IQE plc : IQE wins Company of the Year title at...

Cardiff, UK, 27 March 2013: IQE plc (AIM: IQE, "IQE" or the "Group"), the leading global supplier of advanced semiconductor wafer products and services to the semiconductor industry, has won the prestigious "Company of the Year" title at the inaugural ESTNet awards. 

The awards ceremony was organized by ESTNet, the network for organisations in the electronics and software technologies sector.

The Company of the Year title was announced at a gala awards ceremony held at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.

Dr Drew Nelson, President and CEO of IQE Group, said:

"It is a great honour to receive this prestigious title at the inaugural ESTNet awards, celebrating the Welsh technology sector.

"From its headquarters in Wales, IQE has established a global presence and a clear leadership position in advanced semiconductor wafer technology.

"This award endorses and recognises the dedication, technical excellence and professionalism of the people who have made IQE what it is today."

IQE is the global leader in the design and production of advanced compound semiconductor materials.  Compound semiconductors deliver levels of performance in wireless communications, photonics and high speed processing, which traditional silicon semiconductors cannot deliver. 

Further information about the awards may be seen at: http://estnet-awards.co.uk

CONTACTS:

IQE plc ([phone])
Chris Meadows

Note to Editors

IQE is the leading global supplier of advanced semiconductor wafers with products that cover a diverse range of applications, supported by an innovative outsourced foundry services portfolio that allows the Group to provide a 'one stop shop' for the wafer needs of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers.

IQE uses advanced crystal growth technology (epitaxy) to manufacture and supply bespoke semiconductor wafers ('epiwafers') to the major chip manufacturing companies, who then use these wafers to make the chips which form the key components of virtually all high technology systems. IQE is unique in being able to supply wafers using all of the leading crystal growth technology platforms.

IQE's products are found in many leading-edge consumer, communication, computing and industrial applications, including a complete range of wafer products for the wireless industry, such as mobile handsets and wireless infrastructure, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, base stations, GPS, and satellite communications; and optical communications.

The Group also manufactures advanced optoelectronic and photonic components such as semiconductor lasers, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) and optical sensors for a wide range of applications including optical storage (CD, DVD, BluRay), thermal imaging, leading-edge medical products, pico-projection, finger navigation ultra-high brightness LEDs, and high efficiency concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar cells.

The manufacturers of these chips are increasingly seeking to outsource wafer production to specialist foundries such as IQE in order to reduce overall wafer costs and accelerate time to market.

IQE also provides bespoke R&D services to deliver customised materials for specific applications and offers specialist technical staff to manufacture to specification either at its own facilities or on the customer's own sites. The Group is also able to leverage its global purchasing volumes to reduce the cost of raw materials. In this way, IQE's outsourced services, provide compelling benefits in terms of flexibility and predictability of cost, thereby significantly reducing operating risk.

IQE operates a number of manufacturing and R&D facilities across Europe, Asia and the USA. The Group also delivers its products and services through regional sales offices located in major economic centres worldwide.

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Source: IQE plc via Thomson Reuters ONE

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