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Elantec Unveils Highest-Performance Three Channel Laser Driver

Higher speed, higher current, smaller package EL6247C leads the way to enable over 24X CD-R/W speeds

MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, June 8, 2001 -- Elantec Semiconductor, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNT), a leader in high-performance analog ICs, today announced a new addition to its growing family of industry-standard laser driver products. The new EL6247C is a next-generation laser diode driver that builds on the legacy of the EL6257C, the industry's first highly integrated monolithic laser diode driver. With the introduction of the EL6247C, Elantec continues to offer market-leading laser drivers that enable optical disk drive OEMs to develop faster CD-R/W (read/write) speed drives. Using the EL6247C, OEMs can increase the R/W factor to almost 24X, virtually doubling the fastest R/W times available today.

The EL6247C is a three-channel version of Elantec's industry-standard EL6257C. The EL6247C offers higher speed with a 0.8nsec tr/tf response time, higher current with a 200mA total write channel output current, and a smaller footprint with the 16-pin QSOP package. The EL6247C integrates the three current channels needed for the read, erase, and write laser drive power levels. To reduce laser read noise and eliminate the need for an external oscillator-enable signal, the EL6247C integrates the high frequency modulator (HFM) oscillator with an automatic turn-off feature that assures precision turn-off of the HFM during the write channel enable. This level of integration lowers costs by reducing component count, decreases design time by reducing signal routing, and occupies less board space, thus enabling compact design. The EL6247C is compliant with the Orange Specification Standard for CD-R and CD-R/W write strategy formats.

Steve Sacarisen, Director of Strategic Marketing, Optical Products Group said, "The EL6247C offers the highest performance of any three channel laser driver on the market today. Moreover, with minimal engineering effort, our customers can use the EL6247C to quickly upgrade existing designs to faster R/W speeds. This enables our existing OEMs to bring new optical disk drive products to market more quickly and more cost-effectively."

The EL6247C is available in a 16-pin QSOP package. Production lead-time is 8-10 weeks.

For more information please contact Steve Sacarisen at Elantec Corporate Headquarters, Milpitas, California at 408 - 945-1323 ext. 345 or visit the Company's web site at www.elantec.com. Elantec designs, manufactures, and markets high-performance analog integrated circuits primarily for the video, optical storage, communications and power management markets. The Company targets high-growth commercial markets in which advances in digital integrated circuit technology are driving increasing demand for high-speed, high-performance, and low-power consumption analog circuits.

Certain matters discussed in this press release pertaining to the market trends, product performance, cost effectiveness, and design-in time are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include product introductions by the Company's competitors, competitive pricing pressures, fluctuations in manufacturing yield, changes in the mix or markets in which products are sold, availability and cost of raw materials, and other risks discussed in the Company's most recent Forms 10-Q and 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.