Ricoh Will Use Sarnoff TakeCharge Design Approach In Analog CMOS Process Families

Technology Enables Ricoh’s Electronic Devices Company To Shorten Time To Market With “First-Time-Right” Robust ESD Design

PRINCETON, NJ/GISTEL, BELGIUM (September 7, 2004) -- Sarnoff Europe of Belgium (www.sarnoffeurope.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sarnoff Corporation (www.sarnoff.com), of Princeton, NJ, today announced that Ricoh Company, Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan (www.ricoh.com) has licensed Sarnoff’s TakeCharge® technology, which allows integrated circuit (IC) designers to create on-chip electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuitry that provides robust specification performance in its first implementation, thus shortening time to market by eliminating costly, time-consuming redesigns.

Initially Ricoh will use TakeCharge for product applications in its analog CMOS family of processes. The technology has been customized to Ricoh’s requirements.

“Ricoh is committed to delivering high-performance, cost-effective products to our customers,” said Akira Nakamura, General Manager. “We are reinforcing that commitment by adding TakeCharge technology to our extensive IC design resources.”

Ricoh is a leading global provider of digital office equipment. Ricoh Electronic Devices Company designs and manufactures ICs for power management, image processing, and other advanced applications.

“TakeCharge is a reliable way to design ICs that work right the first time, and are less costly to manufacture,” said Koen Verhaege, Director, ESD Design Solutions, and Executive Director of Sarnoff Europe, which markets the technology worldwide. “Eliminating the need for redesign gets products into the market faster and saves millions of dollars in additional mask costs.”

TakeCharge also creates smaller I/O sections, making it possible to fit more IC dies on a wafer. Since each wafer yields more chips, manufacturing becomes even more cost-effective.

TakeCharge has been silicon proven in advanced processes down to 65nm CMOS including SOI. TakeCharge technology has been widely licensed by leading IC producers worldwide, including Toshiba, Sony, OKI, JRC, Hynix, Infineon, Altera, PMC-Sierra, and Scintera.

About Ricoh Company, Ltd.
A pioneer in digital office equipment, Ricoh (www.ricoh.com) offers a broad range of office solutions with world class support and services, including MFPs, printers, fax machines, DVD+RW/+R drives and media. With 381 consolidated subsidiaries worldwide, employing approximately 73,200 people, the Ricoh Group posted consolidated total sales of 1,780.2 billion yen ($17.1 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004.

About Sarnoff
Sarnoff Corporation (www.sarnoff.com) produces innovations in electronic, biomedical and information technology that generate successful new products and services for clients worldwide. Founded in 1942 as RCA Laboratories, it develops breakthroughs in ICs, lasers, and imagers; drug discovery, manufacture and delivery; digital TV and video for security, surveillance, and entertainment; high-performance networking; and wireless communications. Sarnoff is a subsidiary of SRI International.

About Sarnoff Europe
Sarnoff Europe (www.sarnoffeurope.com) located in Gistel, Belgium, is a subsidiary company of Sarnoff Corporation. Sarnoff Europe assumes worldwide responsibility for the development and commercialization of the TakeCharge® on-chip ESD protection IP portfolio.