SemiSouth Celebrates Its
Fifth Year of Operation

This up-and-coming silicon carbide supplier is now considered one of the most promising emerging semiconductor companies in the industry

STARKVILLE, Mississippi, May 19, 2006  - A leader in the development of silicon carbide (SiC) electronics materials and power semiconductors, SemiSouth Laboratories celebrates its fifth year of continuous operation on Sunday, May 21. Originally spun out of the SiC research and development activities at Mississippi State University (MSU) in July 2000 by then professors Dr. Jeff Casady and Dr. Mike Mazzola, SemiSouth has rapidly expanded its operation, successfully secured financial backing and is constructing a state-of-the-art SiC semiconductor manufacturing facility in Mississippi scheduled for completion this summer.  

"During the past five years, SemiSouth has grown from a small operation with three full-time employees working out of a research lab at MSU, to an up-and-coming silicon carbide supplier recently named on of the Top Five most promising emerging semiconductor companies at the Semiconductor Venture Fair in San Francisco," said Jeff Casady, President,  CEO and co-founder of SemiSouth.  "Today, the company has 45 employees and we are recruiting professional engineering talent for numerous technical and marketing positions.  Within the next five years, we hope to employ as many as 250 people worldwide.

The Company is focused on developing, manufacturing, and marketing quality high-performance electronic components and materials based on the semiconductor SiC, an emerging semiconductor technology known to have very significant advantages for energy efficient high-power applications.  The key electrical properties of the technology is the ability to handle electrical power up to 10 times better, with higher efficiency, and at much higher temperatures than silicon-based power electronic components.  The true promise of SiC is its ability to make high-end power supplies more energy efficient, run cooler and be physically smaller in size. As an example, SiC power components are expected to increase the "fuel" efficiency of hybrid electric vehicles and help make them more affordable for consumers.