Keithley Recognizes 60 Year Milestone

Keithley carries a proud tradition of industry leadership in solving emerging measurement needs, those applications at the forefront of design and electronic production that demand the most accurate, precision electrical measurement capabilities available. While historically the company first served researchers in university and government laboratories, today's customers are also found in the new and emerging areas of semiconductor device and wafer characterization, and the production of end products such as electronic assemblies or portable wireless devices. In these areas, Keithley's technology enables its customers to improve their products and processes, and to accelerate their R & D and time-to-market cycles.

Evolving from its core business of DC test, Keithley has grown to become an important provider of test and measurement instrumentation to the burgeoning wireless and RF industry. This year, Keithley expanded its RF capabilities with the recent introduction of the Model 2910 RF Vector Signal Generator. The Model 2910 serves the mobile, wireless, and communications sectors by setting a new price-performance standard, delivering capability equal to or better than much more expensive competitive products. Later in the year, Keithley will enhance its RF offerings with a new Model 2810 Vector Signal Analyzer and Model 3500 Portable RF Power Meter, the only product of its kind available.

"Our continuing investments in growing our RF capability mark a significant expansion for us as a company," states Joseph P. Keithley, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. "As the electronic industry moves rapidly to incorporate portable and wireless technology into so many devices, our customers face an increasing need for reliable and high performance RF test tools. Extending our reputation for demanding measurements to the growing RF field is a natural and exciting growth opportunity for us."

Another new area of measurement technology for the company beyond DC measurements is known as "pulse," or the ability to apply pulsed bursts of current or voltage during test. This capability is increasingly important to semiconductor engineers and nanotechnology researchers who are testing extremely sensitive new electronic devices that often would be harmed during test without the pulsed technique. Several new systems offering pulse measurements include the new Model 4200 Semiconductor Characterization System and Pulse IV Package, the new S510 Semiconductor Reliability Test System, and the Model 6221 AC Current Source.

"Our continued focus on the most cutting-edge measurement applications in DC, RF and pulse will serve as a platform for growth, as demand for personal computing, wireless devices, and other consumer electronics products fuels our business. Satisfying these consumer demands requires significant breakthroughs across a broad spectrum of communications, material science, power, display, and semiconductor packaging technologies. Each breakthrough requires new and increasing investments in test equipment to support it," said Keithley.

Keithley currently has more than 651 employees serving customers in more than 80 countries. In fiscal 2005, the company generated approximately $140 million in sales, from customers in Asia, the Americas, and Europe. Keithley has been and continues to be a leading global test and measurement company. The company has won prestigious industry awards including numerous R&D; 100 Awards and Instrument of the Year Awards from Electronic Products magazine, Test & Measurement World, and others.

Keithley focuses on building long-term relationships and strong collaborative partnerships with our global customers," states Keithley. "Our ability to share deep applications knowledge and expertise with our customers enables us to bring them a measured difference. This collaboration and applications insight leads to creative and innovative test technology that solves their most demanding measurement challenges," added Keithley.

About Keithley. With 60 years of measurement expertise, Keithley Instruments has become a world leader in advanced electrical test instruments and systems from DC to RF (radio frequency). Its products solve emerging measurement needs in production testing, process monitoring, product development, and research. The company’s customers are scientists and engineers in the worldwide electronics industry involved with advanced materials research, semiconductor device and wafer characterization, and the production of end products such as electronic assemblies or portable wireless devices. The value Keithley provides its customers is a combination of precision measurement technology and a rich understanding of their applications to improve the quality, throughput, and yield of their products.