Tessera Advances Image Sensor Packaging with SHELLCASE MVP Technology

2008-03-19 01:24:07 -

www.tessera.com - Tessera Julie Seymour, +1-408-383-3602 jseymour@tessera.com or JHG-Townsend for Tessera Liya Sharif / Lori Scribner, +1-858-457-4888 Tessera_Team@jhg.com Tessera Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: TSRA), a leading provider of miniaturization technologies for the electronics industry, today announced the availability of its SHELLCASE(R) MVP wafer-level chip-scale packaging (WLCSP) solution, the latest generation of the company's image sensor packaging technology.

Announced at Image Sensors Europe, held in London from March 18-20, 2008, the SHELLCASE MVP solution addresses market demand for more advanced technologies in image sensor packaging, including a thinner package, higher yield, enhanced reliability and lower cost. The new technology, which is one of the industry's first Through Silicon Via (TSV) solutions, provides manufacturers with the ability to develop thinner, more sophisticated consumer devices faster at a lower overall cost. The SHELLCASE MVP solution also enables manufacturers to utilize image sensor wafers without requiring any chip design modification, providing additional time and cost savings.

The SHELLCASE MVP solution targets original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and camera module manufacturers building lower profile, thinner and more sophisticated consumer devices for camera phones, digital cameras, PDAs and laptops, as well as digital scanners and fingerprint identification devices. Compliance with JEDEC Level 1 moisture sensitivity requirements also makes the new technology suitable for automotive and other market segments which require higher reliability.

"The proliferation of camera modules in a growing range of applications is driving the need for thinner, lower cost and more reliable image sensor packaging, and with our latest SHELLCASE technology, manufacturers will be able to easily meet these demands," said Michael Bereziuk, chief operating officer, Tessera. "With our SHELLCASE MVP solution, OEMs and camera module manufacturers will have all these benefits without needing to modify or redesign the image sensor wafer used, resulting in reduced costs and accelerated the time-to-market."

The SHELLCASE MVP solution is based on Tessera's proven SHELLCASE wafer-level packaging technology, which is currently available in high-volume manufacturing and has seen widespread adoption. In 2007, more than 400,000 8-inch wafers were packaged using Tessera's SHELLCASE technology. Current licensees are able to use their existing infrastructure to quickly adopt the SHELLCASE MVP technology, in addition to leveraging legacy processes and toolsets for reduced initial investment, faster time-to-market and improved return on investment (ROI).

"Our SHELLCASE MVP offering brings innovative via-through-pad technology to the market, making it one of the first available TSV solutions," said Bents Kidron, vice president of marketing, wafer-level packaging technologies, Tessera. "Not only will it decrease overall manufacturing costs with the added benefit of supporting legacy systems, but the SHELLCASE MVP solution will also provide a longer-term manufacturing roadmap with its support for 3D stacking of the image senor and other ICs, such as DSP and Flash memory."

Utilizing an innovative polymeric encapsulated glass-silicon structure to enable image sensing capabilities through the packaging structure, Tessera's SHELLCASE wafer-level packaging technologies ensure a true die-sized package with X/Y dimensions identical to the original chip size and one of the thinnest form factors on the market. Additionally, a special mask design is not required by the image sensor fabrication facility, resulting in reduced costs for mask design and better usability.

The SHELLCASE MVP solution is offered in both cavity and non-cavity formats and leaded or lead-free bump formats and is currently available for licensing from Tessera. For more information, go to: www.tessera.com/technologies/products/wafer_level_csp/.

About SHELLCASE

SHELLCASE wafer-level chip-scale packaging (WLCSP) technology provides high-yield, highly-reliable manufacturing solutions for image sensors used in next generation mobile devices. The technology enables very low profile camera modules while significantly reducing assembly yield loss from contamination, providing OEMs with greater design flexibility and an innovative tool in the development of thinner mobile devices. The SHELLCASE RT solution enables one the thinnest, most cost-effective form factors for image sensor packaging with JEDEC Level 1 reliability, while the SHELLCASE CF solution provides a high-yield, low-cost alternative to traditional Chip on Board (CoB) packaging. The SHELLCASE MVP technology, one of the industry's first Through Silicon Via (TSV) solutions, supports 3D die-stacking of the image sensor with other ICs.

About Tessera

Tessera Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of miniaturization technologies for the electronics industry. The company provides a broad range of advanced packaging, interconnect, and consumer optics solutions which are widely adopted in high-growth markets including consumer, computing, communications, medical and defense electronics. Tessera's customers include the world's top semiconductor companies such as Intel, Samsung, Texas Instruments, Toshiba, Micron and Infineon. The company's stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol TSRA. Tessera is headquartered in San Jose, California. For information call 1.408.894.0700 or go to www.tessera.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ significantly from those projected. Material factors that may cause results to differ from the statements made include delays, setbacks or losses relating to our intellectual property or intellectual property litigations, or any invalidation or limitation of our key patents; fluctuations in our operating results due to the timing of new license agreements and royalties, or due to legal costs; changes in patent laws, regulation or enforcement, or other factors that might affect our ability to protect our intellectual property; the risk of a decline in demand for semiconductor products; failure by the industry to adopt our technologies; competing technologies; the future expiration of our patents; the future expiration of our license agreements and the cessation of related royalty income; the failure or refusal of licensees to pay royalties; failure to achieve the growth prospects and synergies expected from acquisition transactions; and delays and challenges associated with integrating acquired companies with our existing businesses. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. Tessera's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2007 include more information about factors that could affect the company's financial results.

Tessera, the Tessera logo and SHELLCASE are registered trademarks of Tessera. All other company, brand and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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