base stations, optical networks, broadband and microwave equipment, and aerospace and defense. TriQuint provides customers with standard and custom product solutions as well as foundry services. Products are based on advanced process technologies including gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, silicon germanium, and surface acoustic wave (SAW). TriQuint customers include major communications companies worldwide. TriQuint has manufacturing facilities in Oregon, Texas, Pennsylvania and Florida, as well as production assembly plants in Costa Rica and Mexico, and design centers in New England, Germany and Taiwan. All manufacturing and production facilities are certified to the ISO9001 international quality standard.

TriQuint is headquartered at 2300 NE Brookwood Parkway, Hillsboro, Ore. 97124 and can be reached at 503-615-9000 (fax 503-615-8900). Visit the TriQuint web site at http://www.triquint.com.

ABOUT LOCKHEED MARTIN:

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.

ABOUT BAE SYSTEMS:

BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery and support of advanced defense and aerospace systems in the air, on land, at sea and in space.

BAE Systems North America is one of America's foremost national security, aerospace and information systems companies. It is a leading provider of electronic and information-based systems and knowledge-based solutions that meet its customers' mission effectiveness and operational safety needs. BAE Systems North America employs more than 30,000 people at sites across the United States and the United Kingdom and generates more than $5 billion in annual sales.

ABOUT M.I.T.:

The mission of Massachusetts Institute of Technology is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

ABOUT THE RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE:

Professor Michael Shur's group at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is involved in wide band gap semiconductor modeling and characterization. The group currently works on millimeter and sub-millimeter wave applications of short channel nitride devices and on nitride based deep UV emitters and Surface Acoustic Wave devices. (http://nina.ecse.rpi.edu/shur/)

ABOUT NITRONEX CORPORATION (www.nitronex.com)

Nitronex is a privately held developer and manufacturer of advanced Gallium Nitride (GaN) on Silicon based products and innovative technology for the worldwide electronics industry. GaN on silicon technology can enable a wide variety of new products with significant performance and/or cost advantages in multiple markets including: wireless, power management, military communications, automotive, and LED lighting.

ABOUT THE II-VI INCORPORATED, WIDE BANDGAP MATERIALS GROUP:

The Wide Bandgap Materials (WBG) Division of II-VI Incorporated's (Nasdaq:IIVI) Compound Semiconductor Group has the strategic goal to become the leading volume supplier of affordable, high performance wide bandgap semiconductor materials. This group currently manufactures and markets high quality single crystal silicon carbide substrates for use in the wireless infrastructure, RF electronics, power switching and solid-state lighting industries. The group enjoys a large, and worldwide customer base and has two facilities located in Pine Brook, N.J. and Saxonburg, Pa. Visit the WBG web site at http://www.iiviwbg.com/ and the II-VI Incorporated web site at http://www.ii-vi.com/.

ABOUT EMCORE CORPORATION

Emcore Corporation offers a broad portfolio of compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber optic, satellite, and wireless communications markets. The company's integrated solutions philosophy embodies state-of-the-art technology, material science expertise, and a shared vision of our customer's goals and objectives to be leaders in the transport of voice, data, and video over copper, hybrid fiber/coax (HFC), fiber, satellite, and wireless networks. Emcore's solutions include: optical components and subsystems for fiber-to-the-premise, cable television, and high speed data and telecommunications networks; solar cells, solar panels, and fiber optic ground station links for global satellite communications; and electronic materials for high bandwidth wireless communications systems, such as Wi-Fi Internet access and cell phones. Through its joint venture participation in GELcore, LLC, Emcore plays a vital role in developing and commercializing next-generation High-Brightness LED technology for use in the general and specialty illumination markets.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements such as statements of the Company's plans, objective, expectations and intentions involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors affect TriQuint's operating results and could cause the company's actual future results to differ materially from any results indicated in this press release or in any other forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of TriQuint, including those related to its respective markets, the demand for semiconductors for applications such as optical networks and wireless communications, the demand for products utilizing SAW technology, and performance of its manufacturing facilities. TriQuint cannot provide any assurance that future results will meet expectations. Results could differ materially based on various factors, including the company's performance and market conditions. In addition, historical information should not be considered an indicator of future performance. Additional considerations and important risk factors are described in TriQuint's reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports can also be accessed at the SEC web site, www.sec.gov.

The cautionary statements made in this release should be read as being applicable to all related statements wherever they appear. Statement containing such words as "believes," "expects," "plans," "projects," "intends," "estimates," "anticipates," or similar terms are considered to contain uncertainty and are forward looking statements. A reader of this release should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify risk factors and should not consider the list to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. We do not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statements.