Conexant's Selection of HP 94000 CMOS Imaging Test System Underscores Increasing Need for Time-to-Volume Solutions.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 27, 1999--

Major Commitment to CMOS Imaging Will Benefit Consumers by

Accelerating an Extremely Cost-effective Shift Away From CCDs

Hewlett-Packard Company today announced that Conexant Systems Inc. has taken delivery of a second HP 94000 automated test system for verifying high-quality CMOS imaging solutions. Conexant's CMOS imaging chips enable emerging digital-image communications applications, such as PC-based video cameras, videophones, digital cameras, multimedia-capable cellular telephones and personal digital assistants.

"Building leading-edge megapixel CMOS image sensors requires an ally that can provide a quality production test solution to handle both the sensor and embedded processing in a single pass," said Ed Han, director of Test Engineering. "That ally is HP, with its 94000IP. No one else can provide this superior performance."

"CMOS imaging is now one of the most volume-intense technologies, driven by strong consumer demand for multimedia-capable products," said John Scruggs, vice president and general manager of HP's Automated Test Group. "Because the consumer's sharp eyes are the ultimate test system for imaging products, HP and Conexant are committed to the delivery of imaging ICs in high volume. By providing an automated platform optimized for testing mixed-signal CMOS devices at high throughput and low cost, we're helping Conexant gain a stronghold in the exciting emerging market for integrated, end-to-end communications solutions."

"Digital imaging is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world and the key is the on-chip mixed-signal flexibility of the CMOS image sensor," said Conexant's Kevin V. Strong, senior vice president and general manager, Personal Imaging. "Conexant's solutions leverage decades of development of CMOS technology for aerospace imaging applications. Our low-cost chips are changing the landscape of personal communications. Our selection of the HP 94000 is a major commitment and investment in superior test equipment that enables the production of high-volume, high-quality CMOS image sensors at affordable prices."

"The perfection of low-cost, low-power CMOS as an imaging chip is the clear enabler of the exploding imaging market, which is passing a compound growth rate of 83.3 percent between 1998 and 2002," said Hirano Atsushi, image test product marketing manager for HP's Silicon Systems Test Division. "With cell phones and toys targeted to add single-chip cameras to their feature set, time-to-volume manufacturing solutions are required. Winning companies will put products on the shelves without delay. Test systems for the wafer and packaged chip level are the pacing factor in this hot marketplace."

Conexant said it selected the HP 94000 test system because it offers a high level of automation, an integrated light source and test processes specifically designed for CMOS imaging and "camera on a chip" devices. The HP 94000's mixed-signal capabilities fulfill system requirements such as A/D converters, timing chips and sync signal generators, all integrated onto the same device. HP's solution allows Conexant to test both wafers and packaged devices on the same platform. This has streamlined quality procedures and increased test throughput and capacity while reducing test costs. Conexant estimates that using the integrated "total test cell" system has increased throughput fourfold over the previous method.

The HP 94000 test system cost-effectively validates high-resolution imaging devices at high-frame and clock rates, enabling use of CMOS imagers in high-quality, low-cost video applications. Conexant can also build and test larger CMOS imaging devices for OEMs, based on the HP 94000 test system's scalability to test imagers of up to 16 megapixels with up to 40MHz data rates.

Additional information on HP's Semiconductor Test solutions can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com/go/semiconductor.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services for business and home -- is focused on capitalizing on the opportunities of the Internet and the proliferation of electronic services.

HP plans to launch Agilent Technologies as an independent company by mid-calendar 2000. Agilent consists of HP's test and measurement, semiconductor products, chemical analysis and healthcare solutions businesses, and has leading positions in multiple market segments.

HP has 123,500 employees worldwide and had total revenue of $47.1 billion in its 1998 fiscal year. Information about HP, its products and the company's Year 2000 program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.