News & Events
Intersil Wins UDO Laser Driver Design with Plasmon Corporation

-- Plasmon to use Intersil's write-strategy blue laser drivers in Ultra Density Optical (UDO) storage drives

IRVINE, CA, November 13, 2002 – Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ: ISIL), a world leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog and wireless networking solutions, today announced that its new write-strategy blue laser diode drivers have been selected by Plasmon Corporation for use in their UDO data storage drives. Intersil’s Elantec™ laser driver ICs help facilitate cost-effective, high performance, high capacity data recording and archiving in Plasmon’s UDO drives.

“Plasmon’s selection of our new write-strategy blue laser drivers for use in their high capacity storage systems affirms Intersil’s continued leadership and outstanding customer support in optical storage technology,” said Stephen P. Sacarisen, director of Strategic Marketing for Intersil’s Elantec Optical Storage Products. “Our EL6900 blue laser drivers helped make this UDO application possible and solidifies Plasmon’s position as a leading provider of professional optical storage solutions. We are at the threshold of a very exciting future for blue laser technology and look forward to expanding our technology leadership through partnerships with leading companies such as Plasmon.”

“Intersil has long been recognized as the industry leader offering state-of-the-art products in laser driver technology for optical storage products,” said Dr Chris Harris, president of Plasmon, Inc. “Intersil’s expertise in laser drivers will enable Plasmon to offer UDO products that leverage the increased storage capabilities of blue laser technology.”

Intersil’s Elantec laser diode driver family provides improved waveform fidelity, increased output current, lower power dissipation and reduced noise to enable higher speed CD-Read and Read/Write and DVD-Recordable designs. To learn more about Intersil’s optical storage (CD and DVD recordable) devices and solutions, visit the Intersil Web site at http://www.intersil.com/cda/application_e/0,1293,36,00.html

Plasmon and Ultra Density Optical (UDO) Technology
UDO is the next generation of 5.25" professional optical storage technology. It utilizes blue laser and phase change media recording technology to provide a quantum leap in data storage densities. Plasmon’s first generation UDO products will offer 30GB in storage capacity and are scheduled to ship in August 2003. Future generations will increase capacity to 60GB and 120GB and will provide full backward read compatibility. UDO is the application of Blu-ray consumer recording technology to the professional optical storage market. Blu-ray is the proposed successor to DVD and provides the storage capacity needed to record a 2-hour HDTV video onto a single-sided disk.

About Plasmon
In the USA, Plasmon develops and manufactures optical disk drives and a range of Magneto Optical, CD/DVD and tape libraries at its ISO-9001 certified facilities in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Typical end-users of Plasmon products include banks, hospitals, insurance companies and government departments where the secure archiving of large amounts of data are primary requirements. In North America, contact Plasmon at: 400 Inverness Drive South, Suite 310, Englewood, Colorado 80112; tel: 800.451.6845 or 720.873.2500.
Internet: http://www.plasmon.com
e-mail: sales@plasmon.com.

Intersil + Elantec Means More for Our Customers
Intersil Corporation is a global semiconductor leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog and wireless networking solutions. The acquisition of Elantec Semiconductor, Inc., expanded Intersil’s product portfolios to address four fast growing markets – flat panel displays, optical storage (CD and DVD recordable), power management and wireless networking. Intersil brings added customer value in providing complete silicon, software and reference design solutions to new products that enhance the computing experience for people wherever they live, work or travel. For more information about Intersil or to find out how to become a member of our winning team, visit the company's web site and career page at: www.intersil.com This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements are based upon Intersil Corporation’s (“Intersil”) management’s current expectations, estimates, beliefs, assumptions, and projections about Intersil’s, and its Elantec Product Group’s (“Elantec”), business and industry. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “predicts,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “potential,” “continue,” and variations of these words (or negatives of these words) or similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections, or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various risk factors. Important risk factors that may cause such material differences for Intersil in the blue laser optical storage market include, but are not limited to: the continued slowdown in the technology sector; the rate at which consumers purchase devices containing optical data storage devices, the rate at which consumers adopt Elantec’s optical storage (CD and DVD recordable), video and communications technologies and products; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders; the ability of our customers to manage inventory; the loss of a key customer; the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products; silicon wafer pricing and the availability and quality of our foundry capacity and raw materials; availability, pricing, and quality of third party foundry and assembly and test capacity and raw materials; fluctuations in the manufacturing yields of our third party foundries and assembly and test facilities, and other problems or delays in the fabrication, assembly, testing or delivery of our products; the risks of producing products with new suppliers and at new fabrication and assembly and test facilities; problems or delays that we may face in shifting our products to smaller geometry process technologies; the effectiveness of Intersil’s expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; the risks inherent in acquisitions, including the acquisition of Elantec Semiconductor, Inc. (including integration issues; costs and unanticipated expenditures; changing relationships with customers, suppliers, and strategic partners; potential contractual, employment, and intellectual property issues; and risks that the anticipated benefits of the acquisition are not realized); intellectual property disputes, customer indemnification claims, and other litigation risks; Intersil’s ability to develop, market, and transition to volume production new products and technologies in a timely manner; the quality of Intersil’s products and any repair or replacement costs; the risks and uncertainties associated with Intersil’s global operations, particularly in light of the U.S. war against terrorism; the effects of natural disasters, international conflicts and other events beyond our control; the level of orders received and the ability to fill those orders in a given fiscal quarter; and other factors. Intersil’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Intersil filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) (which you may obtain for free at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov) discuss some of the important risk factors that may affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this communication and Intersil undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements. Elantec is a trademark of Intersil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.
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