Foveon Announces National Semiconductor As Licensee of X3 Image Sensor Technolog

March 10, 2003 – Foveon, Inc., a technology leader in high-quality digital photography, announced today a license agreement for the manufacture and distribution of Foveon’s highly acclaimed X3 image sensor technology to National Semiconductor. The agreement expands Foveon's market reach for the Foveon X3 and related technologies.

“Foveon has developed a large portfolio of image sensor products and image capture technologies that we are bringing to market through partners. Through National's worldwide sales and marketing organization we will see the accelerated adoption of X3 based products in key markets,” said Jim Lau, president and CEO of Foveon, Inc.

Foveon has gained industry wide recognition in digital photography as a leader in the development of image sensor technologies for digital cameras. The most recent innovation by Foveon is the Foveon X3 image sensor, the world's first full-color image sensor to capture red, green and blue light at every location in the image plane. The image sensor utilizes Foveon X3 Silicon Color Filter technology, which leverages the fact that silicon absorbs different wavelengths of light at different depths. The technology uses the placement of photodetectors at different depths within the silicon to detect blue, green or red light.

“Foveon’s X3 technology fundamentally changes the way that image capture devices are designed,” said Brian L. Halla, National’s chairman, president and CEO. “We look forward to incorporating Foveon’s world-class image sensor technology into National Semiconductor’s portfolio of imaging products for our customers.”

Additional information is available on the World Wide Web at www.foveon.com.