FORM 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
For the month of April 2005
TOWER SEMICONDUCTOR LTD.
(Translation of registrant's name into English)
P.O. BOX 619, MIGDAL HAEMEK, ISRAEL 23105
(Address of principal executive offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form 20-F [X] Form 40-F [_]
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information
contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the
Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Yes [_] No [X]
On April 6, 2005, the Registrant announced that Tower's 0.18-micron
technology platform enables QuickLogic to ramp production of power-optimized
eclipse II products. Attached hereto is a copy of the press release.
This Form 6-K is being incorporated by reference into all effective
registration statements filed by us under the Securities Act of 1933.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
TOWER SEMICONDUCTOR LTD.
Date: April 6, 2005 By: /S/ Nati Somekh Gilboa
--------------------------
Nati Somekh Gilboa
Corporate Secretary
TOWER'S 0.18-MICRON TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM ENABLES QUICKLOGIC TO RAMP
PRODUCTION OF POWER-OPTIMIZED ECLIPSE II PRODUCTS
Joint Achievements Open up New Markets for Both Companies
MIGDAL HAMAEK, Israel, and SUNNYVALE, CA, April 06, 2005 - Tower Semiconductor
Ltd. (NASDAQ: TSEM; TASE: TSEM) and QuickLogic corporation (Nasdaq:QUIK)
announced today that newly updated performance data on the QuickLogic Eclipse II
family of uWatt FPGA products clearly establishes a new industry benchmark in
low power performance. Manufactured in a 0.18-micron, six-layer metal CMOS
process, the Eclipse II family features standby currents as low as 14
micro-Amps.
"Tower's advanced technology platform, supported by excellent customer service,
combined to give our products a competitive edge for applications where every
micro-Watt counts," said Tom Hart, QuickLogic's Chairman, President and CEO.
"QuickLogic's uWatt FPGA and uWatt Programmable Bridging products are gaining
significant traction in the portable application space. Additionally, the
devices' support of the industrial temperature range makes them ideally suitable
for rugged working environments, where active cooling systems or heat sinks are
not feasible due to reliability or form factor requirements."
QuickLogic uWatt programmable technology provides designers of mobile embedded
systems multiple solutions for applications that demand ultra-low power. Eclipse
II devices are smaller and consume less power compared to SRAM and Flash-based
FPGAs and offer higher system performance than CPLDs. They are enabling
predominantly connectivity and bridging functions in a variety of handheld and
wireless applications such as PDAs, tablet PCs, Smartphones and gaming.
"The move to Tower's 0.18-micron process, as well as the intense engineering
collaboration between our companies enhanced the product's low leakage, low
power characteristics," said Doron Simon, president of Tower Semiconductor USA,
Inc. "Tower's 0.18-micron technology platform has enabled QuickLogic to ramp
production of an optimized set of programmable products, opening up new high
volume market opportunities for both companies".
ABOUT QUICKLOGIC
QuickLogic Corporation (Nasdaq:QUIK) invented and has pioneered the Embedded
Standard Product (ESP) architecture, with the introduction of first products in
1998. ESPs are semiconductor devices that deliver the guaranteed performance,
lower cost and lower risk of standard products, coupled with the flexibility and
time-to-market benefits of programmable logic. QuickLogic's proprietary ViaLink
metal-to-metal interconnect technology offers significant benefits - including
very low power at high performance levels - to our customers and is the
foundation of our ESP product families, as well as our core FPGA products.
Founded in 1988, the company is located at 1277 Orleans Drive, Sunnyvale, CA
94089-1138. For more information please visit the QuickLogic web site at
www.quicklogic.com.
ABOUT TOWER SEMICONDUCTOR LTD.
Tower Semiconductor LTD. is a pure-play independent wafer foundry established in
1993. The company manufactures integrated circuits with geometries ranging from
1.0 to 0.13 micron; it also provides complementary technical services and design
support. In addition to digital CMOS process technology, Tower offers advanced
non-volatile memory solutions, mixed-signal and CMOS image-sensor technologies.
To provide world-class customer service, the company maintains two manufacturing
facilities: Fab 1 has process technologies from 1.0 to 0.35 micron and can
produce up to 16,000 150mm wafers per month. Fab 2 features 0.18-micron and
below process technologies, including foundry-standard technology and can
produce today up to 15,000 200mm wafers per month. The Tower web site is located
at www.towersemi.com.
SAFE HARBOR
THIS PRESS RELEASE INCLUDES FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO
RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES. ACTUAL RESULTS MAY VARY FROM THOSE PROJECTED OR IMPLIED
BY SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. A COMPLETE DISCUSSION OF RISKS AND
UNCERTAINTIES THAT MAY AFFECT THE ACCURACY OF FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
INCLUDED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE OR WHICH MAY OTHERWISE AFFECT OUR BUSINESS IS
INCLUDED UNDER THE HEADING "RISK FACTORS" IN OUR MOST RECENT ANNUAL REPORT ON
FORMS 20-F AND 6-K, AS WERE FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
AND THE ISRAEL SECURITIES AUTHORITY.
CONTACTS
Pacifico Inc.
PR Agency Contact
Mary Curtis, +1 408 293 8600
mcurtis@pacifico.com
Tower Semiconductor USA:
Michael Axelrod, +1 408 330 6871
pr@towersemi.com
QuickLogic:
Andrea Vedanayagam, +1 408 990 4000
andrea@quicklogic.com