TSMC Ships 600,000 0.25-Micron Automotive-Qualified Embedded Flash Wafers

Process Serves a Variety of Automotive Applications

HSINCHU, Taiwan, R.O.C., April 21, 2010-- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. (TWSE: 2330, NYSE: TSM) today announced that it has shipped nearly 600,000 8-inch 0.25-micron AEC-Q100 grade 1 qualified embedded flash (EmbFlash) wafers targeted at a wide variety of automotive applications, accounting for over 720 million microcontrollers (MCUs). Some customers have achieved less-than 0.1 parts per million field failure rate in 2009. 

The less than 0.1 ppm field failure rate is considered exceptional for embedded flash devices, given the limited number of endurance cycles and data retention tests that can be performed during the manufacturing screening process.  TSMC credits a combination of customer test methodology and the company's manufacturing capabilities for achieving this remarkable milestone that is much lower than the typical single digit field failure rate.

TSMC is the first foundry to offer an AEC-Q100 qualified embedded flash process.  AEC-Q100 grade 1 qualification ensures devices manufactured on the process can endure 10,000 write/erase cycles and function under stringent temperature ranging from -40 degrees C to 125 degrees C.

"Shipping 600,000 automotive qualified 8-inch 0.25-micron embedded flash wafers that set standards for endurance and lifelong quality underscores TSMC's on-going commitment to the automotive electronics industry," said director Cheng-Ming Lin, embedded flash business development at TSMC.

About TSMC

TSMC is the world's largest dedicated semiconductor foundry, providing the industry's leading process technology and the foundry's largest portfolio of process-proven libraries, IPs, design tools and reference flows. The Company's managed capacity in 2009 totaled 9.96 million (8-inch equivalent) wafers, including capacity from two advanced 12-inch GIGAFABs™, four eight-inch fabs, one six-inch fab, as well as TSMC's wholly owned subsidiaries, WaferTech and TSMC China, and its joint venture fab, SSMC. TSMC is the first foundry to provide 40nm production capabilities. Its corporate headquarters are in Hsinchu, Taiwan. For more information about TSMC please visit http://www.tsmc.com.