Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: ATDF and UMC to Collaborate in Evaluating and Commercializing New Technologies

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Abstract:
ATDF, the global R&D foundry for the nanoelectronics industry, and UMC (NYSE: UMC; TSE: 2303), a leading global semiconductor foundry and SoC solution provider, have agreed to extend their existing collaboration to evaluate emerging technology products and bring those that are most promising to market.

ATDF and UMC to Collaborate in Evaluating and Commercializing New Technologies

Austin, TX and Hsinchu, Taiwan | Posted on July 12th, 2007

Under the agreement, ATDF and UMC will focus on specialty
technologies-including nanotech and memory designs-that originate with
small companies, university labs, and other organizations. ATDF will
evaluate the technologies that match UMC's manufacturability criteria,
while UMC will work with select innovators to evaluate the
manufacturability and commercialization of their technologies.
"Our partnership with UMC gives technology innovators an important new
resource for implementing their best ideas," said Dave Anderson, ATDF
general manager. "Novel technologies now have a clearer path to a
foundry, which is especially important for smaller participants in the
industry."

Joe Ko, vice president of the Specialty Technology Division at UMC,
said, "This partnership underscores UMC's commitment to stay at the
forefront of semiconductor R&D technologies. It also enhances UMC's
ability to target fabless and startup companies that require a
manufacturing partner to commercialize new ideas and intellectual
property."

Under this program, ATDF will assess feasibility and perform
qualification testing for any innovator willing to engage in the
program. UMC then will review ATDF's test results to select the
potential manufacturing partners.

"This collaboration draws on ATDF's experience in incubating new
technologies for the marketplace," said Dr. Shu Ikeda, ATDF technology
director. "We are pleased to apply that experience to our continuing
partnership with UMC, which affords us the opportunity to bring new
processes and novel technologies from concept to manufacturing."
ATDF and UMC began their relationship in 2006 with three projects aimed
at developing advanced CMOS devices for logic chips. Now nearing
successful completion, these projects include the development of
multi-gate field-effect transistors (MuGFETs), dual work function metal
gates, and mobility enhancement structures.

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About UMC
UMC is a leading global semiconductor foundry that manufactures advanced
process ICs for applications spanning every major sector of the
semiconductor industry. UMC delivers cutting-edge foundry technologies
that enable sophisticated system-on-chip (SoC) designs, including volume
production 90nm, industry-leading 65nm, and mixed signal/RFCMOS. UMC's
10 wafer manufacturing facilities 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 .

About ATDF

ATDF, a wholly owned subsidiary of SEMATECH, is a leading technology R&D
center where research meets manufacturing for semiconductor
manufacturers, equipment and materials suppliers, and others. ATDF
customers can confidentially test new designs, integration
methodologies, and prototype systems while protecting their own
intellectual property, and development partners can work closely with
one another in a custom manufacturing environment. ATDF also develops
baseline processes, accepted industry-wide, that bring new tools and
materials to manufacturing faster, at lower cost. More information can
be found at http://www.atdf.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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Contacts:
UMC Media Contact:
In the USA:
KJ Communications
Eileen Elam
(408) 927-7753

In Taiwan:
UMC
Alex Hinnawi
(886) 2-2700-6999 ext. 6958

ATDF media contact:
Dan McGowan
512-356-3440