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To: Apollo who wrote (27054)	6/29/2000 10:30:00 AM
From: im a survivor	Respond to of 54805

Thanks Apollo Keith

To: Apollo who wrote (27054)	6/29/2000 12:18:00 PM
From: unclewest	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 54805

cree..... i brought it here in the 20s and 30s. this is my first concern about cree...if this company's claims are legit...they represent significant competition imo. unclewest Wednesday June 28, 3:55 pm Eastern Time Company Press Release SOURCE: Sullivan & Company, Inc. New Silicon Carbide Wafer Technology Powers Breakthrough in Megawatt Semiconductors INDIANAPOLIS, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid the swirl of political and economic recriminations over power blackouts, heat waves, drought and deregulation of the electric power industry, a fundamental technological change is emerging in the way electric power is generated and consumed that will merge the new economy with the old. Sullivan & Company, Inc., manufacturer of the world's largest silicon carbide wafers, today announced award of a U. S. Patent for the application of polycrystalline silicon carbide to semiconductors, a technology that has breakthrough potential for energy savings using solid state power switching, conversion, and control. ``Newly developed DATANITE(TM) polycrystalline silicon carbide wafers may open the way for major advances in solid state power supplies and controls that would significantly reduce power consumption in the railroad, steel, chemical, and electric utility industries as well as many others. DATANITE(TM) may enable these industries to save significant amounts of energy by using very large semiconductors to exert greater power control,'' said Prof. James A. Cooper of Purdue University School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. ``Megawatt and gigawatt transistors require at least two square centimeters or more of contiguous defect free silicon carbide wafer. Polycrystalline silicon carbide wafers do not have micropipe defects, but lesser defects arising from local grain boundaries in the material may limit operating voltage of transistors. Sullivan makes 8 inch diameter wafers having 314 square centimeters of useable surface area without a single micropipe, opening the possibility of moderate-voltage, very high-current devices having power ratings considerably above those available with monocrystalline silicon carbide wafers.'' Inefficiencies in switching and power conversion can cost 5% power loss, a significant portion of the 15% power reserved for peak demand periods. Electric power is switched and converted using slow, inflexible, and inefficient mechanical switches, transformers, and silicon rectifier diodes. Megawatt and gigawatt macrochip transistors can reduce peak electric generating requirements. Though widely regarded as the most likely candidates for high power devices, efforts to make monocrystalline silicon carbide power transistors have been frustrated by fatal defects in wafers. Monocrystalline silicon carbide wafers have demonstrated high voltages and current densities eight times greater than silicon, but have small holes, called micropipes. Like holes in a high-pressure hose, micropipes numbering up to 50 per square centimeter, allow current to rush through in an avalanche breakdown of the transistor. Devices must fit between micropipes to avoid leaks. Transistors made in monocrystalline silicon carbide remain small. DATANITE(TM) has no micropipes, so devices can be as large as the wafer. U. S. Patent No. 6,077,619 was issued to Mr. Thomas M. Sullivan on June 20, 2000 claiming application of defect free polycrystalline silicon carbide to transistors and is exclusively licensed to Sullivan & Company, Inc. Wafers are sold under the name DATANITE(TM). DATANITE(TM) is a trademark of Sullivan & Company, Inc. SOURCE: Sullivan & Company, Inc.

To: Apollo who wrote (27054)	7/17/2000 10:15:10 PM
From: StockHawk	Respond to of 54805

re: SNDK patent litigation (and what can happen when a company tries to get around another company's patents). The following is taken from SEC filings by Lexar which recently became available: "We are currently involved in significant and costly litigation with our primary competitor in which the Federal District Court has found that our products infringe our competitor's patent. If the court ultimately rules that this patent is valid, we could be required to pay significant damages and royalties and could be enjoined from making, selling or using the infringing products." "if the SanDisk patent litigation were to be resolved by a settlement, we might need to make substantial upfront payments as well as ongoing royalties to SanDisk and grant a license to SanDisk to utilize portions of our technology" "We have recently redesigned our products to avoid SanDisk's intellectual property, but the redesigned products may not be feasible to produce, commercially competitive or have all the functionality of our current and future products or may be held to infringe SanDisk's patents" "We intend to vigorously contest SanDisk's claims and the validity of SanDisk's patent at trial, but to succeed, we will have to overcome by clear and convincing evidence the legal presumption that a patent is valid. This is a difficult burden of proof and, as a result, patents are found to be valid in a significant majority of cases. In its complaint, SanDisk requests both a preliminary and a permanent injunction. SanDisk could request a hearing on its request for a preliminary injunction against us at any time prior to trial. In the event a preliminary or permanent injunction were granted, we would be unable to sell products found to infringe SanDisk's patent. Such an injunction would result in our not being able to ship a substantial portion of our products, which would cause a substantial reduction in our revenues, significant losses and loss of customer goodwill for an extended period of time. As a result, we would face a substantial depletion of our financial resources that could severely limit our future business prospects or render us insolvent. Further, if at trial the SanDisk patent is held to be valid, we could be required to pay significant monetary damages to SanDisk, which, in the event of a finding of willful infringement, would be subject to trebling and could also require us to pay SanDisk's attorney's fees. " "In the event of an injunction, we could seek a license from SanDisk to enable us to continue selling our products, but SanDisk might not agree to license its patents to us on reasonable terms, or at all. While SanDisk has expressed a willingness to license its patents, such a license may cause us to pay royalties on all our products, even those in the future that may not infringe SanDisk's patent, and we might be required to grant a license to SanDisk to utilize portions of our technology. Accordingly, the terms of any license might adversely affect our margins and our ability to compete with SanDisk and others." These are just excerpts from a 72 page Registration Statement. The statement can be read at: freeedgar.com StockHawk