UMC Produces Customer CMOS-MEMS Sensor Products

HSINCHU, Taiwan, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE: UMC; TWSE: 2303) ("UMC"), a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced that the company has produced customer Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensor products, with volume production scheduled for this year. This milestone follows three years of successful MEMS technology development at the foundry.

A customer microphone product using UMC's CMOS-MEMS technology has achieved successful function verification, with highly competitive specifications of above 56dBA for signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio. Engineering samples are scheduled for the first half of this year, with volume production to begin thereafter.  Development of the CMOS-MEMS accelerometer has also met consumer electronics application specifications (1g - 16g) and achieved readiness for volume production.

UMC works with numerous customers to develop a variety of MEMS and highly integrated CMOS-MEMS products for expansion of high-end daily life and environmental monitoring applications for MEMS sensors.  UMC also offers its own array of CMOS process technology options as part of its MEMS-specific ASIC foundry services supporting various MEMS applications.

"Our success with MEMS, a challenging technology, underscores UMC's commitment to offer customers a full range of innovative, high-performance, and compact solutions," said Anchor Chen, senior director of Special Technology Development at UMC.  "UMC is delighted to make major strides in the timely delivery of CMOS-MEMS solutions that enable customers to meet the demanding requirements of today's cutting-edge applications."

As MEMS sensor applications become increasingly popular, demand for CMOS-MEMS foundry services is also rapidly on the rise.  UMC will make this CMOS-MEMS technology available to industry and academia for new component development, with the goals of lowering the barriers of entry for IC design companies and increasing the global competitiveness of Taiwan's MEMS industry.

About UMC

UMC (NYSE: UMC, TSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry that provides advanced technology and manufacturing services for applications spanning every major sector of the IC industry. UMC's customer-driven foundry solutions allow chip designers to leverage the strength of the company's leading-edge processes, which include production proven 65nm, 45/40nm, mixed signal/RFCMOS, and a wide range of specialty technologies. Production is supported through 10 wafer manufacturing facilities that include two advanced 300mm fabs; Fab 12A in Taiwan and Singapore-based Fab 12i are both in volume production for a variety of customer products. The company employs approximately 13,000 people worldwide and has offices in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Europe, 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 future outsourcing, wafer capacity, technologies, 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.

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